Omega-6 highly unsaturated fatty acids in Leydig cells facilitate male sex hormone production.

ABSTRACT: Highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFAs) are fatty acids with more than three double bonds in the molecule. Mammalian testes contain very high levels of omega-6 HUFAs compared with other tissues. However, the metabolic and biological significance of these HUFAs in the mammalian testis is poorly understood. Here we show that Leydig cells vigorously synthesize omega-6 HUFAs to facilitate male sex hormone production. In the testis, FADS2 (Fatty acid desaturase 2), the rate-limiting enzyme for HUFA biosynthesis, is highly expressed in Leydig cells. In this study, pharmacological and genetic inhibition of FADS2 drastically reduces the production of omega-6 HUFAs and male steroid hormones in Leydig cells; this reduction is significantly rescued by supplementation with omega-6 HUFAs. Mechanisticall

SUBMITTER: Ri K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9492697 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature