Regulators in the apoptotic pathway during spermatogenesis: Killers or guards?

• Classic apoptotic pathways during spermatogenesis are summarized.
• Kinds of apoptosis and survival factors during spermatogenesis are reviewed.
• Functions of four testis apoptosis related genes are elucidated.
• Molecular mechanisms with stress inducers (heat, hyperglycemia) are clarified.
• Roles, functions and possible connections among diverse factors are discussed.

Apoptosis occurs at any time in the ontogeny of the testis, especially during the first wave of spermatogenesis. However, the exact mechanisms by which homeostasis of apoptosis and survival in GCs and mature sperm are orchestrated remain unclear. Three pathways during the process of apoptosis in mammals are discussed extensively. The three pathways are extrinsic pathway, mitochondrial pathway and endoplasmic reticulum pathway. Based on that, many factors, such as growth factors (SCF, FGF, TGF), hormones (FSH, LH, E2, MIS), partial oxygen pressure, and testis specific genes are involved in apoptosis and survival process. The pathways of apoptosis adopted by the GCs and sperm depend on the types of stimuli they receive. Diverse pathways are initiated in heat-stress induced apoptosis of GCs and the destiny of GCs suppressed by hyperglycemia is mainly regulated by a rheostat of total oxidants and anti-oxidants which leading to intrinsic pathway. In this review, we provide an overview of three classic pathways and important factors involved in the process of germ cell apoptosis and survival, and discuss the recent advances made in understanding of the molecular mechanisms of spermatogenic cells and sperm response to stress-inducers, such as heat stress and hyperglycemia. All the findings may provide clues to the control of male fertility or treating germ cell tumors and other testis associated pathological conditions, at the same time, a novel idea may result in devising much safer contraception with high efficiency.