| First Author | Yanai S | Year | 2021 |
| Journal | Sci Rep | Volume | 11 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 719 |
| PubMed ID | 33436964 | Mgi Jnum | J:333256 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6803227 | Doi | 10.1038/s41598-020-80741-z |
| Citation | Yanai S, et al. (2021) Gene expression and functional abnormalities in XX/Sry Leydig cells. Sci Rep 11(1):719 |
| abstractText | The SRY gene induces testis development even in XX individuals. However, XX/Sry testes fail to produce mature sperm, due to the absence of Y chromosome carrying genes essential for spermatogenesis. XX/Sry Sertoli cells show abnormalities in the production of lactate and cholesterol required for germ cell development. Leydig cells are essential for male functions through testosterone production. However, whether XX/Sry adult Leydig cells (XX/Sry ALCs) function normally remains unclear. In this study, the transcriptomes from XY and XX/Sry ALCs demonstrated that immediate early and cholesterogenic gene expressions differed between these cells. Interestingly, cholesterogenic genes were upregulated in XX/Sry ALCs, although downregulated in XX/Sry Sertoli cells. Among the steroidogenic enzymes, CYP17A1 mediates steroid 17alpha-hydroxylation and 17,20-lyase reaction, necessary for testosterone production. In XX/Sry ALCs, the latter reaction was selectively decreased. The defects in XX/Sry ALCs, together with those in the germ and Sertoli cells, might explain the infertility of XX/Sry testes. |
