Characterization of rat testicular peritubular myoid cells in culture: alpha-smooth muscle isoactin is a specific differentiation marker

In frozen sections of testes from 20-day-old rats, alpha-smooth muscle (SM) isoactin was prominently immunostained in the peritubular tissue and in vascular walls, but not in areas populated by germinal cells, interstitial cells, or Sertoli cells. Peritubular myoid cell (PMC)-enriched preparations were isolated by two different procedures involving our previously published sequential enzymatic treatment ("conventional peritubular cell [PC]-enriched preparation") and by density-gradient purification of PMC from these preparations. The properties of different populations of PMC in culture were compared with respect to plating efficiency, rates of proliferation, and presence of cytoskeletal proteins. PMC, maintained in culture under defined conditions, contained proteins immunoreactive with monoclonal antibodies against alpha-SM isoactin. This was detected by immunostaining and by Western blots of cell extracts subjected to gel electrophoresis. Neither Sertoli cells, skin fibroblasts, bovine endothelial cells, nor glial cells contained alpha-SM isoactin detectable by the above techniques. We report the ontogeny of alpha-SM isoactin in the peritubular tissue of testes at different stages of gonadal development, and show that it is detectable within 8 days after birth. In addition, we describe immunocytochemical changes that occur during culture in various media of PMC prepared from testes of 20-day-old rats. We compare the use of alpha-SM isoactin as a differentiation marker for PMC with the use of desmin in facilitating the identification of PMC, and in following alterations in phenotype during culture in various culture media. Data presented demonstrate that about 81% of cells in the "conventional PC-enriched preparation," and about 94% of cells in the more purified populations of PMC were positive for alpha-SM isoactin in cells maintained in culture for 18 h after plating. These same PMC also were shown to express vimentin and plasminogen activator inhibitor, type 1. We conclude that alpha-SM isoactin is an excellent specific marker for PMC in seminiferous tubules and in culture.     

Identification and characterization of Myosin from rat testicular peritubular myoid cells

In the mammalian testis, peritubular myoid cells (PMCs) surround seminiferous tubules. These cells are contractile, express the cytoskeletal markers of true smooth muscle-alpha-isoactin and F-actin-and participate in the contraction of seminiferous tubules during the transport of spermatozoa and testicular fluid to the rete testis. Myosin from PMCs (PMC-myosin) was isolated from adult rat testis and purified by cycles of assembly-disassembly and sucrose gradient centrifugation. PMC-myosin was recognized by a monoclonal anti-smooth muscle myosin antibody, and the peptide sequence shared partial homology with rat smooth muscle myosin-II, MYH11 (also known as SMM-II). Most PMC-myosin (95%) was soluble in the PMC cytosol, and purified PMC-myosin did not assemble into filaments in the in vitro salt dialysis assay at 4 degrees C, but did at 20 degrees C. PMC-myosin filaments are stable to ionic strength to the same degree as gizzard MYH11 filaments, but PMC-myosin filaments were more unstable in the presence of ATP. When PMCs were induced to contract by endothelin 1, a fraction of the PMC-myosin was found to be involved in the contraction. From these results we infer that PMCs express an isoform of smooth muscle myosin-II that is characterized by solubility at physiological ionic strength, a requirement for high temperature to assemble into filaments in vitro, and instability at low ATP concentrations. PMC-myosin is part of the PMC contraction apparatus when PMCs are stimulated with endothelin 1.     

Collagen biosynthesis in cultured rat testicular Sertoli and peritubular myoid cells.

The incorporation of 3H-proline into protein was regarded as a measure of total protein synthesis and the incorporation into hydroxyproline as indicative of collagen synthesis. Relative collagen synthesis (expressed as percent of total protein synthesized) by Sertoli and peritubular myoid cells cultured from 20-22 day old rat testis was estimated. In both secreted and cellular pools, relative collagen synthesis by Sertoli cells was significantly greater than by peritubular myoid cells. Coculture of Sertoli and myoid cells resulted in a significant increase in relative collagen synthesis when compared to monocultures of each cell type. Addition of serum to peritubular myoid cells resulted in a stronger stimulation of relative collagen production. Sertoli cell extracellular matrix inhibited relative collagen synthesis by peritubular myoid cells in the presence or absence of serum. Radioactivity into hydroxyproline as corrected per cellular DNA also showed similar results. Immunolocalization studies confirmed that both cell types synthesize type I and type IV collagens. These results indicate that stimulation of collagen synthesis observed in Sertoli-myoid cell cocultures is due to humoral interactions, rather than extracellular matrix, and Sertoli cell extracellular matrix regulates serum-induced increase in collagen synthesis by peritubular myoid cells.     

