EGFR ligands exert diverging effects on male reproductive organs

While the EGFR and most of its ligands are expressed in the male reproductive tract, their functions in male reproduction are poorly understood. Interestingly, male transgenic mice overexpressing EGF are sterile, and transgenic mice overexpressing TGFA, another EGFR ligand, show an enlarged coagulat...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Experimental and molecular pathology 2010-02, Vol.88 (1), p.216-218
Main Authors: Schneider, Marlon R., Gratao, Ana A., Dahlhoff, Maik, Boersma, Auke, Hrabé de Angelis, Martin, Hoang-Vu, Cuong, Wolf, Eckhard, Klonisch, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Betacellulin
Biological and medical sciences
EGFR
Epidermal growth factor
Fertility - genetics
Genitalia, Male - pathology
Genitalia, Male - physiology
Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - genetics
Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins - metabolism
Investigative techniques, diagnostic techniques (general aspects)
Ligands
Male
Male reproductive tract
Medical sciences
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Organ Size - genetics
Pathology. Cytology. Biochemistry. Spectrometry. Miscellaneous investigative techniques
Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - genetics
Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor - metabolism
Sperm Count
Sperm Motility
Transforming Growth Factor alpha - genetics
Transforming Growth Factor alpha - metabolism
Transgenic mice
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:While the EGFR and most of its ligands are expressed in the male reproductive tract, their functions in male reproduction are poorly understood. Interestingly, male transgenic mice overexpressing EGF are sterile, and transgenic mice overexpressing TGFA, another EGFR ligand, show an enlarged coagulation gland (anterior prostate) due to severe hyperplasia with focal dysplasia. We studied the male reproductive tract of transgenic mice overexpressing betacellulin (BTC-tg) under the control of a promoter conferring widespread transgene expression. Despite strong overexpression of BTC in different parts of the male reproductive tract, the gross appearance and histology of the reproductive organs of BTC-tg males were normal and the same were true for sperm parameters and the in vitro fertilization rate. Collectively, our findings demonstrate that excess of BTC exerts no deleterious effects on the structure or function of the male reproductive tract in mice and indicates unique, non-overlapping functions of specific EGFR ligands in male reproduction.
ISSN:0014-4800
1096-0945
DOI:10.1016/j.yexmp.2009.11.005