title: Are Sertoli cells a kind of mesenchymal stem cells?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sertoli cells (SCs) are a major component of testis which secrete a variety of cytokines and immunosuppressive factors, providing nutritional support and immune protection for sperm growth and development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between SCs and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in order to provide a theoretical basis for better application of SCs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used the adherence method to isolate Sprague-Dawley rat SCs and BMSCs. Cells surface markers were detected by flow cytometry. The capacity of cells to differentiate was determined by osteogenic and adipogenic induction. Assessment of cell proliferation was performed by MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide] assay. Changes in the nucleus were analyzed by Hoechst nuclear staining. Cell aging was observed with β-galactosidase, which is a biological marker of senescence. RT-PCR was employed to detect the expression of cytokines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the aforementioned experiments, we found that the surface markers of SCs and BMSCs were almost exactly the same. Proliferation of SCs, as well as osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation, were weaker than in BMSCs. Compared with BMSCs, Hoechst nuclear staining showed that the chromatin of SCs began to aggregate and was slightly larger. β-galactosidase staining showed that SCs were in a slightly aging state. The secretion of cytokines from SCs was slightly less than the secretion from BMSCs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SCs are a kind of mesenchymal stem cells which have begun the process of differentiation.
authors.affiliation: School of Stomatology, Foshan University 5# Hebing Road, Foshan 528000, Guangdong, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Daoyuan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gong
authors.affiliation: The Second People's Hospital of Kunshan 42 Zhongshan Road, Kunshan, Jiangsu 215300, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Chunfu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Jiahui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Nannan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Zehua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Jiangsu University 301# Xuefu Road, Zhenjiang 212001, Jiangsu, P. R. China.
authors.forename: Xiaochun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Sun
keywords: Mesenchymal stem cells; Sertoli cells