Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39506194›Full record

ArticleAndrology2025

Dexamethasone is a regulator of clock genes in testicular peritubular cells.

Harald Welter, Nicole Kreitmair, Michaela Schneider, Julia Schneider, Stoyan Petkov, Youli Stepanov, Frank-Michael Köhn, Ulrich Pickl, Matthias Trottmann, Thomas Fröhlich and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Andrology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Harald WelterBiomedical Center, Cell Biology, Anatomy III, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-6486-1170
Nicole KreitmairBiomedical Center, Cell Biology, Anatomy III, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, Germany.
Michaela SchneiderBiomedical Center, Cell Biology, Anatomy III, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, Germany.
Julia SchneiderBiomedical Center, Cell Biology, Anatomy III, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, Germany.
Stoyan PetkovPlatform Degenerative Diseases, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
Youli StepanovLaboratory for Functional Genome Analysis LAFUGA, Gene Center, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, München, Germany.
Frank-Michael KöhnAndrologicum, Munich, Germany.
Ulrich PicklUrologie und Andrologie, Munich, Germany.
Matthias TrottmannUrologie und Andrologie, Munich, Germany.
Thomas FröhlichLaboratory for Functional Genome Analysis LAFUGA, Gene Center, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, München, Germany.
Rüdiger BehrPlatform Degenerative Diseases, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
Artur MayerhoferBiomedical Center, Cell Biology, Anatomy III, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-9388-4639

Funding

DFG 427588170
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWe recently found that peritubular cells of the human testis are a dominant site of expression of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR; encoded by NR3C1). Activation of GR by dexamethasone (Dex) strongly influences the phenotype of cultured human testicular peritubular cells (HTPCs), causing massive changes of their proteome and secretome. As glucocorticoids (GC) are also known to set the internal clock of peripheral organs by regulating clock genes, we tested such an influence of Dex in HTPCs.

methodsWe performed cellular studies with HTPCs and immortalized nonhuman primate (Callithrix jacchus; Cj)-derived peritubular cells, organotypic incubations of testicular fragments of Cj, qPCR and proteomic, as well as immunohistochemical studies.

resultsBasal clock gene expression levels, when monitored by qPCR under standard culture conditions, showed alterations over 24 h, suggesting an endogenous circadian rhythm, especially for BMAL1. Dex (1 µM) when added to cells, caused a strong and significant increase of PER1, followed by elevations of BMAL1, and other clock genes. This action was observed as early as 4 h after the addition of Dex. Immunohistochemistry and data mining revealed GR in testicular peritubular cells and other somatic cells of Cj, in situ. We therefore performed organotypic incubations of testicular fragments of Cj (n = 3) and found that upon addition of Dex (1 µM), mRNA levels of BMAL1 and PER1 also increased in samples of two out of three animals after 6 h. Mass spectrometry did, however, not reveal significant alterations of the testicular proteome, possibly due to the short time point and/or the fact that the somatic GR-expressing cells represent only a small portion of the testis. In support for this assumption, Dex (1 µM; 6 h) significantly increased mRNA levels of BMAL1 and PER1 in Cj-derived immortalized testicular peritubular cells.

conclusionThe results indicate that an internal clock system likely exists in peritubular cells of the testis and that Dex, via testicular GR expressed by peritubular cells and other somatic cells, is a strong regulator of this system. In a physiological situation, GC thus may be important regulators of the testicular clock, while in a situation of prolonged stress or GC-medication, derangements in clock gene expression may result.

Indexed as

CLOCK ProteinsDexamethasoneGlucocorticoidsTestisAnimalsARNTL Transcription FactorsCells, CulturedCircadian RhythmGene Expression RegulationHumansMalePeriod Circadian ProteinsReceptors, GlucocorticoidARNTL Transcription FactorsCLOCK ProteinsDexamethasoneGlucocorticoidsPeriod Circadian ProteinsReceptors, Glucocorticoidclock genesglucocorticoid receptorglucocorticoidshuman male fertilityhuman testisperitubular cell

Identifiers

PMID39506194
PMCPMC12476226

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.