Hormonal regulation and germ cell-specific expression of heat shock protein 60 (hsp60) in the testis of macaque monkeys (Macaca mulatta and M. fascicularis)

Decrease of heat shock protein 60 (hsp60), a mitochondrial chaperonin, in germ cells of men has been shown to be associated with low spermatogenic efficiency. In the present study, we have investigated the hormonal regulation of hsp60 in a pre-clinical primate animal model. Hsp60 production in the testes of the intact cynomolgus monkey ( Macaca fascicularis ) and animals that had been treated with the GnRH antagonist Cetrorelix for 25 days was studied by immunohistochemistry. In addition, testes of untreated adult rhesus monkeys ( Macaca mulatta ) and immature animals either exposed to human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), human follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or hCG and FSH in combination, as well as vehicle-treated controls were analysed. In adult monkeys, specific hsp60 staining was observed in Leydig cells, spermatogonia and early primary spermatocytes. The labelling in Sertoli cells was not stage dependent. The hsp60 staining pattern was unaffected by gonadotrophin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist treatment. Western blot analysis confirmed the presence of a single band of 60 kDa in␣testicular homogenates of the cynomolgus monkey. In the testis of immature rhesus monkeys, hsp60 immunoreactivity was visible in gonocytes, spermatogonia and in Sertoli cells, whereas interstitial cells were negative. In the experimental study, hCG alone or in combination with FSH caused a substantial and marked upregulation of the chaperonin in Leydig cells. Human FSH alone did not affect hsp60 expression. We conclude that hCG is an important regulator of Leydig cell hsp60 expression during development, whereas FSH in immature animals and GnRH in adult monkeys is of less importance.