Chapter category: Reproductive Biology
Estrogens and Spermatogenesis
Molecular Mechanisms
in Spermatogenesis
Edited by: C. Yan ChengISBN: 978-0-387-79990-2
» Get more information about this book at landesbioscience.com «
Chapter authors:
Chandrima Shaha
For many years androgens were thought to be the primary hormones required for proper functioning of the male reproductive system and testes were shown to be the major producers of the hormone. In the 1970s it was recognized that in addition to androgens testes were also a source of estrogens, and intratesticular concentration of estrogens were higher than levels present in the serum of females of reproductive age.1,2 Since then there has been an interest in the study of the role of estrogens in the male, however, in recent years a great interest has been regenerated to decipher the role of estrogens in the control of male fertility because of various developments. For example, discovery of the estrogen receptor b (ERb) in the male3 was an important development and the evidence emerging from mice with targeted disruption of estrogen receptors showing defects in male fertility4 was another provocative evidence of the importance of estrogens in male reproduction. In addition, the description of reduction in sperm counts and increase in the incidence of testicular tumors in men to which environmental estrogens were causally linked5 were also important observations on pathology inducing effects of estrogens. It is now established that estrogens are involved in numerous physiological processes in the male, for example, bone turnover, behavior and the cardiovascular system, but controversy exists as to whether male fertility over the past five decades has truly showed a decline6 due to the relatively low levels of estrogens in the environment that humans are exposed to.7 As a result of this renewed interest, the role of estrogens in male reproductive physiology is rapidly being redefined. It is therefore pertinent that a comprehensive evaluation of the data on the role of estrogens in the male is made. However, because of the ambiguity in the definition of precise function of the estrogens in the male, extensive research into the effects of the hormone on the male reproductive system is warranted.8
Additional chapters from this book:
Proteases and Their Cognate Inhibitors of the Serine and Metalloprotease Subclasses, in Testicular Physiology
Brigitte Le Magueresse-Battistoni
The testis is a highly dynamic organ not only in the fetal stage but also during postnatal development and in adult life. It is composed of two major compartments: the intersti- tium with the ste...
The Sertoli Cell Cytoskeleton
A.W. Vogl, K.S. Vaid and J.A. Guttman
The cytoskeleton of terminally differentiated mammalian Sertoli cells is one of the most elaborate of those that have been described for cells in tissues. Actin filaments, interme- diate filament...
The Role of the Leydig Cell in Spermatogenic Function
Renshan Ge, Guorong Chen and Matthew P. Hardy
Two anatomically distinct compartments, respectively, the interstitium where Leydig cells reside and the seminiferous tubules contribute the major functions of the testis, test- osterone secretio...
Blood-Testis Barrier, Junctional and Transport Proteins and Spermatogenesis
B.P. Setchell
The term “blood-testis barrier” appears to have been first used by Chiquoine1 in an article on effects of cadmium on the testis, but evidence for such a barrier already existed, dating back to t...
Cross-Talk between Tight and Anchoring Junctions—Lesson from the Testis
Helen H.N. Yan, Dolores D. Mruk, Will M. Lee and C. Yan Cheng
Spermatogenesis takes place in the seminiferous tubules in adult testes such as rats, in which developing germ cells must traverse the seminiferous epithelium while spermato gonia (2n, diploid) u...
Transcription Regulation in Spermatogenesis
Wing-Yee Lui and C. Yan Cheng
Spermatogenesis is a highly coordinated process in which diploid spermatogonia (2n) differentiate into mature haploid (1n) spermatozoa in the seminiferous epithelium. In this process, spermatogo...
Estrogens and Spermatogenesis
Chandrima Shaha
For many years androgens were thought to be the primary hormones required for proper functioning of the male reproductive system and testes were shown to be the major producers of the hormone. I...
Nitric Oxide and Cyclic Nucleotides: Their Roles in Junction Dynamics and Spermatogenesis
Nikki P.Y. Lee and C. Yan Cheng
Spermatogenesis is a highly complicated process in which functional spermatozoa (haploid, 1n) are generated from primitive mitotic spermatogonia (diploid, 2n). This process involves the differentiatio...
Inflammatory Networks in the Control of Spermatogenesis Chronic Inflammation in an Immunologically Privileged Tissue?
Moira K. O′Bryan and Mark P. Hedger
Spermatogenesis is a complex, organized process involving intimate interactions between the developing germ cells and supporting Sertoli cells. The process is also highly regulated. Studies sugg...
Spermatogenesis and Cycle of the Seminiferous Epithelium
Rex A. Hess and Luiz Renato de Franca
Spermatogenesis is a complex biological process of cellular transformation that produces male haploid germ cells from diploid spermatogonial stem cells. This process has been simplified morpholo...
Extracellular Matrix and Its Role in Spermatogenesis
Michelle K.Y. Siu and C. Yan Cheng
In adult mammalian testes, such as rats, Sertoli and germ cells at different stages of their development in the seminiferous epithelium are in close contact with the basement mem- brane, a modifi...
Antioxidant Systems and Oxidative Stress in the Testes
R. John Aitken and Shaun D. Roman
Spermatogenesis is an extremely active replicative process capable of generating approxi- mately 1000 sperm a second. The high rates of cell division inherent in this process imply correspondingl...
Selenium, a Key Element in Spermatogenesis and Male Fertility
Carla Boitani and Rossella Puglisi
Selenium is essential for normal spermatogenesis of mammals and its critical role is mainly mediated by two selenoproteins, namely Phospholipid Hydroperoxide Glutathione Peroxidase(PHGPx/GPx4) and Sel...
Testicular Development and Spermatogenesis: Harvesting the Postgenomics Bounty
Antoine D. Rolland, Bernard Jégou and Charles Pineau
Spermatogenesis is a sophisticated process facilitating transmission of the genetic patrimony and, thus, perpetuation of the species. Mammalian spermatogenesis is classically divided into three 3 phas...
