The interconnection between cytokeratin and cell membrane-bound β-catenin in Sertoli cells derived from juvenile Xenopus tropicalis testes.

ABSTRACT: Sertoli cells (SCs) play a central role in the determination of male sex during embryogenesis and spermatogenesis in adulthood. Failure in SC development is responsible for male sterility and testicular cancer. Before the onset of puberty, SCs are immature and differ considerably from mature cells in post-pubertal individuals regarding their morphology and biochemical activity. The major intermediate filament (IF) in mature SCs is vimentin, anchoring germ cells to the seminiferous epithelium. The collapse of vimentin has resulted in the disintegration of seminiferous epithelium and subsequent germ cell apoptosis. However, another IF, cytokeratin (CK) is observed only transiently in immature SCs in many species. Nevertheless, its function in SC differentiation is poorly understood. We exami

SUBMITTER: Nguyen TMX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6955214 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature