TRPV1 is e pressed by a number of neuronal and non neuronal tissues. In partic ular TRPV1 mRNA has been detected in rat prostate, testis, penis and bladder tissue, and in all human genito urinary tract tissues. Recently, TRPV1 e pression has also been demonstrated http://www.selleckchem.com/products/Y-27632.html in cultured rat Sertoli cells. We therefore set out to study the e pression of this receptor in germ cells as this was not known. The spermatogonial stem cell lines as well as premeiotic germ cells in situ e press TRPV1. Hence, CAP may affect germ cell survival through TRPV1. It is also possible though, that CAP induces apoptosis in the spermatogonial germ cell lines in a TRPV1 independent manner. Recently, we demon strated that a lack of TRPV1 in TRPV1 mice is deleterious to germ cell survival under heat stress conditions.

In other words, activation of TRPV1 by heat may induce fac tors that protect the germ cells from undergoing apoptosis instead of inducing apoptosis. Although the present and our previous study are not comparable as different models and different TRPV1 agonists were used, it is indeed possible that CAP bypasses TRPV1 in the cultured cells. In fact, previous findings have indicated that concentrations of CAP in the range of 100 to 300 M and or long term e posure to this compound may interact with enzymatic processes either in the plasma membrane or in the mito chondria of cells that subsequently lead to cell death. The cellular targets of CAP in the spermatogonial stem cell lines and the downstream effectors of germ cell apoptosis will be the focus of future research.

In contrast to the finding of Auzanneau et al we did not observe TRPV1 e pression in the Sertoli cells. This is possibly due to the difference in sensitivity of the methods used and the use of different antibodies. Conclusion In this study, we demonstrate that CAP induces apoptosis of mitotic germ cells in vitro, as evidenced by morphology, caspase activation and nuclear fragmentation. The germ cells used, e press TRPV1. It remains to be investigated whether this receptor is involved in the CAP mediated apoptosis of the germ cells. Background Heat shock proteins have been identified in all eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms. They may act as molecular chaperones by preventing aggregation and assisting refolding of misfolded proteins.

Hsps could be induced in response to a physiological effect or envi ronmental effect of stress, such as elevation in tempera ture, o idative stress, viral infection, nutritional deficiency, or to ic chemical e posure. On the basis of molecular weight, mammalian Hsps have been classi Entinostat fied into various families, including Hsp105, 90, 70, 60, and other small Hsps. The 105 kDa protein is one of the major mammalian Hsp which belongs to the family of higher molecular mass, and is composed of 858 amino acid residues. Hatayama et al.