OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression levels of claudin-11 mRNA and the localization of claudin-11 protein in testes of infertile men.
METHODS: This study included 5 men with obstructive azoospermia and 50 men with nonobstructive azoospermia who had undergone testicular sperm extraction. Testicular tissues were obtained from these men and expression levels of claudin-11 mRNA in testicular samples were determined by real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The localization of claudin-11 protein was analyzed by immunofluorescent staining.
RESULTS: Expression levels of testicular claudin-11 mRNA in nonobstructive azoospermia men were significantly greater than in obstructive azoospermia men, whereas there was no significant difference in testicular claudin-11 mRNA expression between men with and without successful sperm retrieval by testicular sperm extraction. Based on the findings of immunofluorescent staining, expression patterns of claudin-11 protein could be divided into normal (localization to basal component of seminiferous tubules) and abnormal patterns (diffuse expression in Sertoli cells/extremely low or no expression). The proportion of nonobstructive azoospermia men with an abnormal expression pattern of claudin-11, particularly that of Sertoli cell-only syndrome men, was significantly greater than that of obstructive azoospermia men. Furthermore, claudin-11 expression showing an abnormal pattern in men without successful sperm retrieval was significantly frequent compared with those whose sperm were successfully retrieved.
CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that disorganization of claudin-11 expression in Sertoli cells might be one of the factors involved in the impairment of spermatogenesis.
Written by:
Chiba K, Yamaguchi K, Ando M, Miyake H, Fujisawa M. Are you the author?
Division of Urology, Department of Surgery Related, Faculty of Medicine, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Reference: Urology. 2012 Nov;80(5):1161.e13-7.
doi: 10.1016/j.urology.2012.06.036
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22951003
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