Fibronectin synthesis is a marker for peritubular cell contaminants in Sertoli cell-enriched cultures

With indirect immunofluorescent microscopic techniques, we have shown that fibronectin is distributed primarily in or along the basal lamina of the seminiferous tubule boundary tissue in sections of testes from 20-day-old rats. Purified rat Sertoli cell-enriched aggregates, maintained in culture in the presence or absence of serum, exhibit no detectable immunofluorescence with fibronectin antibody, whereas purified peritubular cells in culture do have a positive reaction to fibronectin antibody. Peritubular cells in culture incorporate [35S] methionine into fibronectin which can be immunoprecipitated with a fibronectin antiserum, but Sertoli cells do not. We have used various criteria to estimate the degree of purity of Sertoli cell-enriched preparations. The presence of peritubular myoid cells in conventional Sertoli cell-enriched aggregates, cultured in the presence or absence of serum, can be detected with transmission electron microscopic examination, by the Feulgen staining procedure, and by the immunocytochemical identification of fibronectin. We describe a technique to purify Sertoli cells in conventional Sertoli cell-enriched preparations by treatment with hyaluronidase, resulting in a lesser number of peritubular cells by the above criteria, even in preparations cultured in the presence of serum. Data presented suggest that some of the products previously attributed exclusively to Sertoli cells in Sertoli cell-enriched preparations, particularly those cultured in the presence of serum, may have been contributed by peritubular cells.     

Cytochemical and biochemical characterization of testicular peritubular myoid cells

Testicular peritubular myoid cells secrete a paracrine factor that is a potent modulator of Sertoli cell functions involved in the maintenance of spermatogenesis. These cells also play an integral role in maintaining the structural integrity of the seminiferous tubule. To better understand this important testicular cell type, studies were initiated to characterize cultured peritubular cells using biochemical and histochemical techniques. The electrophoretic pattern of radiolabeled secreted proteins was similar for primary and subcultured peritubular cells and was unique from that of Sertoli cells. Morphologic differences between Sertoli cells and peritubular cells were noted and extended with histochemical staining techniques. Desmin cytoskeletal filaments were demonstrated immunocytochemically in peritubular cells, both in culture and in tissue sections, but were not detected in Sertoli cells. Desmin is proposed to be a marker for peritubular cell differentiation as well as a marker for peritubular cell contamination in Sertoli cell cultures. Peritubular cells and Sertoli cells were also stained histochemically for the presence of alkaline phosphatase. Staining for the alkaline phosphatase enzyme was associated with peritubular cells but not with Sertoli cells. Alkaline phosphatase is therefore an additional histochemical marker for peritubular cells. Biochemical characterization of peritubular cells relied on cell-specific enzymatic activities. Creatine phosphokinase activity, a marker for contractile cells, was found to be associated with peritubular cells, while negligible activity was associated with Sertoli cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity assayed spectrophotometrically was found to be a useful biochemical marker for peritubular cell function and was utilized to determine the responsiveness of primary and subcultured cells to regulatory agents. Testosterone stimulated alkaline phosphatase activity associated with primary cultures of peritubular cells, thus supporting the observation that peritubular cells provide a site of androgen action in the testis. Retinol increased alkaline phosphatase activity in subcultured peritubular cells. Alkaline phosphatase activity increased in response to dibutyryl cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in both primary and subcultured peritubular cell cultures. Observations indicate that the ability of androgens and retinoids to regulate testicular function may be mediated, in part, through their effects on peritubular cells. This provides additional support for the proposal that the mesenchymal-epithelial cell interactions between peritubular cells and Sertoli cells are important for the maintenance and control of testicular function. Results imply that the endocrine regulation of tissue function may be mediated in part through alterations in mesenchymal-epithelial cell interactions.     

