Preliminary Evidence of the Possible Roles of the Ferritinophagy-Iron Uptake Axis in Canine Testicular Cancer

Iron is a key element in spermatogenesis; its metabolic pathway in the testis is strictly regulated. Alterations in iron metabolism are linked to various diseases, including cancer, and changes in iron metabolism-related proteins have been observed in multiple human, mouse and canine tumors. There i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animals (Basel) 2024-09, Vol.14 (17), p.2619
Main Authors: Leandri, Rebecca, Power, Karen, Buonocore, Sara, De Vico, Gionata
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antibodies
biochemical pathways
Brain cancer
Cell growth
dogs
ferritin
ferritinophagy
FTH1
Glycoproteins
humans
Immunohistochemistry
iron
iron absorption
iron metabolism
Leydig cells
Metabolism
mice
NCOA4
Proteins
seminoma
Sertoli cells
Sodium
spermatogenesis
spermatogonia
Testicular cancer
transferrin receptors
Tumors
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Iron is a key element in spermatogenesis; its metabolic pathway in the testis is strictly regulated. Alterations in iron metabolism are linked to various diseases, including cancer, and changes in iron metabolism-related proteins have been observed in multiple human, mouse and canine tumors. There is limited knowledge about iron metabolism in canine non-neoplastic and neoplastic testes. This study aimed to explore the immunohistochemical expression of molecules involved in iron uptake and storage [Transferrin Receptor 1 (TfR1), ferritin (FTH1), nuclear receptor coactivator 4 (NCOA4)] and PCNA in canine non-neoplastic and neoplastic testicular samples. Non-neoplastic testes showed moderate TfR1 expression in developing germ cells and Sertoli cells, high NCOA4 cytoplasmic immunostaining in the Sertoli cells and occasional cytoplasmic immunopositivity for FTH1 in the spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. In contrast, Leydig cell tumors (LCTs) and Diffuse Type Seminoma (DSEM) exhibited increased expression of TfR1, along with higher PCNA expression, suggesting a higher iron need for proliferation. Intratubular Type Seminoma (ITSEM) showed a higher FTH1 expression, indicating greater iron storage, while the increased NCOA4 expression in the LCTs and DSEM suggested ferritinophagy to release iron for proliferation. Sertoli cell tumors (SCTs) showed only NCOA4 expression. These preliminary findings highlight potential molecular targets for developing new anti-neoplastic treatments in canine testicular tumors.
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani14172619