Mol. Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on October 11, 2007
Molecular Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/molehr/gam064
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Krüppel-like factor 4 expression in normal and pathological human testes
1Stem Cell Research Group, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany 2Institute of Anatomy, Developmental Biology, University of Essen Medical School, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122 Essen, Germany 3Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Giessen, Frankfurter Strasse 98, 35392 Giessen, Germany 4School of Molecular and Biomedical Science, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia 5Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University Hospital, Rudolf-Buchheim-Strasse 7, 35385 Giessen, Germany
* Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr. Rüdiger Behr German Primate Center Stem Cell Research Group Kellnerweg 4 37077Goettingen Germany Phone: ++49 - 551 3851 132 Fax: ++49 - 551 3851 288 Email: rbehr{at}dpz.eu
Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a transcription factor involved in many cellular and developmental processes such as terminal differentiation of cells and carcinogenesis. Mice lacking KLF4 die postnatally due to skin barrier deficiencies and exhibit several additional cellular defects. The adult rodent testis expresses high levels of Klf4 mRNA. Using in situ hybridisation we previously localised most of the Klf4 mRNA to round spermatids in mice. Moreover, in rodent Sertoli cells, Klf4 is strongly inducible by FSH. Here we show by Northern blot analysis that the human testis also strongly expresses KLF4. Applying immunohistochemistry, we localised KLF4 protein to the nuclei of round spermatids during normal spermatogenesis stages II-IV. Analysing round spermatid maturation arrests, strong cytoplasmic staining could be seen in two samples. We failed to detect KLF4 in human Sertoli cells. Most human Leydig cells expressed KLF4 at high levels in the nucleus. However, some individual Leydig cells lacked KLF4, suggesting different functional states of the Leydig cells. The strong expression of KLF4 in the human testis and the importance of KLF4 in several mouse tissues suggest a significant role for KLF4 in the human testis. A first hint at a role for KLF4 during spermiogenesis could be the altered subcellular localisation of the protein during arrested spermiogenesis.
Key Words: KLF4/Leydig cell/Spermatid/Spermatogenesis/Testis
* Current Address: Departments of Animal Science, Pharmacology and McGill Nutrition and Food Science Centre, McGill University, MacDonald Campus 21,111 Lakeshore RD, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, QC, Canada, H9X 3V9
Submitted on July 19, 2007; resubmitted on August 23, 2007; accepted on September 4, 2007.
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