Avaliação da função dos genes Gata-1 e Sry na fisiologia testicular de camundongos adultos

Abstract

The present work proposed to analyze the function of two genes, Gata-1 and Sry, expressed in the testis. Gata-1 is a transcription factor of the GATA family that was initially identified as a crucial regulator of hematopoietic cell differentiation, but it is now known that the expression of this gene is not limited to this system. Although the testis is also a site of significant Gata-1 expression, its role in spermatogenesis remained largely unexplored. Although Sry is well known to play a role in determining the male sex during the mammalian embryonic stage, its role in the function of the adult animal's testicles has not been well studied. In this context, we evaluated the testicular morphophysiology of adult ∆dblGATA mice with a mutation in the GATA-1 protein, and we treated wild adult male mice with siRNA, promoting the silencing of Sry messenger RNA. The findings showed that the Gata-1 gene was more closely associated with the intertubular compartment. The Gata- 1 mutant animals displayed morphofunctional changes in the Leydig cells, including a decrease in volume, a change in the expression of steroidogenic enzymes, and a decrease in testosterone levels. Concerning Sry, treated animals showed significant changes in testicular vascularization and the tubular compartment, with massive release and apoptosis of germ cells from the seminiferous epithelium. As a result, our research identified genes that play a significant role in the endocrine and exocrine functions of the testis. We showed that the GATA-1 protein is a critical factor for steroidogenic activity in the testis, while the Sry expression is essential for gamete production in adult animals.