Distribution of deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) and p53 in rat testis and their correlation with apoptosis.

The testis is a tissue of high proliferative activity. In this organ, sperm cells (spermatozoa) are produced from stem cells (spermatogonia) by two consecutive steps of cell multiplication and spermatid cytodifferentiation. Mitotic proliferation of spermatogonia generates primary spermatocytes which enter meiosis, leading to the generation of spermatids. The number of cells entering meiosis is held constant, since outnumbering spermatogonia or premeiotic spermatocytes are eliminated by apoptosis (programmed cell death). During apoptosis, the nuclear chromatin is internucleosomally degraded by the activity of a Ca2+, Mg2+-dependent endonuclease. Recent data indicate that deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I) is identical to the apoptotic endonuclease responsible for the internucleosomal DNA degradation. Previous results using primers specific for rat parotid DNase I in a polymerase chain reaction have demonstrated the presence of DNase I-specific gene transcripts in rat testis. We have therefore analysed the presence of DNase I in rat testis by immunohistochemistry and biochemical procedures. The presence of DNase I-like endonucleolytic activity was verified enzymatically. DNase I immunoreactivity was detected in the nuclei of a few spermatogonia and premeiotic spermatocytes, but within the acrosomic vesicle of all spermatids and spermatozoa. In situ hybridisation revealed the accumulation of DNase I-specific gene transcripts in a small number of spermatogonia and/or premeiotic spermatocytes, but in a large number of spermatids. The occurrence of apoptotic DNA fragmentation was investigated by in situ end-labelling (ISEL) of free 3'-OH DNA ends and gave positive nuclear staining of only very few spermatogonia. No positive ISEL staining was observed in maturing spermatids and/or spermatozoa. These data support the notion that, within the seminiferous epithelium, the number of primary spermatocytes entering meiosis is controlled by apoptosis. In addition, they demonstrated that mature sperm cells are equipped with an endonuclease that might be used for DNA degradation during their elimination at later stages of their life span. The expression and distribution of the tumour suppressor gene product, p53, was analysed by immunostaining. Strong p53 immunoreactivity was observed in the nuclei of a number of spermatogonia, of some premeiotic spermatocytes and probably in all spermatids. Thus, p53 expression appeared to parallel that of DNase I. In contrast, p53 immunoreactivity was absent in mature spermatozoa present in the lumen of the testicular tubules or the ductus epididymidis. It is therefore proposed that at later stages of spermatid maturation most probably before their release as mature spermatozoa-the p53 gene product was either degraded or retained in residual bodies, since p53 immunoreactivity was found to be concentrated within these organelles.