title: Sertoli cells control peritubular myoid cell fate and support adult Leydig cell development in the prepubertal testis.
abstract: Sertoli cells (SCs) regulate testicular fate in the differentiating gonad and are the main regulators of spermatogenesis in the adult testis; however, their role during the intervening period of testis development, in particular during adult Leydig cell (ALC) differentiation and function, remains largely unknown. To examine SC function during fetal and prepubertal development we generated two transgenic mouse models that permit controlled, cell-specific ablation of SCs in pre- and postnatal life. Results show that SCs are required: (1) to maintain the differentiated phenotype of peritubular myoid cells (PTMCs) in prepubertal life; (2) to maintain the ALC progenitor population in the postnatal testis; and (3) for development of normal ALC numbers. Furthermore, our data show that fetal LCs function independently from SC, germ cell or PTMC support in the prepubertal testis. Together, these findings reveal that SCs remain essential regulators of testis development long after the period of sex determination. These findings have significant implications for our understanding of male reproductive disorders and wider androgen-related conditions affecting male health.
authors.affiliation: MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, University of Edinburgh, The Queen's Medical Research Institute, 47 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ, UK.
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Rebourcet
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: O'Shaughnessy
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Pitetti
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: O'Hara
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Milne
authors.forename: Yi Ting
authors.initials: YT
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: Lyndsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cruickshanks
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riethmacher
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guillou
authors.forename: Rod T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van't Hof
authors.forename: Tom C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Freeman
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nef
authors.forename: Lee B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D012670:Seminiferous Epithelium / Q000166:cytology*; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000166:cytology; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000502:physiology*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Diphtheria; Leydig; Male fertility; Mouse; Peritubular myoid; Sertoli; Testis