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Sertoli cell modulates MAA‐induced apoptosis of germ cells throughout voltage‐operated calcium channels
Author(s) -
Barone Fortunata,
Aguanno Salvatore,
D'Alessio Alessio,
D'Agostino Angela
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fj.03-0347fje
Subject(s) - clusterin , sertoli cell , apoptosis , germ cell , somatic cell , microbiology and biotechnology , spermatogenesis , biology , flow cytometry , programmed cell death , andrology , spermatocyte , endocrinology , meiosis , medicine , genetics , gene
Spontaneous cell death by apoptosis—occurring during normal spermatogenesis in mammals—is a prominent event, which results in the loss of up to 75% of the potential number of mature spermatozoa. In the rat testis, the most conspicuous dying cells are pachytene spermatocytes, which are also the primary target of the apoptosis experimentally induced by methoxyacetic acid (MAA). In this paper, we have used clusterin expression as an indicator of germ cell apoptosis in rat seminiferous tubules treated with MAA in the presence or in the absence of voltage‐operated calcium channels (VOCCs) inhibitors. We performed both a qualitative analysis of clusterin expression by immunofluorescence experiments and a quantitative analysis of apoptosis by in situ end labeling of apoptotic germ cells followed by flow cytometry. The results obtained demonstrate that Sertoli cells, the somatic component of the seminiferous epithelium, which control male germ cell differentiation, also modulate MAA‐induced apoptosis of germ cells throughout voltage‐operated calcium channels.