Immunolocalization of RFamide-related peptide 3 in a desert rodent Gerbillus tarabuli during seminiferous epithelium cycle

Gerbillus tarabuli is a nocturnal seasonal breeder desert rodent with a main breeding season in spring and summer, and sexual quiescence in winter. This species is an interesting model for studying testis function in rodents. Therefore, the present study was performed firstly to investigate the stages of seminiferous epithelium cycle of Gerbillus tarabuli with a histological, morphometric and statistical study. And secondly to investigate the expression and possible variations in cellular distribution of RFamide-related peptide-3 (RFRP-3) - the mammalian ortholog of avian gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) - during seminiferous epithelium cycle using immunohistochimestry. Our results showed for the first time that the seminiferous epithelium cycle in Gerbillus tarabuli comprises 14 well-defined stages according to the tubular morphology method. The seminiferous epithelium thickness showed a significant difference during the epithelium cycle, thus it was the only morphometric classification criterion of seminiferous epithelium cycle in Gerbillus tarabuli. The immunohistochemical study reveals, for the first time, the presence of RFRP-3 in Gerbillus tarabuli testes, in both testicular compartments: the tubular and the interstitial. RFRP-3 is expressed differently according to the seminiferous epithelium cycle, RFRP-3 seemed to be more expressed at the stages V-VII and XIII. RFRP-3 was detected in Sertoli cells (≈12%), spermatocytes I (≈19%), round and elongated spermatids (≈13%), and with a more important signal in Leydig cells (26.87%±0.07). These results indicated the importance of RFRP-3 in testicular function in Gerbillus tarabuli; its expression at the interstitial and germinal levels argues in favor of an involvement in androgens synthesis and in spermatogenesis specifically in meiosis and spermiogenesis. This action seems primordial from stages V-VII and XIII. Also, the study of the seminiferous epithelium cycle will enrich the histological identity of the species.