12 Article Chronology: 13 Received 30 August 2006 14 Revised version received 15 26 December 2006 16 Accepted 23 January 2007 7 The coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR), a putative cell–cell adhesion molecule, has 8 attracted wide interest due to its importance in viral pathogenesis and in mediating 9 adenoviral gene delivery. However, the distribution pattern and physiological function of 2...

The potential role of transforming growth factor-p (TGFB) as a mediator of cell-cell interactions during the pubertal development of the seminiferous tubule was examined. Mesenchymal-derived peritubular cells and epithelial-like Sertoli cells were isolated from prepubertal, midpubertal, and late pubertal rat testes. The developmental expression of the multiple forms of TGFB (TGFPl, -82, and -83...

The Sertoli cells are critical regulators of testis differentiation and development. In the adult, however, their known function is restricted largely to maintenance of spermatogenesis. To determine whether the Sertoli cells regulate other aspects of adult testis biology we have used a novel transgenic mouse model in which Amh-Cre induces expression of the receptor for Diphtheria toxin (iDTR) s...

Experimental hypothyroidism during sexual development Testes size and number of spermatozoa in adulthood are determined by postnatal/pubertal proliferation of seminal tubule somatic cell constituents, the Sertoli cells. Cessation of proliferation of Sertoli cells during early development occurs concomitantly with formation of their terminally differentiated population. Transient experimental hy...

The events of germ cell movement during spermatogenesis are composed of intermittent phases of junction disassembly and reassembly. Although primary Sertoli cells cultured in vitro can be used to study junction reassembly, an in vitro model to study the events of junction disassembly is still lacking. We have assessed whether the CdCl(2)-induced inter-Sertoli tight junction (TJ) permeability ba...

AIM To determine the effectiveness of the sk11, sk9 and sk11 TNUA5 Sertoli cell lines in binding germ cells in vitro. METHODS The immortalized Sertoli cell lines sk9, sk11 and sk11 TNUA5 were used in co-culture experiments with germ cells in media with or without reproductive hormones and incubated for 44 h at 32 degrees . The number of germ cells bound to Sertoli cells was then determined an...

In multicellular organisms, cell-cell interactions are mediated in part by cell junctions, which underlie tissue architecture. Throughout spermatogenesis, for instance, preleptotene leptotene spermatocytes residing in the basal compartment of the seminiferous epithelium must traverse the blood-testis barrier to enter the adluminal compartment for continued development. At the same time, germ ce...

UNLABELLED During establishment of spermatogenesis at the prepubertal age, an early germ cells apoptotic wave occurs likely aimed to remove abnormal germ cells and to maintain a proper cell number ratio between maturating germ cells and Sertoli cells. Here we assessed Sertoli and germ cell apoptosis in relation to morphological parameters of Sertoli cell maturation in neonatal rats under the in...

Maintenance of cell polarity is essential for Sertoli cell and blood-testis barrier (BTB) function and spermatogenesis; however, the signaling mechanisms that regulate the integrity of the cytoskeleton and polarity of Sertoli cells are not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate that rapamycin-insensitive component of target of rapamycin (TOR) (Rictor), a core component of mechanistic TOR comple...

Spermatogenesis is a highly regulated process of germ cell proliferation and differentiation, starting from spermatogonia to spermatocytes and giving rise to spermatids, the future spermatozoa. In addition to endocrine regulation, testicular cell-cell interactions are essential for spermatogenesis. This precise control is mediated through paracrine/autocrine pathways, direct intercellular conta...