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Expression of cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD) in male reproductive organs of mice

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Abstract

Cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD) is the rate-limiting biosynthetic enzyme of taurine, but it is still controversial whether the male reproductive organs have the function to synthesize taurine through CSD pathway. The present study was thus undertaken to detect CSD expression in male mouse reproductive organs by RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemistry. The results show that CSD is expressed both at the mRNA and protein levels in the testis, epididymis and ductus deferens. The relative levels of both CSD mRNA and protein increase from the testis to the epididymis and to the ductus deferens. Immunohistochemical results demonstrate that the main cell types containing CSD are Leydig cells of testis, epithelial cells and some stromal cells throughout the efferent ducts, epididymis and ductus deferens. These results suggest that male genital organs have the function to produce taurine through the CSD pathway, although quantifying the relation of CSD expression to taurine synthesis and the exact functions of taurine in male genital organs still need to be elucidated in future studies.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Grants of the Natural Science Foundation for Outstanding Young Scientists of China(30325034)and the Natural Science Foundation of China (30471264). We thank Prof. Marcel Tappaz (Directeur de Recherche CNRS, INSERM U 433, Lyon University, France) for the kind gift of rabbit anti-CSD antiserum and for help and suggestions. We also thank Prof. Pierre Guérin (Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire Lyon, France), Dr. Nigel Wreford (Department of Anatomy, Monash University, Australia), Prof. Chesney RW, Drs. Andrea Patters and Han XB (University of Tennessee, Memphis, USA) for their helpful suggestions. We are grateful for critical comments on this manuscript by Professor Alan S McNeilly, MRC Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, Centre for Reproductive Biology, University of Edinburgh, UK.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Physiology, College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100094, P. R. China

    Jian Hua Li, Jing Jing Fan, Xiao Ping Zhang & Sheng Cui

  2. Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, 730000, P. R. China

    Ya Qin Ling

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  1. Jian Hua Li
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Correspondence to Sheng Cui.

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Li, J.H., Ling, Y.Q., Fan, J.J. et al. Expression of cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD) in male reproductive organs of mice. Histochem Cell Biol 125, 607–613 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-005-0095-8

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