Disturbed spermatogenesis associated with thickened lamina propria of seminiferous tubules is not caused by dedifferentiation of myofibroblasts

Volkmann, Johanna; Müller, Dieter; Feuerstacke, Caroline; Kliesch, Sabine; Bergmann, Martin; Mühlfeld, Christian; Middendorff, Ralf

doi:10.1093/humrep/der077

Cited by 39 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Recently, Volkmann et al (2011) immunohistochemically explored the peritubular wall of men with disturbed spermatogenesis associated with a thickened lamina propria and reported detectable MYH11, Cal and cGKI, independently of the clinical background, except for some specimen. In these notable cases, the authors blamed methodological problems for scarce and irregular staining patterns around seminiferous tubules, which were observed.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the adult man, besides SM actin (SMA), specific contractile differentiation markers of peritubular cells are expressed by peritubular cells, namely myosin heavy chain (MYH11) and calponin (Cal) (Schell et al, 2010;Volkmann et al, 2011). MYH11 plays a fundamental role in the development of the contractile power in SM cells (SMCs) (Kiehart, 1990;Hathaway et al, 1991;Chacko & Longhurst, 1994) and mutated MYH11 causes an inherited arterial disease in man (Zhu et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Partial loss of contractile marker proteins in human testicular peritubular cells in infertility patients

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYFibrotic remodelling of the testicular tubular wall is common in human male infertility caused by impaired spermatogenesis. We hypothesized that this morphological change bears witness of an underlying fundamentally altered state of the cells building this wall, that is, peritubular smooth muscle-like cells. This could include a loss of the contractile abilities of these cells and thus be a factor in male infertility. Immune cells are increased in the tubular wall in these cases, hence local immune cell-related factors, including a prostaglandin (PG) metabolite may be involved. To explore these points in the human, we used testicular biopsies, in which tubules with normal spermatogenesis and impaired spermatogenesis are next to each other [mixed atrophy (MA)], normal biopsies and cultured human testicular peritubular cells. Proteins essential for contraction, myosin heavy chain (MYH11), calponin (Cal) and relaxation, cGMP-dependent protein kinase 1 (cGKI), were readily detected by immunohistochemistry and were equally distributed in all peritubular cells of biopsies with normal spermatogenesis. In all biopsies, vascular smooth muscle cells also stained and served as important intrinsic controls, which showed that in MA samples when spermatogenesis was impaired, staining was restricted to only few peritubular cells or was absent. When spermatogenesis was normal, regular peritubular staining became obvious. This pattern suggests complex regulatory influences, which in face of the identical systemic hormonal situation in MA patients, are likely caused by the local testicular micromilieu. The PG metabolite 15dPGJ2 may represent such a factor and it reduced Cal protein levels in peritubular cells from patients with/without impaired spermatogenesis. The documented phenotypic switch of peritubular, smooth muscle-like cells in MA patients may impair the abilities of the afflicted seminiferous tubules to contract and relax and must now be considered as a part of the complex events in male infertility.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Partial loss of contractile marker proteins in human testicular peritubular cells in infertility patients

et al. 2012

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…According to Saunders (1976), the thickness of the lamina propria in Bos indicus bulls with testicular degeneration can reach 5.8 mm, demonstrating a clear condition of tubular sclerosis. Volkmann et al (2011) found that approximately 90.0% of the seminiferous tubules with thickening of the lamina propria showed defects in the germ cells and suggested that this measure can be used as testicular histopathological marker.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Histopathological and histomorphometric testicular characteristics associated to reproductive condition in Bos indicus (Nellore) bulls

