Autophagy regulates sex steroid hormone synthesis through lysosomal degradation of lipid droplets in human ovary and testis.

ABSTRACT: Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved process that aims to maintain the energy homeostasis of the cell by recycling long-lived proteins and organelles. Previous studies documented the role of autophagy in sex steroid hormone biosynthesis in different animal models and human testis. Here we demonstrate in this study that sex steroid hormones estrogen and progesterone are produced through the same autophagy-mediated mechanism in the human ovary in addition to the human testis. In brief, pharmacological inhibition and genetic interruption of autophagy through silencing of autophagy genes (Beclin1 and ATG5) via siRNA and shRNA technologies significantly reduced basal and gonadotropin-stimulated estradiol (E₂), progesterone (P₄) and testosterone (T) production in the ex

SUBMITTER: Esmaeilian Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10220221 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature