Regulation of spermatogenesis by a local functional axis in the testis: role of the basement membrane-derived noncollagenous 1 domain peptide.

ABSTRACT: Spermatogenesis takes place in the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules of the testes, producing millions of spermatozoa per day in an adult male in rodents and humans. Thus, multiple cellular events that are regulated by an array of signaling molecules and pathways are tightly coordinated to support spermatogenesis. Here, we report findings of a local regulatory axis between the basement membrane (BM), the blood-testis barrier (BTB), and the apical ectoplasmic specialization (apical ES; a testis-specific, actin-rich adherens junction at the Sertoli cell-spermatid interface) to coordinate cellular events across the seminiferous epithelium during the epithelial cycle. In short, a biologically active fragment, noncollagenous 1 (NC1) domain that is derived from collagen chains in the BM, wa

SUBMITTER: Chen H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5503713 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature