• PMID: 21503600
• Gene Name: CR16
• Condition: Idiopathic azoospermia
• Association: Associated
• Sex: Male
• Infertility type: Male infertility
• Associated genes: CR16
• Other associated phenotypes: Idiopathic azoospermia

CR16 forms a complex with N-WASP in human testes

Xiang W, Wen Z, Pang W, Hu L, Xiong C, Zhang Y.

The expression of corticosteroids and regional expression 16 (CR16) and neural Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) was studied in the testes of men with idiopathic azoospermia by (1) immunohistochemistry and Western blot to detect the expression of CR16 and N-WASP protein, (2) reverse transcription with the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to determine the amounts of CR16 and N-WASP mRNA, and (3) double-staining immunofluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) to demonstrate the co-localization of CR16 and N-WASP proteins. Immunohistochemistry revealed CR16 and N-WASP proteins in the Sertoli cells, specifically in the Sertoli cell-spermatogenic cell junctions (SspJs) in the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules. RT-PCR indicated that the relative amounts of CR16 and N-WASP mRNA were significantly decreased in men with idiopathic azoospermia, although the ratio of CR16 and N-WASP mRNA was approximately 1:1 in both groups of men. Western blot showed the presence of the CR16 monomer and N-WASP in all tissues examined, but the relevant bands were paler in men with idiopathic azoospermia than those in healthy men. The distribution of CR16 and N-WASP was similar in the epithelium of seminiferous tubules based on double-staining immunofluorescence and LSCM, thereby suggesting that CR16 and N-WASP were co-localized in the SspJs as a CR16/N-WASP complex. The decreased levels of CR16 and N-WASP in the testes of men with idiopathic azoospermia compared with healthy men and the co-localization at the SspJs as a CR16/N-WASP complex in the epithelium of seminiferous tubules suggest that CR16 and N-WASP play a role in the pathogenesis of azoospermia. FAU - Xiang, Wenpei AU - Xiang W AD - Family Planning Research Institute, Center of Reproductive Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, People's Republic of China. FAU - Wen, Zina AU - Wen Z FAU - Pang, Wenjuan AU - Pang W FAU - Hu, Lian AU - Hu L FAU - Xiong, Chengliang AU - Xiong C