Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan.
PRESTO, Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan.
Genes Cells. 2023 Nov;28(11):757-763. doi: 10.1111/gtc.13066. Epub 2023 Sep 11.
The behaviors of cells, tissues, and organs are controlled by the extracellular environment in addition to their autonomous regulatory system. Dysfunction of extracellular regulatory mechanisms affects not only the development and survival of organisms but also successful reproduction. In this review article, a novel extracellular regulatory mechanism regulating the mammalian male reproductive ability will be briefly summarized. In terrestrial vertebrates, spermatozoa generated in the testis are transported through the lumen of the male reproductive tract and become functionally mature during the transport. Recent studies with gene-modified animals are unveiling the luminal extracellular environment of the reproductive tract to function not only as the pathway of sperm transport and the site of sperm maturation but also as the channel for cellular communication to regulate sperm maturation. Of special interest is the molecular mechanism of lumicrine signaling, a transluminal secreted signal transduction in the male reproductive tract lumen as a master regulator of sperm maturation and male reproductive ability. The general significance of such transluminal signaling in the context of cell biology will also be discussed.
除了自主调节系统外，细胞、组织和器官的行为还受到细胞外环境的控制。细胞外调节机制的功能障碍不仅会影响生物的发育和生存，还会影响其成功繁殖。在这篇综述文章中，将简要总结一种调节哺乳动物雄性生殖能力的新型细胞外调节机制。在陆栖脊椎动物中，精子在睾丸中生成，在运输过程中通过生殖道管腔，并在运输过程中成熟。利用基因修饰动物进行的最新研究揭示了生殖道的管腔细胞外环境不仅作为精子运输的途径和精子成熟的部位，而且作为细胞间通讯的通道，以调节精子成熟。特别引人关注的是 lumicrine 信号转导的分子机制，这是生殖道管腔中跨腔分泌的信号转导，作为精子成熟和雄性生殖能力的主要调节因子。还将讨论这种跨腔信号在细胞生物学背景下的普遍意义。
