Targeting APLN/APJ restores blood-testis barrier and improves spermatogenesis in murine and human diabetic models.

ABSTRACT: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the most prevalent metabolic diseases presenting with systemic pathologies, including reproductive disorders in male diabetic patients. However, the molecular mechanisms that contributing to spermatogenesis dysfunction in diabetic patients have not yet been fully elucidated. Here, we perform STRT-seq to examine the transcriptome of diabetic patients' testes at single-cell resolution including all major cell types of the testis. Intriguingly, whereas spermatogenesis appears largely preserved, the gene expression profiles of Sertoli cells and the blood-testis barrier (BTB) structure are dramatically impaired. Among these deregulate pathways, the Apelin (APLN) peptide/Apelin-receptor (APJ) axis is hyper-activated in diabetic patients' testes. Mechanistically

SUBMITTER: Song K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9705293 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature