The three-dimensional structure of the Sertoli cell in the miniature "shiba" goat was examined using scanning electron microscopy. In the basal portion of the seminiferous epithelium, spermatogonia and/or spermatocytes were located in compartments enclosed by adjacent Sertoli cells. From the basal aspect, they were situated in successive recesses. In the middle portion, early round spermatids h...

Sertoli cell is the “nurse” in testes that regulates germ cell proliferation and differentiation. One Sertoli cell supports a certain number of germ cells during these processes. Thus, it is the determinant of male reproductive capability. Sertoli cells originate from the primitive gonads during embryonic stage and their proliferations continue throughout the pre-pubertal stage. The proliferati...

Testicular peritubular cells produce a paracrine factor termed PModS that has dramatic effects on Sertoli cell function in vitro. The current study was designed to examine the actions of PModS and hormones on Sertoli cell aromatase activity and plasminogen activator production at various stages of pubertal development. Sertoli cells were isolated from 10-, 20-, and 35-day-old rats (ages corresp...

Dye coupling experiments were performed to determine whether the gap junctions connecting Sertoli cells with other Sertoli cells and different germ cell stages in rats showed functional variations. Chop loading of adult rat seminiferous tubules was conducted using fluorescent dextran controls and a variety of low-molecular-weight tracers (lucifer yellow, biotin-X-cadaverine, biotin cadaverine, ...

Sertoli cells, the support cells of mammalian spermatogenesis, are regulated by a number of nuclear factors and express retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor protein. We hypothesized that RB is an important mediator of Sertoli cell tumorigenesis in inhibin alpha knockout (Inha KO) mice. In our previous mouse studies, we found that conditional knockout (cKO) of Rb in Sertoli cells caused progress...

Sertoli cell differentiation is initiated in the embryo to promote testicular development and male sex determination. In the adult, Sertoli cells are critical for maintenance of the spermatogenic process. Previously, Sertoli cell differentiation has been shown to be regulated in part by basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors. This was based on the observation that promoters of a nu...

PGD2 synthetase (PGD-S; PGH2 D-isomerase; EC 5.3.99.2) is a bifunctional protein first identified in the mammalian brain. It acts as a PGD2-producing enzyme and a retinoid transporter. PGD-S is present in the testis, where its protein and messenger RNA levels are similar to those in the brain. In view of its diversified regulatory functions, we investigated its regulation using primary cultures...

Background Follicle stimulating hormone and testosterone stimulate Sertoli cells to support germ cell function and differentiation. During mini-puberty, when gonadotropin (GnRH) stimulates increases in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone levels, gonocytes are transformed into Ad spermatogonia. In cryptorchidism, impaired gonadotropin secretion during mini-puberty results in insuffi...

Retinoblastoma protein (RB) plays crucial roles in cell cycle control and cellular differentiation. Specifically, RB impairs the G(1) to S phase transition by acting as a repressor of the E2F family of transcriptional activators while also contributing towards terminal differentiation by modulating the activity of tissue-specific transcription factors. To examine the role of RB in Sertoli cells...

Peritubular cells that surround the seminiferous tubules have been shown to produce a paracrine factor, termed P-Mod-S, that has dramatic effects on Sertoli cell function in vitro and is postulated to be important in the control of testicular function. The current study was designed to determine whether P-Mod-S has the ability to regulate Sertoli cell function during pubertal development. Serto...