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Subcellular localization and characterization of estrogenic pathway regulators and mediators in Atlantic salmon spermatozoal cells

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Abstract

Much progress has been made regarding our understanding of aromatase regulation, estrogen synthesis partitioning and communication between the germinal and somatic compartments of the differentiating gonad. We now know that most of the enzymatic and signaling apparatus required for steroidogenesis is endogenously expressed within germ cells. However, less is known about the expression and localization of steroidogenic components within mature spermatozoa. We have assembled a sperm library presenting 197,015 putative transcripts. Co-expression clustering analysis revealed that 6687 genes were present at higher levels in sperm in comparison to fifteen other salmon tissue libraries. The sperm transcriptome is highly complex containing the highest proportion of unannotated genes (45%) of the tissues analyzed. Our analysis of highly expressed genes in late-stage sperm revealed dedication to tasks involving chromatin remodeling, flagellogenesis and proteolysis. In addition, using various different embedding and microscopic techniques, we examined the morphology of salmon spermatozoa and characterized expression and localization of several estrogenic regulatory and signaling proteins by immunohistochemistry. We provide evidence for the endogenous synthesis and localization of aromatase (CYP19A and CYP19B1) and potential mediators of estrogen [i.e., ER-alpha and soluble adenylyl cyclase (sAC)] or phosphate (i.e., CREB and FOXL2A) signaling. Partitioning of select transcripts that encode AR-beta, FSH and the LH receptor, but not AR-alpha, LH or the FSH receptor, further points to localized specificity of function in the steroidogenic circuitry of the sperm cell. These results open new avenues of investigation to further our understanding of the intra- and intercellular regulatory processes that guide sperm development and biology.

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Abbreviations

AR:

Androgen receptor (α and β)

cAMP:

cyclic AMP

CREB:

cAMP response element binding protein

CREM:

cAMP response element modulator

CYP19A and CYP19B:

Cytochrome P450 superfamily aromatase A and B

DAX-1:

Dosage-sensitive sex reversal, adrenal hypoplasia congenital, critical region on the X-chromosome, gene-1

DM-domain proteins:

Doublesex- and male abnormal-3 (MAB-3)-related transcription (DMRT) factors

E2:

17-β-estradiol

ER:

Estrogen receptor

FOXL2:

Forkhead box L2

IHC:

Immunohistochemistry

MBM:

Plastic, methyl methacrylate/butyl methacrylate

MRPL4:

Mitochondrial riboprotein L4

MRPS14:

Mitochondrial riboprotein S14

MIS:

Müllerian inhibiting substance (also known as anti-Müllerian hormone or AMH)

ODF:

Outer dense fibers

PDE:

Phosphodiesterase

PKA:

Protein kinase A

RPL26:

Cytoplasmic riboprotein L26

RPS29:

Cytoplasmic riboprotein S29

sAC:

Soluble adenylyl cyclase

TUBA:

α-Tubulin

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate very much the assistance of Tim Hewison (Grieg Seafood B.C. Ltd., Campbell River, B.C.) and Lance Page (Marine Harvest Canada, Duncan, B.C.) for their provision of the testis and sperm samples, respectively. We also would like to thank Dr. Duncan Liew (EMD Millipore Corp.) and Dr. Sybille Rex (Abcam Incorp.) for their help in the selection of commercial antibodies compatible with a salmon study. We are grateful to James Nagler (University of Idaho, Moscow, ID) and Martin Tresguerres (University of California, San Diego, CA), for generously providing antibodies to trout ERα and sAC, respectively. The contribution of ribosomes from Bruno Klaholz (CBI-IGBMC, Illkirch, France) was invaluable to our control experiments for Y10b labeling. We thank Patrick Nahirney (University of Victoria, Faculty of Medicine) for access to his Jeol TEM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Centre for Biomedical Research, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3N5, Canada

    Kristian R. von Schalburg, Jong S. Leong, Eric B. Rondeau & Ben F. Koop

  2. Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada

    Kristian R. von Schalburg & William S. Davidson

  3. Department of Biology, Electron Microscopy Laboratory, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3N5, Canada

    Brent E. Gowen

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  1. Kristian R. von Schalburg
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  2. Brent E. Gowen
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  3. Jong S. Leong
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  4. Eric B. Rondeau
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  5. William S. Davidson
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Correspondence to Kristian R. von Schalburg.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All applicable international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for the care and use of animals were followed. The animals used in this study underwent normal commercial broodstock practices (sperm retrieval) or destined for food production (testis extraction).

Funding

This research was supported by a Natural Resources and Applied Sciences Team Grant from the B.C. Innovation Council (WSD, BFK) and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (BFK, WSD).

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von Schalburg, K.R., Gowen, B.E., Leong, J.S. et al. Subcellular localization and characterization of estrogenic pathway regulators and mediators in Atlantic salmon spermatozoal cells. Histochem Cell Biol 149, 75–96 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-017-1611-3

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