Main description:

Conceptual advances in the biological sciences are marked by the applica tion of new techniques and experimental strategies. Nowhere has this ge neric principle been more apparent than in the study of testicular cells, as judged by the evolution of themes presented at the Testis Workshop over the past 23 years. Like its predecessors, the 1995 Testis Workshop was structured to offer fresh insights and approaches for understanding the mechanisms of spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis. The chapters pre sented in this book emphasize three aspects of testicular cell function: first, the molecular analysis of the cell cycle; second, examination of the cell cycle, including the function and identification of specific macromolecules that direct the proliferation and differentiation of germ cells; and third, the development of Leydig cells and the role of specific macromolecules in the formation of testicular steroids. Each chapter is based on a lecture presented at the XIIIth Testis Work shop held on March 30 to April 1, 1995, at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Raleigh, North Carolina. The selection of topics reflects the recommenda tions of the workshop'S organizing committee. Sincere thanks are due to the speakers who agreed to lecture and prepare chapters.

Contents:

1. Evolution of the Testis Workshop: 1972-1995.- I. Molecular Dissection of the Cell Cycle.- 2. From Start to S Phase: Early Events in the Yeast Cell Cycle.- 3. Oocyte Activation and Passage Through the Meiotic Cell Cycle in Xenopus Laevis.- II. Germ-Cell Differentiation.- 4. Establishment of Meiotic Germ-Cell Lines and Then-Use to Study Spermatogenesis In Vitro.- 5. Mouse Spermatocyte Chromosome Cores: Protein and DNA Organization.- 6. CREM? Activates the Spermatid-Specific RT7 and Mouse Protamine 1 Promoters.- 7. Role of Vitamin A in Male Germ-Cell Development.- 8. Alternative Forms and Functions of the c-kit Receptor and Its Ligand During Spermatogenesis.- 9. The IGF-II/Cation-Independent Mannose 6-Phosphate Receptor Mediates Changes in Spermatogenic Cell Gene Expression.- III. Macromolecules and Organelles Unique to Germ Cells.- 10. Testis-Specific Gene Transcription.- 11. Molecular and Cellular Biology of Novel Cytoskeletal Proteins in Spermatozoa.- 12. Promoter Analysis of Male Germ-Cell-Specific Genes: Nuclear Transition Protein-1 and Histone H1t.- IV. Hormone Aetion and Transport Mechanisms.- 13. Androgen Receptor Distribution in the Testis.- 14. Testicular Androgen Receptor Protein: Distribution and Control of Expression.- 15. Role of Carrier Proteins in the Movement and Metabolism of Retinoids in the Seminiferous Tubule.- 16. Transport Mechanisms for Endocrine and Paracrine Factors in the Testis.- V. Cell and Molecular Biology of the Leydig Cell.- 17. Hormonal Regulation of the Differentiation of Leydig Cells from Mesenchymal-Like Progenitors During Puberty.- 18. Developmental and cAMP-Dependent Regulation of CYP17 Gene Expression.- 19. A Cell-Specific Nuclear Receptor Plays Essential Roles in Reproductive Function.- 20. Activating Mutations of the Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Gene in Familial Testotoxicosis.- VI. Regulation of Steroidogenesis.- 21. Characterization of the Protein Responsible for the Acute Regulation of Steroidogenesis in Mouse Leydig Tumor Cells.- 22. Diazepam-Binding Inhibitor and Peripheral Benzodiazepine Receptors: Role in Steroid Biosynthesis.- Author Index.