Acció dels andrògens en el testicle: un paper per a la meiosi Authors Carlos A. Suarez-Quian Javier Regadera Manuel Nistal Pilar González-Peramato Álvaro Serrano Oscar M. Tirado David Martínez Selva Núria Toran Francina Munell Jaume Reventós i Puigjaner Abstract The role that androgens play in spermatogenesis still remains enigmatic: whereas their involvement is absolutely vital to the initiation and maintenance of the normal spermatogenic process, their specific role is yet to be defined. Androgens, like other steroid hormones, act via their corresponding receptor termed the androgen receptor (AR). To date, there is little evidence to support the notion that there are multiple forms of AR as is the case for the estrogen-estrogen receptor system. Thus, the question of how androgens manifest their action on spermatogenesis becomes one of defining two processes: First, the cell types within the testis that are capable of responding directly to androgen stimulation must be identified with absolute certainty. Specifically, this question can be stated as what cell types in the testis express AR. Second, given that the ligand-bound AR serves as a transcription factor, the question then becomes what are the genes turned on or off in AR positive cells in response to androgen stimulation? Until these two questions are unequivocally answered, the mechanism of how androgens regulate spermatogenesis will remain speculative at best. In this review we present evidence that androgens act solely at the level of the somatic cells of the testis, including Sertoli cells, Leydig cells, peritubular myoid cells and smooth muscle cells surrounding blood vessels. In addition, we discuss the likely possibility that androgens are indispensable for the onset of meiosis, albeit how they accomplish this remains a mystery. Downloads Download data is not yet available. Downloads Text complet (Català) Published 2007-12-27 Issue 56, 2005 : Endocrinologia molecular / Jaume Reventós editor Section Articles License The intellectual property of the articles belongs to the respective authors. At the time of submitting the articles to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Biologia, authors accept the following terms: — Authors assign to the SCB (a subsidiary of the Institut d’Estudis Catalans) the rights of reproduction, public communication (including communication through social networks) and distribution of the articles submitted for publication to Treballs de la Societat Catalana de Biologia, in any form and medium, including digital platforms. The Publications Committee reserves the right to accept or refuse submitted articles and the right to make any editorial changes it deems appropriate. If the suggested changes are accepted by authors, they should re-submit the article with such changes. — Authors answer to the SCB for the authorship and originality of submitted articles. In other words, authors assure that submitted articles do not contain fragments of works by other authors or fragments of their own previously published works; that the content of articles is original, and that the copyright of third parties is not infringed upon. Authors accept this responsibility and undertake to hold harmless the SCB for any loss or damage resulting from non-compliance with this obligation. Furthermore, they should include a statement in articles submitted to the journal regarding their responsibility for the content of the articles. — Authors are responsible for obtaining permission for the reproduction of all graphic material included in articles, and they should moreover ensure that images, videos, etc., have been created with the consent of the individuals appearing in them, and that material belonging to third parties is clearly identified and acknowledged as such within the text. Likewise, authors should provide the respective consents and authorisations to the SCB when submitting articles. — The SCB is exempt from any liability arising from the possible infringement of intellectual property rights by authors. In all cases, it undertakes to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies, if necessary. — Unless otherwise stated in the text or in the graphic material, the contents published in the journal are subject to an Attribution - NonCommercial - NoDerivs 3.0 Spain (by-nc-nd) license from Creative Commons, the full text of which may be consulted at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/es/deed.en. Therefore, the general public is authorised to reproduce, distribute and communicate articles as long as their authorship and publishing entity are acknowledged, and no commercial use is made of them nor derivative work produced from them. — The journal is not responsible for the ideas and opinions expressed by the authors of published articles.