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Protein kinase A drives paracrine crisis and WNT4-dependent testis tumor in Carney complex
Cyril Djari, … , Antoine Martinez, Anne-Marie Lefrançois-Martinez
Cyril Djari, … , Antoine Martinez, Anne-Marie Lefrançois-Martinez
Published December 1, 2021
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2021;131(23):e146910. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI146910.
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Research Article Endocrinology Reproductive biology

Protein kinase A drives paracrine crisis and WNT4-dependent testis tumor in Carney complex

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Abstract

Large-cell calcifying Sertoli cell tumors (LCCSCTs) are among the most frequent lesions occurring in male Carney complex (CNC) patients. Although they constitute a key diagnostic criterion for this rare multiple neoplasia syndrome resulting from inactivating mutations of the tumor suppressor PRKAR1A, leading to unrepressed PKA activity, LCCSCT pathogenesis and origin remain elusive. Mouse models targeting Prkar1a inactivation in all somatic populations or separately in each cell type were generated to decipher the molecular and paracrine networks involved in the induction of CNC testis lesions. We demonstrate that the Prkar1a mutation was required in both stromal and Sertoli cells for the occurrence of LCCSCTs. Integrative analyses comparing transcriptomic, immunohistological data and phenotype of mutant mouse combinations led to the understanding of human LCCSCT pathogenesis and demonstrated PKA-induced paracrine molecular circuits in which the aberrant WNT4 signal production is a limiting step in shaping intratubular lesions and tumor expansion both in a mouse model and in human CNC testes.

Authors

Cyril Djari, Isabelle Sahut-Barnola, Amandine Septier, Ingrid Plotton, Nathanaëlle Montanier, Damien Dufour, Adrien Levasseur, James Wilmouth Jr., Jean-Christophe Pointud, Fabio R. Faucz, Crystal Kamilaris, Antoine-Guy Lopez, Florian Guillou, Amanda Swain, Seppo J. Vainio, Igor Tauveron, Pierre Val, Hervé Lefebvre, Constantine A. Stratakis, Antoine Martinez, Anne-Marie Lefrançois-Martinez

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Figure 2

Seminiferous defects are associated with Prkar1a loss in SCs.

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Seminiferous defects are associated with Prkar1a loss in SCs.
(A) H&...
(A) H&E staining of 2-month-old WT, prKO (Sf1:Cre,Prkar1afl/fl; somatic progenitor cell Prkar1a inactivation) (already presented in Figure 1A), srKO (Amh:Cre,Prkar1afl/fl; SC Prkar1a inactivation), and lrKO (Cyp11a1:Cre,Prkar1afl/fl; LC Prkar1a inactivation) testes. Dashed black lines delineate the tumor developed in prKO testis, blue arrowheads show spermatozoa, and black lines limit seminiferous epithelium thickness. Ø, absence of spermatozoa. Scale bars: 100 μm. (B) Testis weight of 4-month-old WT, prKO, srKO,and lrKO mice. One-way ANOVA was followed by Tukey’s multiple-correction test. (C) Epithelium thickness quantified following H&E staining in 2-month-old WT, prKO, srKO, and lrKO testes. Kruskal-Wallis test was followed by Dunn’s multiple-correction test. (D) Quantification of ST with elongated spermatids (el. spd.) represented as a percentage of positive tubules (tub.) quantified following H&E staining in 2-month-old WT, prKO, srKO, and lrKO testes. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t test. (E) Relative proportion of hyperplasia and tumor in 2-month-old prKO, srKO, and lrKO testes. Numbers for each histological defect and genotype are indicated in bars. (F and G) Venn diagrams of the significantly deregulated genes (abs[log2] FC > 1 and adj. P < 0.05) in 2-week-old (F) and 2-month-old (G) prKO, srKO, and lrKO testes compared with WT (n = 3–4 mice per group). (H) Heatmap representing the median-centered expression of significantly deregulated genes in 2-month-old prKO, srKO, and lrKO testes compared with WT. Bars represent the mean per group ± SD. *P < 0.05; **P < 0.01; ***P < 0.001.

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ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)

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