Abstract
Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) adversely affects reproduction and development. Our previous study showed that postnatal exposure to a low dose of decaBDE (0.025 mg/kg body weight/day) by subcutaneous injection on postnatal days (PNDs) 1 through 5 leads to reductions in testicular size and number of Sertoli cells and sperm, while higher dose of decaBDE (2.5 mg/kg body weight/day) had no significant differences about these. In the present study, we examined the molecular mechanism of these effects on mouse testes following postnatal exposure to a low decaBDE dose. We hypothesized that postnatal exposure to decaBDE may alter levels of serum thyroid hormones (THs) and testosterone, or the level of TH receptor alpha (Thra) transcripts and its splicing variants and androgen receptor (Ar) in Sertoli cells, adversely affecting spermatogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we examined serum TH and testosterone levels and the levels of transcripts of the Ar, Thra and its splicing variants, and Thra splicing factors (Hnrnpa1, Srsf1, and Hnrnph1) with qPCR in isolated mouse Sertoli cells exposed postnatally to decaBDE (0.025, 0.25, and 2.5 mg/kg). Levels of serum testosterone and transcripts encoding Ar, Thra, and its variant, Thra1, declined significantly in Sertoli cells of mice exposed to 0.025 mg decaBDE/kg. No significant differences in serum TH level or Thra2, Hnrnph1, or Srsf1 transcript levels were observed between control and decaBDE-exposed mice. However, the Thra1:Thra2 and Hnrnpa1:Srsf1 ratios were altered in Sertoli cells of mice exposed to 0.025 mg decaBDE/kg but not in cells exposed to 0.25 or 2.5 mg decaBDE/kg. These results indicate that postnatal exposure to a low dose of decaBDE on PNDs 1 through 5 lowers the testosterone level and the levels of Ar and Thra transcripts in Sertoli cells, accompanied by an imbalance in the ratios of Thra splicing variants, resulting in smaller testicular size and impaired spermatogenesis.
Highlights
The polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), decabromodiphenyl ether, is widely used as a flame retardant and is a common environmental pollutant
Other studies have shown that transcripts of Thra1 and Thra2 are expressed in Sertoli cells [29]
The effect of postnatal exposure to decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) on expression of the TH receptor alpha (Thra) gene and its splicing variants (Thra1 and Thra2) in Sertoli cells was evaluated by determining the levels of respective transcripts using qPCR with cDNAs obtained from isolated Sertoli cells
Summary
The polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE), decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE), is widely used as a flame retardant and is a common environmental pollutant. PBDEs have thyroid-disrupting effects due to structural similarities with thyroid hormones (THs) [1,2,3]. DecaBDE reportedly disrupts TH levels in fish and rodents [4,5,6,7]. Similar to other studies [8,9,10], we previously showed that decaBDE exhibits male reproductive toxicity in mice. Postnatal exposure of mice to a low dose (0.025 mg/kg body weight) of decaBDE leads to reduced testicular weight, lower numbers of Sertoli cells and elongated spermatids, and reduced sperm count [11]. The detailed mechanism underlying these effects remains unclear
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