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The PDGF signaling pathway controls multiple steroid-producing lineages

Jennifer Schmahl1, Kamran Rizzolo, Philippe Soriano

  • 1Program in Developmental Biology, Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Washington 98109, USA.

Genes & Development
|December 6, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling is crucial for fertility, impacting steroid-producing cells in the gonads and adrenal cortex. This pathway regulates hormone production through specific target genes in both males and females.

Area of Science:

  • Endocrinology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Cell Signaling

Background:

  • The platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling pathway is vital for mesenchymal cell development and function.
  • While PDGF targets are known to be essential for various processes, their specific roles in different tissues are not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of PDGF target genes in fertility and steroidogenesis.
  • To determine the broader function of PDGF signaling in steroidogenic cells across different organs.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of mutations in five specific PDGF target genes.
  • Generation of conditional mutations in PDGF receptors.
  • Examination of steroid-producing cells in the testis, ovary, and adrenal cortex.

Main Results:

  • Mutations in five PDGF target genes impaired male and/or female fertility.
  • These gene mutations caused defects in gonadal steroid-producing cells and altered hormone production.
  • Conditional PDGF receptor mutations highlighted a requirement in steroidogenic cells of the testis, ovary, and adrenal cortex.

Conclusions:

  • PDGF signaling, through its target genes, plays a critical role in regulating steroidogenesis in both male and female reproductive systems.
  • PDGF signaling appears to be a conserved mechanism controlling multiple steroidogenic cell lineages in various organs.

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