Alkaline phosphatase activity as a membrane marker for activated B cells

Alkaline phosphatase activity was assayed by a microtiter assay (with p-nitrophenylphosphate used as substrate) in the plasma membrane of mouse spleen cells activated in vitro by the B cell mitogen LPS and the T cell-dependent B cell mitogen, PWM. No activity was detected in spleen cells cultured in the presence of the T cell mitogens PHA and Con A. This alkaline phosphatase activity was detected in the blast-enriched 30 to 40% fraction of discontinuous Percoll gradients in LPS-treated cultures, and the enzymatic activity assayed was susceptible to inhibition by the alkaline phosphatase inhibitors EDTA and L-phenylalanine. These data support the idea that the membrane alkaline phosphatase activity could be used as a marker for activated B cells.     

Adrenomedullin inhibits the contraction of cultured rat testicular peritubular myoid cells induced by endothelin-1

The present study documents that adrenomedullin (AM), a vasoactive peptide originally identified in pheochromocytoma tissue and present in the testis, in vitro affects the function of testicular peritubular myoid cells (TPMC), a contractile cell type located in the seminiferous tubule wall. AM stimulated cAMP production by cultured TPMC taken from 16-day-old rats, and this effect was completely inhibited by the AM antagonist AM-(22-52) and partially by the CGRP (calcitonin gene-related peptide) antagonist CGRP-(8-37). Studies on TPMC contractile activity documented that AM inhibits TPMC contraction induced by endothelin-1 (ET-1) and that its effect is antagonized by AM-(22-52). Neutralizing AM produced by TPMC with the addition of anti-AM antibody induced a significant increase of ET-1-induced contraction. When exposed to the protein kinase A inhibitor H-89, AM inhibitory activity on ET-1-induced TPMC contraction was suppressed, whereas the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N:(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl esther did not modify AM activity. In conclusion, our study indicates that AM stimulates cAMP production and inhibits the contraction induced by ET-1 in TPMC in vitro, and that AM produced by TPMC has an autocrine effect. We propose that AM may have a role in the control of seminiferous tubule contraction.     

Pleiotropic actions of melatonin in testicular peritubular myoid cells of immature Syrian hamsters

BackgroundPeritubular myoid cells are emerging as key regulators of testicular function in adulthood. However, little is known about the role of testicular peritubular myoid cells (TPMCs) in the development of the male gonad. We found that, compared to testes of young adult hamsters, gonads of 21 day-old animals show increased melatonin concentration, seminiferous tubular wall thickening and a heterogeneous packaging of its collagen fibers thus raising the question whether melatonin may be involved in the regulation of TPMCs.MethodsWe established primary cultures of TPMCs from immature hamsters (ihaTPMCs), which we found express melatonergic receptors.ResultsExogeneous melatonin decreased the levels of inflammatory markers (NLRP3 inflammasome, IL1β) but increased the expression of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2, key enzyme mediating prostaglandin synthesis) and of the glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) in ihaTPMCs. Melatonin also stimulated ihaTPMCs proliferation and the expression of extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen type I and IV. Furthermore, collagen gel contraction assays revealed an enhanced ability of ihaTPMCs to contract in the presence of melatonin.ConclusionMelatonin regulates immune and inflammatory functions as well as contractile phenotype of the peritubular wall in the hamster testis.General significanceIf transferable to the in vivo situation, melatonin-dependent induction of ihaTPMCs to produce factors known to exert paracrine effects in other somatic cell populations of the gonad suggests that the influence of melatonin may go beyond the peritubular wall and indicates its contribution to testicular development and the establishment of a normal and sustainable spermatogenesis.     

Alkaline phosphatase reactivity in rabbit airway epithelium: a potentially useful marker for airway basal cells

The purpose of this study was to investigate alkaline phosphatase (ALPase) reactivity in rabbit airway epithelial cells. Acetone-fixed, methyl benzoate and xylene-cleared (AMeX-treated) paraffin sections of trachea, bronchus, and lung tissue were stained by an azo dye coupling method for ALPase and examined by light microscopy. Electron histochemical staining was also performed in order to study the sensitivity and specificity of reactivity in each cell type. ALPase reactivity at the light microscopic level was observed exclusively in trachco-bronchial basal cells, and not in bronchiolar basal cells. By electron microscopy, ALPase reactivity was noted in 97.9% of basal cells in the trachea, 97.0% of basal cells in the bronchus, and 94.5% of basal cells and 15.4% of Clara cells in the bronchiole. This was also true for dispersed tracheal epithelial cells. Reactivity was rarely observed in ciliated cells, non-goblet-type secretory cells, and undetermined cells. The reactivity was heatlabile, levamisole-sensitive, and of a non-specific type. These findings indicate that basal cells of rabbit trachea and bonchus have fairly high specificity for ALPase of a non-specific isozyme (92.2% and 95.6%, respectively). Therefore, ALPase is considered to be a useful marker for these cells.     

