title: Hormonal dependency of neural cadherin in the binding of round spermatids to Sertoli cells in vitro.
abstract: The procession of round spermatids through stages VII and VIII of the rat spermatogenic cycle is critically dependent on testosterone (T). When intratesticular T levels are reduced, round spermatids appear to slough from the seminiferous epithelium, resulting in the disappearance of elongated spermatids. We hypothesized that T-dependent cell adhesion molecules are involved in Sertoli cell-round spermatid interactions. This study examined the hormonal regulation of one candidate cell adhesion molecule, N-cadherin, in vitro and its participation in Sertoli cell-round spermatid adhesion in coculture. Sertoli cells were isolated from 20-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats; treated with FSH and T, alone or in combination; and incubated for 48 h before determination of N-cadherin concentrations in Sertoli cell extracts by RIA. Both FSH and T significantly increased the cellular content of N-cadherin (3.7-fold), whereas FSH or T alone had no effect. Round spermatids were isolated from adult rats, and their adhesion to Sertoli cells was assessed in a 48-h coculture in the presence of FSH, T, or FSH plus T. Adherent round spermatids were quantitated by histological evaluation after staining with the periodic acid-Schiff reaction. A dose-dependent increase in round spermatid density (number of round spermatids bound per 10,000-microns2 Sertoli cell culture surface area) was observed with increasing T doses (7-28 ng/ml) in the presence of FSH (1 microgram/ml), whereas FSH and T alone at these doses produced no effect. T also increased the N-cadherin content of the cocultures in a dose-dependent manner in the presence of FSH. Addition of an N-cadherin antiserum to the Sertoli cell-round spermatid coculture in the presence of FSH and T significantly (P < 0.0001) reduced round spermatid density by 65%. It is concluded that both the production of N-cadherin by Sertoli cells and the binding of round spermatids to Sertoli cells are stimulated in a synergistic manner by T and FSH. Furthermore, the immunoneutralization data suggest the active involvement of N-cadherin in round spermatid-Sertoli cell adhesion in vitro. N-Cadherin may be one of the factors that subserve the androgen-dependent process of round to elongated spermatid maturation.
authors: Prince Henry's Institute of Medical Research, Monash Medical Center, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
authors: K J
authors: KJ
authors: Perryman
authors: P G
authors: PG
authors: Stanton
authors: K L
authors: KL
authors: Loveland
authors: R I
authors: RI
authors: McLachlan
authors: D M
authors: DM
authors: Robertson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D015820:Cadherins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D006728:Hormones / Q000502:physiology*; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000737:chemistry; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D013087:Spermatids / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D006728:Hormones; D007106:Immune Sera; D010446:Peptide Fragments