Objective: To investigate the expression regulation of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) and its receptor (TRH-R) in rat testis and their function in the reproduction and development. Methods: Total RNA of fat testicular tissues was used as template. The oligonucleotide primers were designed from the sequence of rat hypothalamus prepro(pp)TRH and pituitary TRH-R cDNA for reverse transcription- polymerase chain reaction (RT- PCR ). Specific fragments of ppTRH and TRH-R cDNA were cloned and sequenced. Results: DNA sequence analysis indicated that cDNA Sequences of ppTRH and TRH-R from rat testis were consistent with those of hypothalamus ppTRH and pituitary TRH-R cDNA. Conclusion: TRH may function as a new autocrine or paracrine regulator of testicular function via a transmembrane receptor very similar or identical to that in pituitary.
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