AUTHOR=Li Xiaoheng , Zhu Qiqi , Wen Zina , Yuan Kaimin , Su Zhijian , Wang Yiyan , Zhong Ying , Ge Ren-Shan 

TITLE=Androgen and Luteinizing Hormone Stimulate the Function of Rat Immature Leydig Cells Through Different Transcription Signals

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Endocrinology

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2021.599149

DOI=10.3389/fendo.2021.599149

ISSN=1664-2392

ABSTRACT=<p>The function of immature Leydig cells is regulated by hormones, such as androgen and luteinizing hormone (LH). However, the regulation of this process is still unclear. The objective of this study was to determine whether luteinizing hormone (LH) or androgens contribute to this process. Immature Leydig cells were purified from 35-day-old male Sprague Dawley rats and cultured with LH (1 ng/ml) or androgen (7α-methyl-19- nortestosterone, MENT, 100 nM) for 2 days. LH or MENT treatment significantly increased the androgens produced by immature Leydig cells in rats. Microarray and qPCR and enzymatic tests showed that LH up-regulated the expression of <italic>Scarb1</italic>, <italic>Cyp11a1</italic>, <italic>Cyp17a1</italic>, and <italic>Srd5a1</italic> while down-regulated the expression of <italic>Sult2a1</italic> and <italic>Akr1c14</italic>. On the contrary, the expression of <italic>Cyp17a1</italic> was up-regulated by MENT. LH and MENT regulate Leydig cell function through different sets of transcription factors. We conclude that LH and androgens participate in the regulation of rat immature Leydig cell function through different transcriptional pathways.</p>