title: Recognising the Sertoli-cell-only (SCO) syndrome: a case study.
abstract: Total Sertoli-cell-only (SCO) syndrome is often confused with a focal SCO picture, in which testicular illness caused damage to seminiferous tubules and compromised the Sertoli cell range of maturation and functions, but from which still some spermatozoa can be retrieved for assisted reproductive techniques. Here, a possibly new SCO syndrome phenotype is reported exhibiting complete lack of germ cells despite normal architecture of the seminiferous tubules with presence of mature Sertoli cells and normal Leydig cells in the intertubular tissue. Sertoli cells are immunonegative for the prepubertal differentiation markers cytokeratin-18, anti-Muellerian hormone and M2A antigen, but reveal a positive signal for the gap junctional protein connexin 43 known to be expressed in Sertoli cells with an adult type of differentiation. The complete lack of germ cells in combination with fully differentiated adult-type Sertoli cells in this case is in contradiction with known SCO subtypes and with the current hypothesis of reciprocal regulation of Sertoli and germ cell differentiation.
authors.affiliation: John MacLeod Andrology & Male Infertility Center, Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Anniballo
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brehm
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone / Q000378:metabolism; D001706:Biopsy; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D053538:Keratin-18 / Q000378:metabolism; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D054331:Sertoli Cell-Only Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D053538:Keratin-18; D054304:Anti-Mullerian Hormone