STUDY QUESTION Can human Sertoli cells cultured in vitro and that have formed an epithelium be used as a model to monitor toxicant-induced junction disruption and to better understand the mechanism(s) by which toxicants disrupt cell adhesion at the Sertoli cell blood-testis barrier (BTB)? SUMMARY ANSWER Our findings illustrate that human Sertoli cells cultured in vitro serve as a reliable sys...

Changes in Sertoli cell numbers and testicular structure during normal development and compensatory hypertrophy were assessed in crossbred Meishan x White Composite males. Boars were assigned at birth to unilateral castration at 1, 10, 56, or 112 days or to remain as intact controls through 220 days. The first testes removed were compared to assess testicular development. At 220 days, testicula...

The Sertoli cell is a highly differentiated somatic cell in the seminiferous epithelium of the testis. This cell is of prime importance for both testicular development and spermatogenesis. Sertoli cells proliferate up to the start of puberty and, due to their nursing functions, the final Sertoli cell number is well correlated to the amount of germ cells produced by the adult testis. The physiol...

Sertoli cell tumor, also termed androblastoma or gonadal stromal tumor, is a rare testicular neoplasm. While it is usually benign, 25 cases of malignant Sertoli cell tumors have been reported.'" These neoplasms vary greatly in microscopic appearance and unfortunately they have aggressive metastatic behavior. Despite various treatments, the prognosis remains poor. We report on the fourth prepube...

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...