title: An in vitro system to study Sertoli cell blood-testis barrier dynamics.
abstract: The use of an in vitro system based on primary cultures of Sertoli cells isolated from rat testes has greatly facilitated the study of the blood-testis barrier in recent years. Herein, we summarize the detailed procedures on the isolation of undifferentiated Sertoli cells from 20-day-old rat testes, the culture of these cells as a monolayer on Matrigel-coated bicameral units, the characterization of these cultured cells, and the use of the Sertoli cell epithelium for monitoring the integrity of the Sertoli cell blood-testis barrier. This information is based on the routine use of this system in our laboratory to study the Sertoli cell blood-testis barrier in the past two decades, which should be helpful for investigators in the field.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Research, Population Council, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Dolores D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Mruk
authors.forename: C Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001814:Blood-Testis Barrier / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D003094:Collagen / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D015194:Diffusion Chambers, Culture; D004338:Drug Combinations; D017097:Electric Impedance; D007797:Laminin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008839:Microelectrodes; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D011199:Potentiometry / Q000379:methods*; D061251:Primary Cell Culture; D011509:Proteoglycans / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D019108:Tight Junctions / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D004338:Drug Combinations; D007797:Laminin; D011509:Proteoglycans; C059485:matrigel; D003094:Collagen