title: Nutrition affects Sertoli cell function but not Sertoli cell numbers in sexually mature male sheep.
abstract: We tested whether the reversible effects of nutrition on spermatogenesis in sexually mature sheep were mediated by Sertoli cells. Rams were fed with diets designed to achieve a 10% increase (High), no change (Maintenance) or a 10% decrease (Low) in body mass after 65 days. At the end of treatment, testes were lighter in the Low than the High group (P < 0.01). The Maintenance group had intermediate values that were not significantly different from those of the other two groups. Spermatogenesis (Johnsen score) was impaired in the Low group, but normal in both other groups. There was no effect of treatment on Sertoli cell numbers, although 1% of Sertoli cells appeared to retain their ability to proliferate. By contrast, Sertoli cell function was affected by dietary treatment, as evidenced by differences between the High and Low groups (P < 0.05) in the expression of seven Sertoli cell-specific genes. Under-nutrition appeared to reverse cellular differentiation leading to disruption of tight-junction morphology. In conclusion, in sexually mature sheep, reversible reductions in testis mass and spermatogenesis caused by under-nutrition were associated with impairment of basic aspects of Sertoli cell function but not with changes in the number of Sertoli cells.
authors.affiliation: UWA Institute of Agriculture M082 and UWA School of Animal Biology M085, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Yongjuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G2P5, Canada.
authors.forename: Guanxiang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: UWA Institute of Agriculture M082 and UWA School of Animal Biology M085, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Penny A R
authors.initials: PAR
authors.lastname: Hawken
authors.affiliation: MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Vic. 3168, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Meachem
authors.affiliation: UWA Institute of Agriculture M082 and UWA School of Animal Biology M085, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.|Department of Animal Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Matieland 7600, South Africa.
authors.forename: Irek A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Malecki
authors.affiliation: MIMR-PHI Institute of Medical Research, Clayton, Vic. 3168, Australia.|Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Seungmin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ham
authors.affiliation: UWA Institute of Agriculture M082 and UWA School of Animal Biology M085, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G2P5, Canada.
authors.forename: Le Luo
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: UWA Institute of Agriculture M082 and UWA School of Animal Biology M085, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.|Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK.|Corresponding author. Email: graeme.martin@uwa.edu.au.
authors.forename: Graeme B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: Martin
keywords: Sertoli cell activity; Sertoli cell differentiation; Sertoli cell proliferation; spermatogenesis; testis morphometry; tight junction