PMID- 24713504
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 20141229
LR  - 20220321
IS  - 1878-5867 (Electronic)
IS  - 0039-128X (Linking)
VI  - 84
DP  - 2014 Jun
TI  - Stimulation of androgen production by D-aspartate through the enhancement of 
      StAR, P450scc and 3beta-HSD mRNA levels in vivo rat testis and in culture of 
      immature rat Leydig cells.
PG  - 103-10
LID - S0039-128X(14)00070-1 [pii]
LID - 10.1016/j.steroids.2014.03.016 [doi]
AB  - Previous studies have shown a role of d-aspartic acid (d-Asp) in testicular 
      steroidogenesis. Here, we evaluated the effects of d-Asp on androgen production 
      and on expression levels of mRNAs encoding specific steroidogenic key molecules. 
      d-Asp was endogenously present in adult rat testis and its content paralleled to 
      serum luteinizing hormone (LH) and, local and circulating androstenedione and 
      testosterone levels. In vivod-Asp administration induced serum LH release, 
      causing an indirect increase of androstenedione and testosterone levels by 
      enhancing steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 
      cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc) and 3beta-hydroxysteroid 
      dehydrogenase/D5-D4 isomerases (3beta-HSD) mRNA levels. The direct endocrine role of 
      d-Asp was evaluated using cultured immature Leydig cells (ILCs) obtained from 
      35days old rats. Cytoplasm and nucleus of ILCs localized d-Asp, while StAR marked 
      the cytoplasm only. After 12h from d-Asp in vitro administration, ILCs resulted 
      intensely d-Asp stained, and StaR protein level, evaluated by Western blotting, 
      significantly increased. After 24h, significant androstenedione and testosterone 
      syntheses were induced. At molecular level, d-Asp administration significantly 
      increased StAR, P450scc and 3beta-HSD mRNAs at 2, 4 and 12h, respectively. The 
      temporal shift on relative mRNA expression levels indicated that d-Asp exerted 
      its physiological role through sequential gene cascade activation of those 
      molecules implicated in the synthesis of androgens. Conclusively, our findings 
      demonstrated that d-Asp is a local messenger in testis and give a contribution in 
      understanding the complexity of local endocrine regulation as well as the 
      molecular events leading the acquisition to a steroidogenic competence by ILCs.
CI  - Copyright (c) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
FAU - Raucci, Franca
AU  - Raucci F
AD  - Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, 
      Seconda Universita di Napoli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy. Electronic 
      address: francaraucci@hotmail.com.
FAU - D'Aniello, Antimo
AU  - D'Aniello A
AD  - Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, 
      Seconda Universita di Napoli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
FAU - Di Fiore, Maria Maddalena
AU  - Di Fiore MM
AD  - Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Ambientali, Biologiche e Farmaceutiche, 
      Seconda Universita di Napoli, Via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
PT  - Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
DEP - 20140405
PL  - United States
TA  - Steroids
JT  - Steroids
JID - 0404536
RN  - 0 (Androgens)
RN  - 0 (Phosphoproteins)
RN  - 0 (RNA, Messenger)
RN  - 0 (steroidogenic acute regulatory protein)
RN  - 4SR0Q8YD1X (D-Aspartic Acid)
RN  - EC 1.1.- (3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases)
RN  - EC 1.14.15.6 (Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme)
SB  - IM
MH  - 3-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases/genetics/*metabolism
MH  - Androgens/*biosynthesis
MH  - Animals
MH  - Cholesterol Side-Chain Cleavage Enzyme/genetics/*metabolism
MH  - Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid
MH  - D-Aspartic Acid/*metabolism
MH  - Male
MH  - Phosphoproteins/genetics/*metabolism
MH  - RNA, Messenger/*genetics
MH  - Radioimmunoassay
MH  - Rats
MH  - Rats, Wistar
OTO - NOTNLM
OT  - Androstenedione
OT  - Steroidogenesis
OT  - Testis
OT  - Testosterone
OT  - d-Aspartic acid
EDAT- 2014/04/10 06:00
MHDA- 2014/12/30 06:00
CRDT- 2014/04/10 06:00
PHST- 2013/09/10 00:00 [received]
PHST- 2014/03/18 00:00 [revised]
PHST- 2014/03/25 00:00 [accepted]
PHST- 2014/04/10 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2014/04/10 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2014/12/30 06:00 [medline]
AID - S0039-128X(14)00070-1 [pii]
AID - 10.1016/j.steroids.2014.03.016 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - Steroids. 2014 Jun;84:103-10. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2014.03.016. Epub 2014 Apr 
      5.