The techniques of cell culture and molecular biology first revealed that Sertoli cells synthesize transferrin. Accumulated biological information led to a plausible model for the role of testicular transferrin in an iron shuttle system designed to transport ferric ions around the cellular tight junctions to the germ cells inside the blood-testis barrier. Experiments done in culture and in vivo ...

Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) is an environmental toxicant used in developing countries, including China, as a stain repellent for clothing, carpets and draperies, but it has been banned in the U.S. and Canada since the late 2000s. PFOS perturbed the Sertoli cell tight junction (TJ)-permeability barrier, causing disruption of actin microfilaments in cell cytosol, perturbing the localization o...

Granulosa cell tumors are representative of estrogenic ovarian tumors, and some Sertoli-stromal cell tumors are also estrogenic. The exact cells that are responsible for estrogenesis, however, have yet to be identified. In the present study, 25 sex cord-stromal tumors (20 granulosa cell tumors, 4 Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors, and a Sertoli cell tumor) were immunohistochemically examined for expre...

Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor of the ovary is a kind of sex cord-stromal tumor, which occurs between teens and twenties with symptoms including abdominal pain and swelling. The incidence rate is infinitely rare comprising less than 0.5% of all ovarian tumor. The average age of “retiform Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor” is 17 years as compared to 25 years for Sertoli-Leydig cell tumors as a group. We have...

Human Sertoli cell parameters, namely lactate, estradiol-17 beta, and transferrin production, were determined after a 24-hour incubation with either human follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or dbcAMP in the presence or absence of testosterone plus a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine; MIX). Testicular tissues were obtained from 10 young patients (mean age, 29 years); using...

BACKGROUND The disorders comprising human 'testicular dysgenesis syndrome' (TDS) may be increasing in incidence. TDS originates in fetal life but the mechanisms are not known, and discerning them requires an animal model. METHODS AND RESULTS The study investigated whether male rats exposed in utero to dibutyl phthalate [DBP; 500 mg/kg on gestational days (GD) 13-21] would provide a suitable m...

Tissue integrity relies on barriers formed between epithelial cells. In the testis, the barrier is formed at the initiation of puberty by a tight junction complex between adjacent Sertoli cells, thereby defining an adluminal compartment where meiosis and spermiogenesis occur. Claudin 11 is an obligatory protein for tight junction formation and barrier integrity in the testis. It is expressed by...

FSH binding to Sertoli cells is required for optimal production of sperm in mammals. The cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) is a major mediator of FSH-induced changes in gene expression. To determine whether CREB is required for spermatogenesis, an adenovirus encoding a phosphorylation-defective CREB mutant (AdCREBm1) was used to inhibit CREB activity in Sertoli cells. Addition of AdC...

Sertoli cells provide the physical support and the necessary environment for germ cell development. Among the products secreted by Sertoli cells, lactate, the preferred energy substrate for spermatocytes and spermatids, is present. Considering the essential role of lactate on germ cell metabolism, it is supposed that Sertoli cells must ensure its production even in adverse conditions, such as t...

Objective(s): Although many researchers have confirmed induction of germ cells from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs), there are no reports that confirm spontaneous differentiation of germ cells from BMMSCs. In this study, we have evaluated the effect of adult Sertoli cell condition medium (SCCM) as a mutative factor in the induction of germ cells from BMMSCs. Materials and Methods: ...