Peritubular myoid cells from rat seminiferous tubules contain actin and myosin filaments distributed in two independent layers

Biology of Reproduction
Antonella D LosinnoLuis A Lopez

Abstract

In the mammalian testis, peritubular myoid cells (PM cells) surround the seminiferous tubules (STs), express cytoskeletal markers of true smooth muscle cells, and participate in the contraction of the ST. It has been claimed that PM cells contain bundles of actin filaments distributed orthogonally in an intermingled mesh. Our hypothesis is that these actin filaments are not forming a random intermingled mesh, but are actually arranged in contractile filaments in independent layers. The aim of this study is to describe the organization of the actin cytoskeleton in PM cells from adult rat testes and its changes during endothelin-1-induced ST contraction. For this purpose, we isolated segments of ST corresponding to the stages IX-X of the spermatogenic cycle (ST segments), and analyzed the actin and myosin filament distribution by confocal and transmission electron microscopy. We found that PM cells have actin and myosin filaments interconnected in thick bundles (AF-MyF bundles). These AF-MyF bundles are distributed in two independent layers: an inner layer toward the seminiferous epithelium, and an outer layer toward the interstitium, with the bundles oriented perpendicularly and in parallel to the main ST axis, respectively. In ...Continue Reading

References

Dec 1, 1992·Biology of Reproduction·F PalombiM Stefanini
Jan 1, 1969·Journal of Ultrastructure Research·A R Spurr
Mar 1, 1996·Archives of Histology and Cytology·M MaekawaT Nagano
Jul 1, 1996·Biology of Reproduction·A TripicianoF Palombi
Mar 1, 1997·FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·A TripicianoA Filippini
Jan 11, 2007·Journal of Microscopy·S Bolte, F P Cordelières
Aug 22, 2008·Biology of Reproduction·Dario FernándezLuis A Lopez

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
transmission electron microscopy
confocal microscopy
light microscopy
electron microscopy

Software Mentioned

Image J
Image Pro Plus

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