| First Author | Di Giacomo D | Year | 2016 |
| Journal | FASEB J | Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 4 | Pages | 1453-63 |
| PubMed ID | 26671998 | Mgi Jnum | J:230891 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:5766422 | Doi | 10.1096/fj.15-279034 |
| Citation | Di Giacomo D, et al. (2016) Type 2 cannabinoid receptor contributes to the physiological regulation of spermatogenesis. FASEB J 30(4):1453-63 |
| abstractText | Type 2 cannabinoid receptor (CB2) has been proposed to play a pivotal role in meiotic entry of male germ cells, similar to retinoic acid (RA). In this study, we showed that activation of CB2with the specific agonist JWH133 [3-(1',1'-dimethylbutyl)-1-deoxy-8-THC] (IC5010(-6)M) mimics epigenetic events induced by RA (IC5010(-7)M) in spermatogonia. Both JWH133 and RA treatments stimulate the expression of the meiotic genes c-KitandStra8, by up-regulating H3K4me3 and down-regulating H3K9me2 levels in genomic regions flanking the transcription start site. Moreover, both agents increase the expression ofPrdm9, the gene encoding a meiosis-specific histone, H3K4me3 methyltransferase, which marks hotspots of recombination in prophase I, thus resulting in a global increase in H3K4me3. Notably, prolonged administration of JWH133 to immature 7 dpp CD-1 mice induced an acceleration of the onset of spermatogenesis, whereas the specific CB2antagonist delayed germ cell differentiation. Thus, both hyper- and hypostimulation of CB2disrupted the temporal dynamics of the spermatogenic cycle. These findings highlight the importance of proper CB2signaling for the maintenance of a correct temporal progression of spermatogenesis and suggest a possible adverse effect of cannabis in deregulating this process.-Di Giacomo, D., De Domenico, E., Sette, C., Geremia, R., Grimaldi, P. Type 2 cannabinoid receptor contributes to the physiological regulation of spermatogenesis. |
