小鼠睾丸TERT表达的增龄变化

Age-dependent expression of TERT in testes of mice

应用免疫组织化学和图像分析方法研究了10,20,30,60,90天龄的小鼠睾丸不同分化类型生殖细胞中端粒酶催化亚基TERT的表达.结果发现在精子发生过程中精原细胞及成熟精子中均未见TERT阳性表达,而初级精母细胞尤其是粗线期精母细胞和精子细胞是高表达TERT的细胞类群,附睾管上皮细胞也呈TERT阳性表达;同时TERT在小鼠个体发育过程中的表达存在着从弱到强再到弱的动态变化趋势.结果表明TERT在小鼠睾丸中的表达特点与精子发生过程密切相关,可能对维持生殖细胞遗传物质的完整性和减数分裂的正常进行发挥着重要作用.

Immunohistochemical experiments were conducted to explore the pattern of TERT expression in differentiated reproductive cells in the testes of 10, 20, 30, 60 and 90 day mice. No positive expression of TERT protein in spermatogonia and mature sperm cells was found while TERT positive expression could be found in spermatids cells and primary spermatocytes, especially in pachytene spermatocytes. TERT expression pattern during the process of ontogenesis indicated a weak-strong-weak dynamic trend which might be closely related with the meiosis in spermatogenesis. This could mean that the role of TERT during the spermatogenesis ensures the transmission of full-length chromosomes to progeny.