Aim: 

The Sertoli cells play an essential role in determination of male somatic sex and spermatogenesis. The nuclear enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is known to be involved in cell differentiation . In the whole rat testis and in rat germinal cells, PARP-1 has been proposed as a modulator of the changes in chromatin structure that takes place during spermatogenesis. Until now, PARP system has not been investigated in Sertoli cells. This study was aimed at investigating the expression pattern of PARP-1 and of oxidative stress-induced proteins in rat Sertoli cells during ontogenesis.

Methods: 

Sertoli cell primary cultures were obtained from immature and peripubertal rat testis. The transcript level of each gene (PARP-1, metallothionein-1 and 2, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione-S-transferase) was quantified by real-time RT-PCR.

Results: 

For the first time, the expression of PARP-1 was quantified in rat Sertoli cells, and a modulation of PARP-1 expression during cell development was found. Constitutive expression of oxidative stress-related enzymes and metallothioneins are well evident at the early stages of testis development.

Conclusions: 

PARP-1 expression can be considered a sensitive marker of Sertoli cell differentiation during testis development.