Biol Reprod
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by SALHANICK, A. I.
Right arrow Articles by TERNER, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by SALHANICK, A. I.
Right arrow Articles by TERNER, C.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by SALHANICK, A. I.
Right arrow Articles by TERNER, C.

Biology of Reproduction, Vol 21, 293-300, Copyright © 1979 by Society for the Study of Reproduction

Androgen Synthesis in Absence of Leydig and Sertoli Cells in a Germ Cell Fraction from Rat Seminiferous Tubules

ARTHUR I. SALHANICK 1, and CHARLES TERNER 1

1 Department of Biology, Biological Science Center, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts 02215


Seminiferous tubules of rat testes were exposed to distilled water to lyse the interstitial cells. After homogenization in isotonic phosphate saline, intact viable germ cells were recovered. Straining through a layer of Sephadex-G 25 or glasswool removed flagellate cells and Sertoli cells. The germ cells were separated by velocity sedimentation in a sucrose gradient at 1 x g into spermatocyte and spermatid enriched fractions. The spermatids were further resolved into round and elongating spermatids by centrifugation in an isopycnic Ficoll gradient. The absence of Leydig and Sertoli cells from the germ cell suspensions was confirmed by cytological and histochemical criteria. Incubation of the cell fractions with progesterone showed that the ability of the germ cells to convert progesterone to testosterone resided in the spermatocyte enriched fraction. This fraction also produced testosterone on incubation without added steroid precursor and with slight stimulation by added LH.

These findings suggest that germ cells at the primary spermatocyte stage have the capability to produce androgen not only from external progesterone, but also from endogenous steroid precursors. The androgen content of rete testis fluid may be augmented to a limited, but significant, extent by the activity of intratubular cells.

 Submitted on January 5, 1979
Accepted on May 4, 1979




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ReproductionHome page
D Modi, C Shah, G Sachdeva, S Gadkar, D Bhartiya, and C Puri
Ontogeny and cellular localization of SRY transcripts in the human testes and its detection in spermatozoa
Reproduction, November 1, 2005; 130(5): 603 - 613.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
C. Shah, D. Modi, G. Sachdeva, S. Gadkar, and C. Puri
Coexistence of Intracellular and Membrane-Bound Progesterone Receptors in Human Testis
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., January 1, 2005; 90(1): 474 - 483.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 1979 by the Society for the Study of Reproduction.