Gye M C, Kang H H, Kang H J
Department of Life Science, College of Natural Sciences, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea.
Arch Androl. 2005 May-Jun;51(3):247-55. doi: 10.1080/014850190898845.
Marijuana smoke and cannabinoids adversely affect male reproductive function in human and rodent through the cannabinoid receptors. To understand the possible function of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1) in spermatogenesis, expression of CB1 in testis during the postnatal development was examined in mice. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that testicular CB1 mRNA level was relatively high at 1 week post partum (p.p.). Following decrease during prepubertal development (2 weeks p.p.) and CB1 mRNA level re-increased during puberty (4 weeks p.p.) and reached the peak in adult testis. At 1 week p.p., some spermatogonia and Leydig cells showed strong immunoreactivity of CB1. At 2 weeks p.p., CB1 immunoreactivity was largely found in the primary spermatocytes as well as spermatogonia, and Leydig cells showed a weak signal. In adult testis, strong immunoreactivity was found in Leydig cells and luminal epithelia of seminiferous tubule. Germ cells including spermatozoa were positive for CB1 immunoreactivity. On Western blot, multiple forms of CB1 proteins were detected in testes, suggesting oligomerization of CB1. Ubiquitous, but spatiotemporal difference in expression of CB1 in soma and germ line during postnatal development of testis suggests functional involvement of CB1 signaling in steroidogenesis, spermatogenesis and fertilization.
大麻烟雾和大麻素通过大麻素受体对人类和啮齿动物的雄性生殖功能产生不利影响。为了解大麻素受体1（CB1）在精子发生中的可能功能，研究了CB1在小鼠出生后发育过程中睾丸中的表达情况。半定量RT-PCR分析显示，产后1周（p.p.）时睾丸CB1 mRNA水平相对较高。在青春期前发育阶段（产后2周）下降，然后在青春期（产后4周）CB1 mRNA水平再次升高，并在成年睾丸中达到峰值。产后1周时，一些精原细胞和睾丸间质细胞显示出强烈的CB1免疫反应性。产后2周时，CB1免疫反应性主要在初级精母细胞以及精原细胞中发现，而睾丸间质细胞显示出较弱的信号。在成年睾丸中，在睾丸间质细胞和生精小管的管腔上皮中发现了强烈的免疫反应性。包括精子在内的生殖细胞对CB1免疫反应呈阳性。在蛋白质印迹法中，在睾丸中检测到多种形式的CB1蛋白，表明CB1发生了寡聚化。在睾丸出生后发育过程中，CB1在体细胞和生殖系中的表达普遍存在，但存在时空差异，这表明CB1信号通路在类固醇生成、精子发生和受精过程中发挥了功能作用。
