Misregulation of histone acetylation in Sertoli cell-only syndrome and testicular cancer

In many species, including humans, chromatin remodelling during spermiogenesis is initiated with a marked increase in histone acetylation in elongating spermatids. We have investigated whether this process is disturbed when spermatogenesis is defective or in human testicular tumours. For this purpose, the presence of highly acetylated histone H4 was detected on testicular sections from men with a severe impairment of spermatogenesis of several origins, as well as in different types of testicular tumours. In most tubules devoid of germinal cells (including SCO, Sertoli cell only syndromes) or lacking spermatocytes and spermatids, the Sertoli cells' nuclei showed a global increase in histone H4 acetylation. A similar observation was made in the peritumoral seminiferous tubules of testicular tumour tissues, whenever they were lacking germinal cells, with carcinoma in situ (CIS) cells being hypoacetylated. The global hyperacetylation of elongating spermatids during spermatogenesis could be part of an intercellular signalling pathway involving Sertoli cells and germinal cells, which could be disturbed in cases of severe spermatogenesis impairment, as well as in tubes surrounding germ cells in testicular tumours.