scholarly journals Glycoprotein Synthesis in Sertoli Cells During the Cycle of the Seminiferous Epithelium of Adult Rats: A Radioautographic Study

1984 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 493-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. F. Lalli ◽  
X. -M. Tang ◽  
Y Clermont
Keyword(s):  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Glycoprotein Synthesis

scholarly journals Transcriptional Profiling of the Hormone-Responsive Stages of Spermatogenesis Reveals Cell-, Stage-, and Hormone-Specific Events

Endocrinology ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 150 (11) ◽  
pp. 5074-5084 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liza O'Donnell ◽  
Kyriakos Pratis ◽  
Andrea Wagenfeld ◽  
Ulrich Gottwald ◽  
Jörg Müller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Cyclic Process ◽  
Down Regulation ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Cell Stage ◽  
Transcriptional Changes ◽  
Pachytene Spermatocytes ◽  
The Impact

Spermatogenesis occurs within the highly complex seminiferous epithelium. This cyclic process is accompanied by dynamic stage-specific transcriptional changes and is driven by androgens and FSH by mechanisms that are unclear. Here we report the impact of acute androgen and FSH suppression on the transcriptional dynamics of the seminiferous epithelium. We used transcriptional profiling to compare the most hormone-sensitive seminiferous epithelial stages (VII and VIII) from control and hormone-suppressed adult rats, together with publicly available datasets to delineate stage- and cell-specific transcriptional changes. The analyses reveal that, in these stages, there was a hormone-responsive down-regulation of spermatogonial and Sertoli cell transcripts maximally expressed in the earlier spermatogenic stages (I–VI). Transcripts expressed in Sertoli cells from stage VII and beyond were both up- and down-regulated by hormone suppression, with lysosome function, immune system-related genes, and lipid metabolism predicted to be hormone responsive. Hormone-responsive genes with putative roles in integrin-mediated cell adhesion were also identified. In pachytene spermatocytes, there was an initiation of transcription likely important for the completion of meiosis. A transcriptional switch in round spermatids was observed, from a hormone-responsive down-regulation of transcripts expressed in steps 1–7 spermatids to a hormone-independent up-regulation of transcripts expressed in steps 8–11 and likely involved in spermatid differentiation and DNA compaction. This study points to the existence of hormone-responsive global transcriptional repressors in Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, and spermatids and reveals novel and diverse cell-specific responses of the seminiferous epithelium to hormone suppression.

scholarly journals Prenatal and lactation nicotine exposure affects Sertoli cell and gonadotropin levels in rats

Reproduction ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 151 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
C C Paccola ◽  
S M Miraglia
Keyword(s):  
Epithelial Cells ◽  
Germ Cell ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Hormone Secretion ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Nicotine Exposure ◽  
Adult Rats ◽  
Pregnant Rats ◽  
Tubular Lumen ◽  
Hormonal Analysis

Nicotine is largely consumed in the world as a component of cigarettes. It can cross the placenta and reach the milk of smoking mothers. This drug induces apoptosis, affects sex hormone secretion, and leads to male infertility. To investigate the exposure to nicotine during the whole intrauterine and lactation phases in Sertoli cells, pregnant rats received nicotine (2 mg/kg per day) through osmotic minipumps. Male offsprings (30, 60, and 90 days old) had blood collected for hormonal analysis (FSH and LH) and their testes submitted for histophatological study, analysis of the frequency of the stages of seminiferous epithelium cycle, immunolabeling of apoptotic epithelial cells (TUNEL and Fas/FasL), analysis of the function and structure of Sertoli cells (respectively using transferrin and vimentin immunolabeling), and analysis of Sertoli-germ cell junctional molecule (β-catenin immunolabeling). The exposure to nicotine increased the FSH and LH plasmatic levels in adult rats. Although nicotine had not changed the number of apoptotic cells, neither in Fas nor FasL expression, it provoked an intense sloughing of epithelial cells and also altered the frequency of some stages of the seminiferous epithelium cycle. Transferrin and β-catenin expressions were not changed, but vimentin was significantly reduced in the early stages of the seminiferous cycle of the nicotine-exposed adult rats. Thus, we concluded that nicotine exposure during all gestational and lactation periods affects the structure of Sertoli cells by events causing intense germ cell sloughing observed in the tubular lumen and can compromise the fertility of the offspring.

scholarly journals Expression of beta-nerve growth factor and its receptor in rat seminiferous epithelium: specific function at the onset of meiosis.

