Impaired expression and distribution of adherens and gap junction proteins in the seminiferous tubules of rats undergoing autoimmune orchitis

CECILIA VALERIA PÉREZ; CRISTIAN SOBARZO; PATRICIA JACOBO; SABRINA JARAZO DIETRICH; MARÍA SUSANA THEAS; BERTA DENDUCHIS; LIVIA LUSTIG

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ANDROLOGY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Año: 2011 vol. 34 p. 566 - 577

0105-6263

Experimental autoimmune orchitis (EAO) is characterized by an interstitiallymphomononuclear cell infiltration and a severe lesion of seminiferous tubules(ST) with germ cells that undergo apoptosis and sloughing. The aim of thisstudy was to analyse the expression and localization of adherens junction (AJ)proteins: N-cadherin, alpha-,beta- and p120 catenins and gap junction protein, connexin43 (Cx43), to explore some aspects of germ-cell sloughing during thedevelopment of orchitis. EAO was induced in Sprague-Dawley adult rats byactive immunization with testicular homogenate and adjuvants. Control rats(C) were injected with saline solution and adjuvants. Concomitant with earlysigns of germ-cell sloughing, we observed by immunofluorescence and Westernblot, a delocalization and a significant increase in N-cadherin and alpha-cateninexpression in the ST of EAO compared with C rats. In spite of this increasedAJ protein expression, a severe germ-cell sloughing occurred. This is probablydue to the impairment of the AJ complex function, as shown by the loss ofN-cadherin⁄beta-catenin colocalization (confocal microscopy) and increasedpY654 beta-catenin expression, suggesting lower affinity of these two proteins andincreased pERK1⁄2 expression in the testis of EAO rats. The significantdecrease in Cx43 expression detected in EAO rats suggests a gap junction functionimpairment also contributing to germ-cell sloughing.