The testes of fetal, prepuberal and adult XX----XY chimaeras were examined using in situ hybridisation to identify the beta-globin transgenic marker contained in one component of each chimaera. This enabled the proportion of XX and XY cells contributing to the major cell lineages of the testis to be estimated from sectioned and air-dried material. A few XX Sertoli cells were found in all three ...

The functional influence of cell proteoglycan (PG) undersulfation on estradiol synthesis by immature rat Sertoli cell cultures was investigated by using sodium chlorate, an inhibitor of the active sulfate donor for sulfotransferases. The addition of sodium chlorate to 20-day-old rat Sertoli cell cultures abolished [35S]-sulfate incorporation into neosynthesized PG and consequently reduced the r...

The Sertoli cell intermediate filament cytoskeleton is composed of the type III family member vimentin. The distribution of Sertoli cell vimentin varies with the stage of spermatogenesis, with shortening of the filaments at stages VII-VIII, the stages of spermiation. Experimental reduction in intratesticular testosterone (T) concentration also results in the sloughing of advanced spermatids fro...

The somatic Sertoli cell plays an essential role in embryonic determination of male somatic sex and in spermatogenesis during adult life. One individual Sertoli cell supplies a clone of developing germ cells with nutrients and growth factors and it is well established that the number of Sertoli cells present is closely correlated to both testicular size and sperm output. Sertoli cells continue ...

It is widely held that the somatic cell population that is responsible for sperm development and output (Sertoli cells) is terminally differentiated and unmodifiable in adults. It is postulated, with little evidence, that Sertoli cells are not terminally differentiated in some phenotypes of infertility and testicular cancer. This study sought to compare markers of Sertoli cell differentiation i...

Cell Type Specificity of Rhox Gene Expression in Testes To identify the cell types in the testis that express the Rhox genes, we purified testicular cell fractions enriched for Sertoli and interstitial (e.g., Leydig) cells. Although it is not possible to generate entirely pure populations of these cell types, our fractions were substantially enriched, based on the relative levels of Sertoli and...

This study aimed to identify the mechanism(s) for impairment of spermatogenesis in adulthood in rats treated neonatally with estrogens. Rats were treated (days 2-12) with 10, 1, or 0.1 microg diethylstilbestrol (DES), 10 microg ethinyl estradiol (EE), 10 mg/kg of a GnRH antagonist (GnRHa), or vehicle and killed in adulthood. DES/EE caused dose-dependent reductions in testis weight, total germ c...

Dear Editor, Among the sex cord tumours, Sertoli cell tumours constitute 1% of all testicular tumours. The association between Sertoli cell tumours and azoospermia is not well defined, and the patient described in this letter is the second case reported in the literature. Sex cord tumours account for approximately 4% of all testicular tumours. These tumours originate from Sertoli cells and usua...

The male's ability to reproduce is completely dependent on Sertoli cells. However, the mechanisms governing the functional integrity of Sertoli cells have remained largely unexplored. Here, we demonstrate that deletion of Shp2 in Sertoli cells results in infertility in mice. In Shp2 knockout mice (SCSKO), a normal population of Sertoli cells was observed, but the blood-testis barrier (BTB) was ...