Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', 81100 Caserta, Italy.
Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale, Sez. Fisiologia Umana e Funzioni Biologiche Integrate, Università degli Studi della Campania 'Luigi Vanvitelli', 80138 Napoli, Italy.
Biomolecules. 2023 Mar 30;13(4):621. doi: 10.3390/biom13040621.
High levels of free D-aspartate (D-Asp) are present in vertebrate testis during post-natal development, coinciding with the onset of testosterone production, which suggests that this atypical amino acid might participate in the regulation of hormone biosynthesis. To elucidate the unknown role of D-Asp on testicular function, we investigated steroidogenesis and spermatogenesis in a one-month-old knockin mouse model with the constitutive depletion of D-Asp levels due to the targeted overexpression of D-aspartate oxidase (DDO), which catalyzes the deaminative oxidation of D-Asp to generate the corresponding α-keto acid, oxaloacetate, hydrogen peroxide, and ammonium ions. In the knockin mice, we found a dramatic reduction in testicular D-Asp levels, accompanied by a significant decrease in the serum testosterone levels and testicular 17β-HSD, the enzyme involved in testosterone biosynthesis. Additionally, in the testes of these knockin mice, the expression of PCNA and SYCP3 proteins decreased, suggesting alterations in spermatogenesis-related processes, as well as an increase in the cytosolic cytochrome c protein levels and TUNEL-positive cell number, which indicate an increase in apoptosis. To further investigate the histological and morphometric testicular alterations in knockin mice, we analyzed the expression and localization of prolyl endopeptidase (PREP) and disheveled-associated activator of morphogenesis 1 (DAAM1), two proteins involved in cytoskeletal organization. Our results showed that the testicular levels of DAAM1 and PREP in knockin mice were different from those in wild-type animals, suggesting that the deficiency of D-Asp is associated with overall cytoskeletal disorganization. Our findings confirmed that physiological D-Asp influences testosterone biosynthesis and plays a crucial role in germ cell proliferation and differentiation, which are required for successful reproduction.
高水平的游离 D-天冬氨酸(D-Asp)存在于脊椎动物睾丸的出生后发育过程中,与睾酮产生的开始相吻合,这表明这种非典型氨基酸可能参与激素生物合成的调节。为了阐明 D-Asp 对睾丸功能的未知作用,我们研究了在一个月大的敲入小鼠模型中的类固醇生成和精子发生,该模型由于 D-天冬氨酸氧化酶(DDO)的靶向过表达而导致 D-Asp 水平的组成性耗竭,DDO 催化 D-Asp 的脱氨氧化生成相应的α-酮酸草酰乙酸、过氧化氢和铵离子。在 敲入小鼠中,我们发现睾丸 D-Asp 水平显著降低,同时血清睾酮水平和睾丸 17β-HSD(参与睾酮生物合成的酶)显著降低。此外,在这些 敲入小鼠的睾丸中,PCNA 和 SYCP3 蛋白的表达减少,表明精子发生相关过程发生改变,以及细胞质细胞色素 c 蛋白水平增加和 TUNEL 阳性细胞数量增加,这表明细胞凋亡增加。为了进一步研究 敲入小鼠的组织学和形态计量学睾丸改变,我们分析了脯氨酰内肽酶(PREP)和无规卷曲相关形态发生激活因子 1(DAAM1)的表达和定位,这两种蛋白参与细胞骨架组织。我们的结果表明, 敲入小鼠睾丸中的 DAAM1 和 PREP 水平与野生型动物不同,表明 D-Asp 的缺乏与整体细胞骨架紊乱有关。我们的研究结果证实,生理性 D-Asp 影响睾酮生物合成,并在生殖细胞增殖和分化中发挥关键作用,这是成功繁殖所必需的。
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