Connexins in the Male Reproductive System
Connexins in the Male Reproductive System
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DOI：
10.1007/978-1-59745-489-6_25
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发表时间：
2009
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
G. Pointis;C. Fiorini;J. Gilleron;D. Carette;D. Segretain
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
G. Pointis;C. Fiorini;J. Gilleron;D. Carette;D. Segretain
Male fertility is a highly controlled process that requires proliferation, meiosis, and differentiation of male germ cells in the testis, maturation of spermatozoa in the epididymis, and functional male accessory glands. In addition to endocrine and paracrine controls, gap junctions and their constitutive proteins, connexins, are essential for male fertility. The predominant testicular connexin, Cx43, is distributed in the interstitial compartment, between Leydig cells and in the seminiferous tubule compartment. Experiments in which the Cx43 gene is deleted show that in the seminiferous epithelium, Cx43 participates in Sertoli cell functional synchronization, Sertoli to germ cell dialogue, and germ cell proliferation and differentiation. Connexins are also present in other structures of the male genital tract where they participate in coordinating cell-specific activities and in modulating initiation and maintenance of smooth muscle tone. In addition, connexins appear to play important roles in pathology of the testis and prostate.
