关键词:
cPKC gamma
spermatogonia
mitophagy
UCHL1/HIF-1 alpha
apoptosis
摘要:
Cryptorchidism, among the most frequent congenital urogenital anomalies in male infants, has a global prevalence ranging from 1% to 9%. Characterized by failure of testicular descent into the scrotum, such a condition exposes the testes to elevated temperature, oxidative stress, and impaired spermatogenesis, significantly increasing risks of infertility and testicular cancer. Although orchiopexy is the standard treatment, long-term spermatogenic defects often persist, highlighting the need to elucidate underlying molecular mechanisms. Although the main mechanistic experiments were performed in GC-1 spg cells through genetic manipulation of cPKC gamma, an additional heat-stress experiment was included to simulate the high-temperature condition associated with cryptorchidism. In the present study, the role of conventional protein kinase C gamma (cPKC gamma) in regulating mitophagy and apoptosis was investigated using mouse spermatogonial GC-1 cells. Through siRNA-mediated knockdown and adenovirus-induced overexpression, cPKC gamma upregulation was demonstrated to significantly induce cellular apoptosis and disrupt mitochondrial function, indicated by elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, decreased ATP production, increased 8-hydroxy-2 '-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) accumulation, increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential. Mechanistically, cPKC gamma was found to inhibit the UCHL1/HIF-1 alpha signaling pathway, suppressing mitophagy, as evidenced by a reduced LC3-II/LC3-I ratio and decreased PINK1 and Parkin expression. Importantly, adverse effects induced by cPKC gamma overexpression were substantially rescued through UCHL1 or HIF-1 alpha overexpression, or rapamycin treatment. Conversely, knockdown of UCHL1 or HIF-1 alpha partially counteracted the protective effects of cPKC gamma silencing on cell viability, oxidative stress, and mitophagy activation. Furthermore, heat st