1992 ◽  
Vol 117 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-641 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Parvinen ◽  
M Pelto-Huikko ◽  
O Söder ◽  
R Schultz ◽  
A Kaipia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Nerve Growth Factor ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Tyrosine Kinase Receptor ◽  
Specific Expression ◽  
Nerve Growth ◽  
Ngf Receptor

beta-Nerve growth factor (NGF) is expressed in spermatogenic cells and has testosterone-downregulated low-affinity receptors on Sertoli cells suggesting a paracrine role in the regulation of spermatogenesis. An analysis of the stage-specific expression of NGF and its low affinity receptor during the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium in the rat revealed NGF mRNA and protein at all stages of the cycle. Tyrosine kinase receptor (trk) mRNA encoding an essential component of the high-affinity NGF receptor was also present at all stages. In contrast, expression of low affinity NGF receptor mRNA was only found in stages VIIcd and VIII of the cycle, the sites of onset of meiosis. The low-affinity NGF receptor protein was present in the plasma membrane of the apical Sertoli cell processes as well as in the basal plasma membrane of these cells at stages VIIcd to XI. NGF was shown to stimulate in vitro DNA synthesis of seminiferous tubule segments with preleptotene spermatocytes at the onset of meiosis while other segments remained nonresponsive. We conclude that NGF is a meiotic growth factor that acts through Sertoli cells.

The murine seminiferous epithelial cycle is pre-figured in the Sertoli cells of the embryonic testis

Development ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 635-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula M. Timmons ◽  
Peter W. J. Rigby ◽  
Françoise Poirier
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Developmental Origins ◽  
Sperm Production ◽  
Functional Heterogeneity ◽  
Adult Testis ◽  
Germ Cell Apoptosis ◽  
Cell Lineages

The seminiferous epithelial cycle and spermatogenic wave are conserved features of vertebrate spermatogenic organisation that reflect the need for the rigorous maintenance of sperm production. Although the cycle and the wave of the adult seminiferous epithelium have been well characterised, particularly in rodent species, their developmental origins are unknown. We show that the Sertoli cells of the pre-pubertal mouse, including those of the germ cell-deficient XXSxra mutant, exhibit coordinated, cyclical patterns of gene expression, presaging the situation in the adult testis, where Sertoli cell function is coupled to the spermatogenic cycle. In the case of the galectin 1 gene (Lgals1), localised differential expression in the Sertoli cells can be traced back to neonatal and embryonic stages, making this the earliest known molecular marker of functional heterogeneity in mammalian testis cords. In addition, the timing of germ cell apoptosis in normal pre-pubertal testes is linked to the temporal cycle of the Sertoli cells. These data show that the cycle and wave of the murine seminiferous epithelium originate at a much earlier stage in development than was previously known, and that their maintenance in the early postnatal cords depends exclusively on the somatic cell lineages.

Tubular Fluid Secretion in the Seminiferous Epithelium: Ion Transporters and Aquaporins in Sertoli Cells

2010 ◽  
Vol 236 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luís Rato ◽  
Sílvia Socorro ◽  
José E. B. Cavaco ◽  
Pedro F. Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Fluid Secretion ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Ion Transporters

148. HORMONALLY REGULATED miRNAS TARGET THE TUBULOBULBAR COMPLEX IN THE TESTIS

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
P. K. Nicholls ◽  
P. G. Stanton ◽  
K. L. Walton ◽  
R. I. McLachlan ◽  
L. O'Donnell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sertoli Cell ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Intercellular Junctions ◽  
Protein Translation ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Seminiferous Tubules ◽  
Micro Rnas

