2000 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Stimulation of testosterone synthesis by D-amino acid in testis Leydig cells
| Project/Area Number |
11672163
|
|---|
| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
|
| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
|---|
| Section | 一般 |
|---|
| Research Field |
Biological pharmacy
|
|---|
| Research Institution | Kitasato University (2000)
The University of Tokyo (1999) |
|---|
Principal Investigator |
HOMMA Hiroshi Kitasato University, School of Pharmaceutical Science Professor, 薬学部, 教授 (50190278)
|
|---|
| Project Period (FY) |
1999 – 2000
|
| Keywords | D-Aspartate / testosterone / Steroidogenic acute regulatory protein / Leydig cells / steroidogenesis / glutamate transporter / human chorionic gonadotropin |
|---|
| Research Abstract |
D-Aspartate (D-Asp) increases human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)-induced testosterone production in purified rat Leydig cells. Testosterone production was enhanced only in cells cultured with D-Asp for more than 3 h. The increased production of testosterone was well correlated with the amounts of D-Asp incorporated into the Leydig cells, and L-cysteine sulfinic acid, an inhibitor of D-Asp uptake, suppressed both testosterone production and intracellular D-Asp levels. D-Asp, therefore, is presumably taken up into cells to increase steroidogenesis. Intracellular D-Asp probably acts on cholesterol translocation into the inner mitochondrial membrane, the rate-limiting process in steroidogenesis. D-Asp enhances steady-state cellular mRNA and protein levels of Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein, which is a key regulatory factor in gonadal and adrenal steroidogenesis to increase the rate-limiting process. D-Asp therefore appears to increase testosterone production in rat Leydig cells by stimulating Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory protein gene expression. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating a direct effect of D-Asp on gene expression in mammalian cells.
|
Research Products
(10 results)
