This study investigates the effects of spermatogenic germ cells on inhibin -subunit and B-subunit expression, and inhibin -subunit and inhibin B production by rat Sertoli cells in vitro. Sertoli cells isolated from 19-day-old rats were cultured for 48 h at 32 C, in the presence or absence of FSH (2·3–2350 mIU/ml), and in the presence of pachytene spermatocytes, round spermatids or cytoplasts of...

The isoforms of the highly conserved and ubiquitously expressed 14-3-3 family of proteins function primarily as adapters that modulate interactions between components of various cellular signaling and cell cycle regulatory pathways. Low levels of 14-3-3 isoforms appear to be expressed in most tissues, but specific isoforms or combinations have been shown to be overexpressed in a cell-specific m...

The objectives of this study were to determine whether the inhibition of clusterin expression in rat Sertoli cells enhances heat stress-induced apoptosis. The scrotums of rats were immersed in a water bath of 43 °C for 15 min. Testicular weight and germ cell number markedly decreased after the heat treatment in a time-dependent manner. In contrast, clusterin mRNA and protein expression levels w...

AIM To determine the involvement of apoptotic cell death in postnatal pathogenesis in mutant strain of hypogonadic (hgn/hgn) rats testes. We evaluated the numbers and types of cells undergoing apoptotic cell death. METHODS Tissue sections were stained by the TUNEL method for in situ detection of apoptotic cells, with specific antibodies used as markers of testicular somatic and germ cells. ...

Using a fixative of low concentrated glutaraldehyde in PIPES, we examined three-dimensional structures of acid phosphatase (ACPase) activity in the cells of testes of normal adult and 30 min heat-treated rats by high voltage electron microscopy. There were less ACPase-positive structures in germ cells, but more in Sertoli cells, particularly in residual bodies, and also in macrophages lying bet...

Spermatogenesis is dependent on the ability of Sertoli cells to form mature junctions that maintain a unique environment within the seminiferous epithelium. Adjacent Sertoli cells form a junctional complex that includes classical adherens junctions and testis-specific ectoplasmic specialisations (ES). The regulation of inter-Sertoli cell junctions by the two main endocrine regulators of spermat...

Polyclonal antisera raised against polypeptide components of antigenically related rat Sertoli cell secretory protein S70 and S45-S35 heterodimeric protein were used to identify antigenic sites in rat testis during spermatogenesis. Immunofluorescence, immunoperoxidase and immunogold electron-microscopic methods have shown that all antisera recognize immunoreactive sites in the acrosome of devel...

The promoter for the rat follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) gene contains a conserved consensus E box sequence and an initiator-like region (InR) sequence. Deletion analysis and transient transfections showed that a 114-base pair region (-143 to -30) that encompasses the E box and the InR was sufficient for greater than 75% of promoter function. DNase I footprint analysis showed that ...

We have found that the rat testis contains a cell surface galactosyl receptor that is antigenically related to the minor species of rat liver asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-r) and has binding affinity for galactose coupled to agarose. In immunoblotting experiments, rat testis galactosyl receptor (RTG-r) is recognized by antiserum raised against the minor ASGP-r species of rat liver (designat...

Differentiation of the rat testis from the undifferentiated primordium begins with the appearance of a new cell type characterized by a large and clear cytoplasm. These cells aggregate, enclose germ cells, and progressively form seminiferous cords. Therefore, they were considered primordial Sertoli cells. A similar process was obtained in vitro in explants cultured in a synthetic medium. On the...