Reproductive activity in the Djungarian hamster is controlled by seaso
nal variations in day length. Exposure to long days stimulates testis
development, while exposure to short days induces testis regression. W
e recently found that testis regression after gonadotropin deprivation
in rats is associated with increases in apoptosis. Here we sought to
determine whether or not apoptosis is associated with the testis regre
ssion and/or recrudescence that occurs naturally in seasonally breedin
g mammals. Newborn male hamsters were maintained on long days (16L:8D)
until 3 wk of age before being transferred to short days (8L:16D). Fo
llowing decreases in serum FSH within 3 days of exposure to short days
, testis weight decreased by 52% at Day 10, reaching a 70% decrease af
ter 21 days. Analysis of testis cell DNA fragmentation showed a 4.9-fo
ld increase of low-molecular weight DNA as early as 5 days after trans
fer to short days; this was followed by a time-dependent decrease. The
observed increases in testis cell apoptosis were correlated with decr
eases in serum testosterone, but decreases in Leydig cell LH receptor
content were delayed. In a second study, 6-wk-old hamsters with regres
sed testes due to a 3-wk exposure to short days were transferred back
to long days. After increases in serum FSH within 3 days of photostimu
lation, a 2-fold elevation in testis weight was found at Day 5. The in
crease in testis weight was associated with a 65% decrease of testis a
poptosis within 5 days of photostimulation. Also, increases in serum t
estosterone and LH receptor content were observed after 5 and 10 days
of exposure to long days, respectively. These data indicate that neuro
endocrine changes (including FSH release) induced by varying photoperi
od length alter testis cell apoptosis, suggesting also that the induct
ion or inhibition of apoptosis plays an important role in testis regre
ssion and/or recrudescence. The Djungarian hamster provides a valuable
model for studying the neuroendocrine control of testis apoptosis in,
photoperiodic mammals.