Spermatogenesis is absolutely dependent on follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and androgens; acute suppression of these hormones inhibits germ cell development and thus sperm production. The removal of intercellular junctions and release of spermatids by the Sertoli cell, a process known as spermiation, is particularly sensitive to acute hormone suppression(1). To define the molecular mechanisms that mediate FSH and androgen effects in the testis, we investigated the expression and hormonal regulation of micro-RNAs (miRNA), small non-coding RNAs that regulate protein translation and modify cellular responses. By array analysis, we identified 23 miRNAs that were upregulated >2-fold in stage VIII seminiferous tubules following hormone suppression, and in vitro in primary Sertoli cells. We subsequently validated the expression and hormonal regulation of several miRNAs, including miR-23b, -30d and -690 by quantitative PCR in primary Sertoli cells. Bioinformatic analysis of potential targets of hormonally-suppressed miRNAs identified genes associated with Focal adhesions (54 genes, P = –ln(17.97)) and the Regulation of the actin cytoskeleton (52 genes, P = –ln(10.16)), processes known to be intimately associated with adhesion of spermatids to Sertoli cells(2, 3). Furthermore, this analysis identified numerous components of the testicular tubulobulbar complex (TBC) as being targets of hormonally sensitive miRNAs. The TBC is a podosome-like structure between Sertoli and adjacent spermatids in the testis, which internalises intact inter-cellular junctions by endocytotic mechanisms prior to spermiation(4). We then demonstrate the hormonal regulation of predicted miRNA target proteins, and validate novel inhibitory miRNA interactions with Pten, nWASP, Eps15 and Picalm by luciferase knockdown in vitro. We hypothesise that hormonally suppressed miRNAs inhibit TBC function, and subsequently, endocytosis of intercellular junctions. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that hormonal suppression in the testis stimulates the expression of a subset of Sertoli cell miRNAs that are likely regulators of cell adhesion protein networks involved in spermiation. (1) Saito K, O’Donnell L, McLachlan RI, Robertson DM 2000 Spermiation failure is a major contributor to early spermatogenic suppression caused by hormone withdrawal in adult rats. Endocrinology 141: 2779–2.(2) O’Donnell L, Stanton PG, Bartles JR, Robertson DM 2000 Sertoli cell ectoplasmic specializations in the seminiferous epithelium of the testosterone-suppressed adult rat. Biol Reprod 63: 99–108.(3) Beardsley A, Robertson DM, O’Donnell L 2006 A complex containing alpha6beta1-integrin and phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase between Sertoli cells and elongated spermatids during spermatid release from the seminiferous epithelium. J Endocrinol 190(3): 759–70.(4) Young JS, Guttman JA, Vaid KS, Vogl AW 2009 Tubulobulbar complexes are intercellular podosome-like structures that internalize intact intercellular junctions during epithelial remodeling events in the rat testis. Biol Reprod 80: 162–74.

Sertoli cells proliferate in adult rats with prenatal exposure to 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl

2011 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-162 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shin Wakui ◽  
Tomoko Muto ◽  
Yoshihiko Suzuki ◽  
Hiroyuki Takahashi ◽  
Hiroshi Hano
Keyword(s):  
Prenatal Exposure ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Adult Rats

scholarly journals Dynein 1 supports spermatid transport and spermiation during spermatogenesis in the rat testis

2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (5) ◽  
pp. E924-E948 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Wen ◽  
Elizabeth I. Tang ◽  
Wing-yee Lui ◽  
Will M. Lee ◽  
Chris K. C. Wong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cell ◽  
Heavy Chain ◽  
Sertoli Cells ◽  
Cytoplasmic Dynein ◽  
Seminiferous Epithelium ◽  
Organelle Transport ◽  
Cellular Events

In the mammalian testis, spermatogenesis is dependent on the microtubule (MT)-specific motor proteins, such as dynein 1, that serve as the engine to support germ cell and organelle transport across the seminiferous epithelium at different stages of the epithelial cycle. Yet the underlying molecular mechanism(s) that support this series of cellular events remain unknown. Herein, we used RNAi to knockdown cytoplasmic dynein 1 heavy chain (Dync1h1) and an inhibitor ciliobrevin D to inactivate dynein in Sertoli cells in vitro and the testis in vivo, thereby probing the role of dynein 1 in spermatogenesis. Both treatments were shown to extensively induce disruption of MT organization across Sertoli cells in vitro and the testis in vivo. These changes also perturbed the transport of spermatids and other organelles (such as phagosomes) across the epithelium. These changes thus led to disruption of spermatogenesis. Interestingly, the knockdown of dynein 1 or its inactivation by ciliobrevin D also perturbed gross disruption of F-actin across the Sertoli cells in vitro and the seminiferous epithelium in vivo, illustrating there are cross talks between the two cytoskeletons in the testis. In summary, these findings confirm the role of cytoplasmic dynein 1 to support the transport of spermatids and organelles across the seminiferous epithelium during the epithelial cycle of spermatogenesis.

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