SOX17-positive rete testis epithelium is required for Sertoli valve formation and normal spermiogenesis in the male mouse.
Nat Commun
; 13(1): 7860, 2022 12 21.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-36543770
ABSTRACT
Seminiferous tubules (STs) in the mammalian testes are connected to the rete testis (RT) via a Sertoli valve (SV). Spermatozoa produced in the STs are released into the tubular luminal fluid and passively transported through the SV into the RT. However, the physiological functions of the RT and SV remain unclear. Here, we identified the expression of Sox17 in RT epithelia. The SV valve was disrupted before puberty in RT-specific Sox17 conditional knockout (Sox17-cKO) male mice. This induced a backflow of RT fluid into the STs, which caused aberrant detachment of immature spermatids. RT of Sox17-cKO mice had reduced expression levels of various growth factor genes, which presumably support SV formation. When transplanted next to the Sox17+ RT, Sertoli cells of Sox17-cKO mice reconstructed the SV and supported proper spermiogenesis in the STs. This study highlights the novel and unexpected modulatory roles of the RT in SV valve formation and spermatogenesis in mouse testes, as a downstream action of Sox17.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Rede do Testículo
/
Maturidade Sexual
/
Espermatogênese
/
Fatores de Transcrição SOXF
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Ano de publicação:
2022
Tipo de documento:
Article