Spermatogenesis and the role of Sertoli cells in the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata

1977 ◽  
Vol 181 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marijke de Jong-Brink ◽  
H. H. Boer ◽  
T. G. Hommes ◽  
A. Kodde
2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaïs Portet ◽  
Richard Galinier ◽  
Silvain Pinaud ◽  
Julien Portela ◽  
Fanny Nowacki ◽  
...  

AbstractInsect Thioester-containing protein (iTEP) is the most recently defined group among the TEP superfamily. TEPs are key components of the immune system, and iTEPs from flies and mosquitoes were shown to be major immune weapons. Initially characterised from insects, TEP genes homologous to iTEP were further described from several other invertebrates including arthropods, cniderians and mollusks albeit with few functional characterisations. In the freshwater snail Biomphalaria glabrata, a vector of the schistosomiasis disease, the presence of a TEP protein (BgTEP) was previously described in a well-defined immune complex involving snail lectins (FREP) and schistosome parasite mucins (SmPoMuc).To investigate the potential role of BgTEP in the immune response of the snail, we first characterised its genomic organisation and its predicted protein structure. A phylogenetic analysis clustered BgTEP in a well-conserved subgroup of mollusk TEP. We then investigated the BgTEP expression profile in different snail tissues, and followed immune challenges using different kinds of intruders during infection kinetics. Results revealed that BgTEP is particularly expressed in hemocytes, the immune-specialised cells in invertebrates, and is secreted into the hemolymph. Transcriptomic results further evidenced an intruder-dependent differential expression pattern of BgTEP whilst interactome experiments showed that BgTEP is capable of binding to the surface of different microbes and parasite either in its full length form or in processed forms.Through this work, we report the first characterisation of a snail TEP. Our study also reveals that BgTEP may display an unexpected functional dual-role. In addition to its previously characterised anti-protease activity, we demonstrate that BgTEP can bind to the intruder surface membrane, which supports a likely opsonin role.


1991 ◽  
Vol 125 (3) ◽  
pp. 280-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Alan Talbot ◽  
Ann Lambert ◽  
Robert Mitchell ◽  
Marek Grabinski ◽  
David C. Anderson ◽  
...  

Abstract We have investigated the role of Ca2+ in the control of FSH-induced estradiol secretion by Sertoli cells isolated from 8-10 days old rats. Exogenous Ca2+ (4-8 mmol/1) inhibited FSH-stimulated E2 secretion such that, with 8 mmol/l Ca2+ and FSH (8 IU/l) E2 secretion decreased from 2091±322 to 1480±84 pmol/l (p<0.002), whilst chelation of Ca2+ in the culture medium with EGTA (3 mmol/l) increased E2 secretion from 360±45 to 1242±133 pmol/l) in the absence of FSH. Further, EGTA (3 mmol/l) markedly potentiated FSH (8 IU/l), forskolin (1 μmol/l) and dibutyryl cAMP (1 mmol/l)-stimulated E2 secretion. Addition of the Ca2+ ionophores, ionomycin (2-5 μmol/l) and A23187 (2 μmol/l), inhibited FSH (8 IU/l)-stimulated E2 secretion by >80%. The effect of ionomycin was totally reversible, whereas that of A23187 was irreversible. Ionomycin (5 μmol/l) had no effect on EGTA-induced E2 secretion in the absence of FSH, but reduced EGTA-provoked E2 secretion by 59% in the presence of FSH (8 IU/l). Similarly, forskolin- and dibutyryl cAMP-provoked E2 production was inhibited 46-50% by ionomycin (5 μmol/l). We conclude that FSH-induced E2 secretion from immature rat Sertoli cells is modulated by intra- and extracellular Ca2+.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaochun Chi ◽  
Weiwei Luo ◽  
Jiagui Song ◽  
Bing Li ◽  
Tiantian Su ◽  
...  

AbstractKindlin-2 is known to play important roles in the development of mesoderm-derived tissues including myocardium, smooth muscle, cartilage and blood vessels. However, nothing is known for the role of Kindlin-2 in mesoderm-derived reproductive organs. Here, we report that loss of Kindlin-2 in Sertoli cells caused severe testis hypoplasia, abnormal germ cell development and complete infertility in male mice. Functionally, loss of Kindlin-2 inhibits proliferation, increases apoptosis, impairs phagocytosis in Sertoli cells and destroyed the integration of blood-testis barrier structure in testes. Mechanistically, Kindlin-2 interacts with LATS1 and YAP, the key components of Hippo pathway. Kindlin-2 impedes LATS1 interaction with YAP, and depletion of Kindlin-2 enhances LATS1 interaction with YAP, increases YAP phosphorylation and decreases its nuclear translocation. For clinical relevance, lower Kindlin-2 expression and decreased nucleus localization of YAP was found in SCOS patients. Collectively, we demonstrated that Kindlin-2 in Sertoli cells is essential for sperm development and male reproduction.


1988 ◽  
Vol 83 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Jurberg ◽  
J. V. Barbosa ◽  
L. Rotenberg

This work examines the role of behavior in the survival of Biomphalaria glabrata exposed to 25, 50 75 and 100 mgl-1 of Phytolacca dodecandra. Time-lapse cinematography was used to quantify accurately the following parameters: (a) frequency of exits from the solution, (b) time spent out of the solution and (c) time elapsed until the first exit from the solution. These behavior patterns were statistically compared between surviving snails and those which later died. The proportion of surviving snails leaving the liquid medium was significantly higher than that of dying snails. In addition, the surviving group spent significantly more time out of the solution than the group which died, except for the 100 mgl-1 concentration. However, no significant difference was detected in the time elapsed until the first exit from the solution. It can be concluded that both the tendency to leave the P. dodecandra solutions, and the time spent out of them, contributed significantly to snail survival. Molluscicide bioassays should take into account the possibility that some behavior patterns of planorbids might contribute to the protection of the snails.


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