First Author | Schimenti KJ | Year | 2013 |
Journal | Genetics | Volume | 194 |
Issue | 2 | Pages | 447-57 |
PubMed ID | 23608191 | Mgi Jnum | J:198499 |
Mgi Id | MGI:5496944 | Doi | 10.1534/genetics.113.150789 |
Citation | Schimenti KJ, et al. (2013) AKAP9 is essential for spermatogenesis and sertoli cell maturation in mice. Genetics 194(2):447-57 |
abstractText | Mammalian male fertility relies on complex inter- and intracellular signaling during spermatogenesis. Here we describe three alleles of the widely expressed A-kinase anchoring protein 9 (Akap9) gene, all of which cause gametogenic failure and infertility in the absence of marked somatic phenotypes. Akap9 disruption does not affect spindle nucleation or progression of prophase I of meiosis but does inhibit maturation of Sertoli cells, which continue to express the immaturity markers anti-Mullerian hormone and thyroid hormone receptor alpha in adults and fail to express the maturation marker p27(Kip1). Furthermore, gap and tight junctions essential for blood-testis barrier (BTB) organization are disrupted. Connexin43 (Cx43) and zona occludens-1 are improperly localized in Akap9 mutant testes, and Cx43 fails to compartmentalize germ cells near the BTB. These results identify and support a novel reproductive tissue-specific role for Akap9 in the coordinated regulation of Sertoli cells in the testis. |