The administration of retinoic acid down-regulates cAMP-responsive element modulator (CREM) mRNA in vitamin A-deficient testes.

Studies using genetics and vitamin A deficiency (VAD) have shown that vitamin A and retinoids play essential roles in spermatogenesis at the pre-meiotic stage. To understand the mechanisms of control in spermatogenesis by retinoic acid, we investigated whether retinoic acids regulate the expression of downstream transcription factors that are essential for spermatogenesis. In this study, we found that administration of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or retinol to VAD rats down-regulates the testicular mRNA levels of the cAMP responsive element modulator (CREM), an essential transcription factor for spermatogenesis. Conversely, depletion of retinoids from the diet leds to an up-regulation of CREM expression in adult testes. In addition, RT-PCR analysis indicated that ATRA specifically represses the expression of the activator spliced variant of CREM (CREMtau). These results suggest that retinoids function as a negative regulator of CREM expression in testes.