The cell–cell junctions of mammalian testes. III. Absence of an endothelial cell layer covering the peritubular wall of the seminiferous tubules—an immunocytochemical correction of a 50-year-old error in the literature

Abstract

In the molecular biological and ultrastructural studies of the peritubular wall cells encasing the seminiferous tubules of mammalian testes, we found it necessary to characterize the outermost cell layer bordering on the interstitial space in detail. For half a century, the extremely thin cells of this monolayer have in the literature been regarded as part of a lymphatic endothelium, in particular in rodents. However, our double-label immunofluorescence microscopical results have shown that in all six mammalian species examined, including three rodent ones (rat, mouse, guinea pig), this classification is not correct: the very attenuated cells of this monolayer are not of lymphatic endothelial nature as they do not contain established endothelial marker molecules. In particular, they do not contain claudin-5-positive tight junctions, VE-cadherin-positive adherens junctions, "lymph vessel endothelium hyaluronan receptor 1" (LYVE-1), podoplanin, protein myozap and "von Willebrand Factor" (vWF). By contrast and as controls, all these established marker molecules for the lymphatic endothelial cell type are found in the endothelia of the lymph and-partly also-blood vessels located nearby in the interstitial space. Thus, our results provide evidence that the monolayer cells covering the peritubular wall do not contain endothelial marker molecules and hence are not endothelial cells. We discuss possible methodological reasons for the maintenance of this incorrect cell type classification in the literature and emphasize the value of molecular analyses using multiple cell type-specific markers, also with respect to physiology and medical sciences.

Multiple-Pathway Synergy Alters Steroidogenesis and Spermatogenesis in Response to an Immunocastration Vaccine in Goat

“…This was consistent with other researchers proposing that apoptosis may be the main regulatory mechanism of spermatogenesis in mammals [ 46 ]. Testicular cell-matrix-adherent junctions played an important role in the maturation of Sertoli cells and sperm [ 47 , 48 , 49 ]. Changes in these junctions may involve the complex regulation of cellular self-renewal, meiosis, and chromatin remodeling in the testes.…”