Effects of follicle-stimulating hormone and androgen on proliferation of cultured testicular germ cells of embryonic chickens
Abstract
A germ-Sertoli cell coculture model was established to study effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (T) on testicular germ cell proliferation of the embryonic chickens. Germ and somatic cells were dispersed from 18-day-old embryonic testes and cultured in 96-well plates. Germ cells were characterized by expression of stem cell factor receptor c-kit. Germ cell proliferation was assessed by an increase in cell number and expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Results showed that the germ and Sertoli cells kept alive in serum-free McCoy's 5A medium supplemented with insulin, transferrin, and selenite (ITS medium). Germ cells adhered to the free surface of Sertoli cells that spread the filopodia and formed a monolayer in ITS medium. In the serum-containing medium, Sertoli cells displayed an increment with a flat squamous form and only a few very large germ cell masses were found in the free surface of Sertoli cells. Many germ cells showed apoptosis in the McCoy's 5A medium without ITS or serum. Only germ cells showed positive staining for c-kit in the coculture. Ovine FSH (0.25-1.0 IU/ml) significantly increased the number of germ cells, and PCNA-labeling index (P < 0.05). FSH also induced ...Continue Reading
References
Chicken gonadotrophins: their effects on the testes of immature and hypophysectomized japanese quail
Identification of specific sites of hormonal regulation in spermatogenesis in rats, monkeys, and man
Effects of dinoseb, 4,6-dinitro-o-cresol, and 2,4-dinitrophenol on rat Sertoli-germ cell co-cultures
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Apoptosis
Apoptosis is a specific process that leads to programmed cell death through the activation of an evolutionary conserved intracellular pathway leading to pathognomic cellular changes distinct from cellular necrosis