Understanding the mechanisms involved in heat damage of testicular function in the rat testis

Most mammalian testes originate in the stomach then descend during early life to reside in the scrotum, where the temperature is 2–7 °C lower than the body temperature. Elevation above the scrotal temperature can cause the death of the heat-sensitive spermatogenic cells. Although the physiological and cellular responses of the testes to heat stress have been well established, the molecular mechanisms that control these responses remain mostly unknown. In this thesis, the impact of heat on genes and proteins in the testis was investigated using two different heat exposure models: acute mild heat and surgical translocation to the abdomen in the adult rat. These studies have identified a number of molecules that are affected by the heat in the testis.