Common markers of testicular Sertoli cells

ABSTRACT

introduction

Sertoli cells play central roles in the development of testis formation in fetuses and the initiation and maintenance of spermatogenesis in puberty and adulthood, and disorders of Sertoli cell proliferation and/or functional maturation can cause male reproductive disorders at various life stages. It’s well documented that various genes are either overexpressed or absent in Sertoli cells during the conversion of an immature, proliferating Sertoli cell to a mature, non-proliferating Sertoli cell, which are considered as Sertoli cell stage-specific markers. Thus, it is paramount to choose an appropriate Sertoli cell marker that will be used not only to identify the developmental, proliferative, and maturation of Sertoli cell status in the testis during the fetal period, prepuberty, puberty, or in the adult, but also to diagnose the mechanisms underlying spermatogenic dysfunction.

areas covered

In this review, we principally enumerated 5 categories of testicular Sertoli cell markers – including immature Sertoli cell markers, mature Sertoli cell markers, immature/mature Sertoli cell markers, Sertoli cell functional markers, and others.

expert opinion

By delineating the characteristics and applications of more than 20 Sertoli cell markers, this review provided novel Sertoli cell markers for the more accurate diagnosis and mechanistic evaluation of male reproductive disorders.

KEYWORDS:

• Sertoli cell
• spermatogenesis
• mature sertoli cell
• immature sertoli cell
• sertoli cell marker

Article Highlights

• We enumerate 5 categories of testicular Sertoli cell markers—including immature Sertoli cell markers, mature Sertoli cell markers, immature/mature Sertoli cell markers, Sertoli cell functional markers, and others.

• The characteristics and applications of more than 20 Sertoli cell markers are delineated in this review.

• This review helps us to choose appropriate Sertoli cell markers for effectively identifying the precise status of Sertoli cells in male reproductive disorders.

• These specific markers of Sertoli cells might be useful in distinguishing Sertoli cells from other types of cells in the testis.

• This review pointed out some Sertoli cell markers with potential clinical development, which provides a reference for researchers studying testicular Sertoli cells.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer Disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by a grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82074205, 81873077, 81774316).