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Department of Histology and Medical Embryology, School of Medicine, University of Rome ‘La Sapienza’, Rome, Italy
¹ Department of Experimental Medicine, Histology and Embryology Laboratory, School of Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy

(Requests for offprints should be addressed to M Galdieri, Dip. Istologia ed Embriologia Medica, Via A. Scarpa 14, Roma 00161, Italy; Email: michela.galdieri{at}uniroma1.it)

The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a pleiotropic cytokine that influences mitogenesis, motility and differentiation of many different cell types by its tyrosine kinase receptor c-Met. We previously demonstrated that the c-Met/HGF system is present and functionally active during postnatal testis development. We found also that spermatozoa express c-Met and that HGF has a positive effect on the maintenance of sperm motility. In the present paper, we extend our study on the germ cells at different stages of differentiation during the postnatal development of the testis. We demonstrate that c-met is present in rat spermatogonia, pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids and that HGF significantly increases spermatogonial proliferation in 8- to 10-day-old pre-pubertal rats. At this age HGF does not affect Sertoli cells and peritubular myoid cells proliferation. In addition, we studied the effect of the factor on germ cell apoptosis and we show that HGF prevents the germ cell apoptotic process. We also studied the effect of HGF on 18- to 20-day-old and 28- to 30-day-old rat testes. At these ages also the factor significantly increases germ cell duplication and decreases the number of apoptotic cells. However, the effect on programmed cell death is higher in the 8- to 10-day-old rats and declines in the older animals.

In conclusion, we report that rat germ cells (spermatogonia, pachytene spermatocytes and round spermatids) express c-met and that HGF modulates germ cell proliferating activity and apoptosis in vitro. These data indicate that the c-Met/HGF system is involved in male germ cell homeostasis and, consequently, has a role in male fertility.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. Zachow and M. Uzumcu The hepatocyte growth factor system as a regulator of female and male gonadal function J. Endocrinol., December 1, 2007; 195(3): 359 - 371. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Del Bravo, A. Catizone, G. Ricci, and M. Galdieri Hepatocyte Growth Factor-Modulated Rat Leydig Cell Functions J Androl, November 1, 2007; 28(6): 866 - 874. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]