AARD is a Sertoli cell-specific protein that functions as a transcriptional target of androgen signaling during testis development [PMID:17486547, PMID:27959439]. Its expression is restricted to Sertoli cells, where it is upregulated during mouse testis differentiation coincident with early testis cord formation PMID:17486547. Ligand-bound androgen receptor (AR) directly activates Aard transcription by binding an androgen-responsive element in its promoter; accordingly, AARD protein is lost in Sertoli cell-selective AR knockout mice and induced by testosterone in primary Sertoli cells PMID:27959439. Beyond its position downstream of AR signaling in the Sertoli cell, no molecular activity, interaction partners, or cellular function for AARD have been characterized in the available corpus.
| Year | Confidence | Finding | PMIDs | Journal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Medium | Aard mRNA expression is specifically upregulated in Sertoli cells during mouse testis differentiation, with elevated expression coinciding with early testis cord formation; expression is restricted to Sertoli cells in both embryonic and adult mouse testis. | PMID:17486547 | The International journal of developmental biology |
| 2016 | High | Aard transcription in mouse Sertoli cells is directly regulated by androgen receptor (AR): ligand-bound AR binds the androgen-responsive element in the Aard promoter to activate transcription; AARD protein is downregulated in Sertoli cell-selective AR knockout mice and upregulated by testosterone in primary Sertoli cells in vitro. | PMID:27959439 | Molecular medicine reports |