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Arrest of spermatogenesis in mice expressing an active heat shock transcription factor 1
Author(s) -
Nakai Akira,
Suzuki Misao,
Tanabe Masako
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
the embo journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 7.484
H-Index - 392
eISSN - 1460-2075
pISSN - 0261-4189
DOI - 10.1093/emboj/19.7.1545
Subject(s) - hsf1 , spermatogenesis , biology , heat shock factor , apoptosis , meiosis , prophase , transcription factor , heat shock protein , microbiology and biotechnology , andrology , endocrinology , hsp70 , genetics , gene , medicine
In mammals, testicular temperature is lower than core body temperature, and the vulnerable nature of spermatogenesis to thermal insult has been known for a century. However, the primary target affected by increases in temperature is not yet clear. We report here that male mice expressing an active form of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) in the testis are infertile due to a block in spermatogenesis. The germ cells entered meiotic prophase and were arrested at pachytene stage, and there was a significant increase in the number of apoptotic germ cells in these mice. In wild‐type mice, a single heat exposure caused the activation of HSF1 and similar histological changes such as a stage‐specific apoptosis of pachytene spermatocytes. These results suggest that male infertility caused by thermal insult is at least partly due to the activation of HSF1, which induces the primary spermatocytes to undergo apoptosis.