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The aim of this study was to evaluate morphological, morphometric and functional aspects of spermatogenesis based on reproductive conditions of Nellore bulls. The study used 25 bulls Bos indicus (Nellore), which were classified as satisfactory (n=10) and unsatisfactory (n=15) for reproduction. After orchiectomy, fragments of the right testis of each animal were processed routinely and stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS). The slides were analyzed in bright field microscopy at different magnifications. The tubular segments were classified into four levels (normal, mild and moderate degeneration, severe degeneration, and tubular hypoplasia) based on the organization and architecture of the tubular tissue. The average height of the seminiferous epithelium, the average thickness of propria tunic and the average tubular diameter were obtained and the proportion of seminiferous tubules, interstitial tissue, lymphatic vessel and blood vessel of each bull testicle were recorded. Furthermore, the frequency of the three classifications of the spermatogenic cycle A, B and C (A = group of stages I, II, and III which comprise the initial phases of the cycle and mitotic proliferation, B = group of stages IV and V, which comprise intermediate phases and intensive mitosis, C = group stages VI, VII and VIII which comprise the final phases and post-meiosis) was compared. The results showed that the degenerative changes in germ cells are associated with histomorphometric variations, including those in the density of the structures that comprise the testicular parenchyma, and are more representative in bulls with poor semen quality. In addition, the unsatisfactory bulls for reproduction showed reduced meiotic potential compared to that of satisfactory reproductive bulls. Key words: Bovine, histopathology, testicular morphometry ResumoO objetivo neste estudo foi de avaliar aspectos morfológicos, morfométricos e funcionais da espermatogênese com base na condição reprodutiva seminal em touros Nelore. Foram utilizados 25 touros Bos indicus (Nelore), os quais foram classificados em aptos (n=10) e inaptos (n=15) à reprodução. Após orquiectomia, fragmentos do testículo direito de cada animal foram processados segundo técnicas de rotina e corados com Hematoxilina e Eosina (HE) e Ácido Periódico de Shiff (PAS). As lâminas foram analisadas em microscopia de campo claro em diferentes aumentos. Os segmentos tubulares foram classificados em quatro níveis (normal, degeneração leve e moderada, degeneração acentuada, e hipoplasia tubular) baseados na organização e arquitetura do tecido tubular. Foi obtida a média da altura do epitélio seminífero, da espessura da túnica própria e do diâmetro tubular dos segmentos e foi registrada a proporção de túbulo seminífero, tecido intersticial, vaso linfático e vaso sanguíneo dos testículos de cada touro. Além disso, quantificou-se a frequência das três classificações do ciclo espermatogênico A, B e C (A=agrupamento dos estágios I,II, e III que compreendem as fases in...

show abstract

“…Despite the fact that all patients had been under cross-sex hormone therapy before sex reassignment surgery, in accordance with the current guidelines (22), histological evaluation yielded highly heterogeneous results between different patients who underwent the same endocrine treatment. The gradual decrease in spermatogenesis is associated with thickening of the lamina propria of the seminiferous tubules (23), an abnormal change of the tissue that is not observed in the target tissue from prepubertal patients. Therefore, testicular tissues with complete spermatogenesis and meiotic arrest were selected for this study.…”

Section: Selection Of Patient Samplesmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…These differences may be due to the fact that the testicular tissues in this study were obtained from patients with gender dysphoria. Before sex reassignment surgery, these men underwent cross-sex hormone therapy, which resulted in a reduced percentage of seminiferous tubules with complete spermatogenesis and the associated fibrotic remodeling of the tubular wall (23). It appears likely that this combination renders the testicular tissue more sensitive to mechanical dissociation.…”

Section: Figurementioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of enzymatic digestion and mechanical dissociation of human testicular tissues

Schneider

Redmαnn

Wistuba

et al. 2015

Fertility and Sterility

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Disturbed spermatogenesis associated with thickened lamina propria of seminiferous tubules is not caused by dedifferentiation of myofibroblasts

Cited by 39 publications

References 49 publications

Partial loss of contractile marker proteins in human testicular peritubular cells in infertility patients

Partial loss of contractile marker proteins in human testicular peritubular cells in infertility patients

Histopathological and histomorphometric testicular characteristics associated to reproductive condition in Bos indicus (Nellore) bulls

Comparison of enzymatic digestion and mechanical dissociation of human testicular tissues

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About