Sertoli cells are capable of proliferation into adulthood in the transition region between the seminiferous tubules and therete testisin Wistar rats

Abstract

Sertoli cells (SCs) play a crucial role in testis differentiation, development and function, determining the magnitude of sperm production in sexually mature animals. For over 40 years, it has been considered that these key testis somatic cells stop dividing during early pre-pubertal phase, between around 10 to 20 days after birth respectively in mice and rats, being after that under physiological conditions a stable and terminally differentiated population. However, evidences from the literature are challenging this dogma. In the present study, using several important functional markers (Ki-67, BrdU, p27, GATA-4, Androgen Receptor), we investigated the SC differentiation status in 36 days old and adult Wistar rats, focusing mainly in the transition region (TR) between the seminiferous tubules (ST) and the rete testis. Our results showed that SCs in TR remain undifferentiated for a longer period and, although at a lesser degree, even in adult rats proliferating SCs were observed in this region. Therefore, these findings suggest that, different from the other ST regions investigated, SCs residing in the TR exhibit a distinct functional phenotype. These undifferentiated SCs may compose a subpopulation of SC progenitors that reside in a specific microenvironment capable of growing the ST length if needed from this particular testis region. Moreover, our findings demonstrate an important aspect of testis function in mammals and opens new venues for other experimental approaches to the investigation of SC physiology, spermatogenesis progression and testis growth. Besides that, the TR may represent an important site for pathophysiological investigations and cellular interactions in the testis.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells as Critical Contributors to Tissue Regeneration

“…Therefore, injecting the MSC secretome can help attract lost Sertoli cells from the pools of progenitor cells. This assumption was indirectly supported by the restoration of the Sertoli cell pool without visible proliferation at the observed control points in vivo , as well as the stimulation of Sertoli cell migration by MSC secretion in vitro (Figueiredo et al, 2016 ; Sagaradze et al, 2019a ).…”

Persistent Marburg Virus Infection in the Testes of Nonhuman Primate Survivors

“…Our results indicate that Sertoli cells are the main early target and the reservoir of persistent MARV in crab-eating macaque testes. These infected Sertoli cells may be replenished by some progenitor cells as the virus is cleared (Figueiredo et al, 2016). Interestingly, Sertoli cells were reported as a target of Zika virus in immunodeficient laboratory mice (Govero et al, 2016).…”

Regionally distinct patterns of STAT3 phosphorylation in the seminiferous epithelia of mouse testes

“…In recent studies, the Sertoli cells within the SV region have been shown not only to stably support GFRα1-positive undifferentiated spermatogonia through their constitutive GDNF expression, but also to be capable of proliferating even after puberty in rodents (Aiyama et al, 2015;Figueiredo, Franca, Hess, & Costa, 2016;Kulibin & Malolina, 2016). Such features are similar to those of somatic cyst progenitor cells in the SSC niche of Drosophila testes, in which somatic cyst progenitor cells are proliferative and contribute distally to cyst cells, the post-mitotic supporting cells that ensheath each gonialblast (de Cuevas & Matunis, 2011).…”