Journal
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
Volume 8, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2017.00307
Keywords
cytokines; testis cancer; immune cells; macrophages; spermatogenesis; infertility; spermatogonial stem cells; male reproductive health
Categories
Funding
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
- Monash University as part of the International Research Training Group [GRK 1871/1]
- NHMRC [ID1079646, ID1081987, ID1020269, ID1063843]
- Victorian State Government Operational Infrastructure Scheme
- LOEWE focus group MIBIE (Male infertility during infection & inflammation), an excellence initiative of the German state government of Hessen
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Germline development in vivo is dependent on the environment formed by somatic cells and the differentiation cues they provide; hence, the impact of local factors is highly relevant to the production of sperm. Knowledge of how somatic and germline cells interact is central to achieving biomedical goals relating to restoring, preserving or restricting fertility in humans. This review discusses the growing understanding of how cytokines contribute to testicular function and maintenance of male reproductive health, and to the pathologies associated with their abnormal activity in this organ. Here we consider both cytokines that signal through JAKs and are regulated by SOCS, and those utilizing other pathways, such as the MAP kinases and SMADs. The importance of cytokines in the establishment and maintenance of the testis as an immune-privilege site are described. Current research relating to the involvement of immune cells in testis development and disease is highlighted. This includes new data relating to testicular cancer which reinforce the understanding that tumorigenic cells shape their microenvironment through cytokine actions. Clinical implications in pathologies relating to local inflammation and to immunotherapies are discussed.
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