Alkaline phosphatase and myoepithelial cells in the parotid gland of the rat

Synopsis Alkaline phosphatase activity has been studied in the parotid glands of rats at the light and electron microscopical levels. Reaction product was found to outline the plasma membranes of myoepithelial cells. It was also found in the walls of many capillaries and on the luminal surface and between apposing cells in some intercallary ducts.The distribution of myoepithelial cells in the rat parotid is unusual. The cells run longitudinally around intercalary ducts and send processes on to the bases of adjoining acini but do not embrace the acini. The possible functions of these myoepithelial cells are discussed.     

Alkaline phosphatase and an acid arylamidase as marker enzymes for normal and transformed WI-38 cells

A survey of eleven enzyme activity levels in normal and SV40 transformed (VA-13) WI-38 cells revealed that the transformed cell enzymes differed by a quantitative and qualitative change of alkaline phosphatase and a quantitative loss of an arylamidase. Alkaline phosphatase activity was found to be elevated in the transformed cells at confluency but not in log phase cultures. This elevated activity was heat stable, L-homoarginine resistant and L-phenylalanine sensitive and is probably the term placental isoenzyme. In nontransformed WI-38 cells, the alkaline phosphatase was heat labile, L-homoarginine sensitive and L-phenylalanine resistant and so is probably the liver isoenzyme. While the arylamidase activity from both normal and transformed WI-38 cells had identical pH optima and Km values, the activity was approximately 20 times higher in confluent WI-38 cells than in confluent VA-13 cells. Cytochemical staining techniques for both activities are described that permit identification of fluorescent product within the cells, analysis of activity levels, and separation of cells with high and low activities. Mixtures of WI-38 cells and VA-13 cells separated by flow cytometry on the basis of arylamidase activity were subsequently evaluated for alkaline phosphatase isoenzyme and found to have been simultaneously separated into heat labile and heat stable samples.     

Extracellular alkaline phosphatase is a sensitive marker for cellular stimulation and exocytosis in heterotroph cell cultures of Chenopodium rubrum

We investigated the response of extracellular phosphatase to heat shock in heterotrophic Chenopodium rubrum L. cell cultures. Surprisingly, in contrast to the generally used acid phosphatase, an extracellular alkaline phosphatase showed the most sensitive response. This phosphatase was characterized as a marker for cellular stimulation by its high correlations with induced changes of extracellular pH: 10microM nigericin (correlation coefficient r=0.91), 100microM salicylic acid (r=0.84), heat shock 5min 37 degrees C (r=0.79), and heat shock after pre-treatment with 5microM fusicoccin (r=0.92) or 0.5% ethanol (r=0.90). Cellular stimulation was estimated with concentrations of acids and bases, yielding similar levels of pH change (0.5 pH) in cell-free supernatant: salicylic acid (200microM), benzoic acid (600microM), HCl (140microM), NaOH (100microM), and KOH (100microM). The Golgi apparatus inhibitor Brefeldin A (200microM) reduced the heat-shock-induced phosphatase (-33%). The pH optimum of heat-shock-induced phosphatase was 3; however, there the proportion of constitutive phosphatase was higher than at pH 8-9.5, indicating different pH dependence of constitutive and induced activity. Thus, heat-shock-induced phosphatase was characterized by alkaline activity with inhibitors (10microM molybdate: -52%, 2.5mM phosphate: -64%, 10microM ZnCl(2): -82%), substrates (2.5mM, tyrosine phosphate: 255pkat g(-1), p-nitrophenyl phosphate: 92pkat g(-1), serine phosphate: 0, threonine phosphate: 0), Hill coefficient (nH=1.4) indicating two binding sites, and the extent of heat-shock stimulation (p-nitrophenyl phosphate: +190%, tyrosine phosphate: +180%). SDS-PAGE showed a correlation of alkaline phosphatase with the heat-shock-induced release of highly N-glycosylated 53kDa protein, detected by peroxidase-labeled concanavalin A affinoblotting after endoglycosidase H treatment. The 53kDa protein showed no in-gel phosphatase activity after SDS-PAGE and regeneration treatment, in contrast to a putative dimer (105kDa).     

Rat Sertoli cell extracellular matrix regulates glycosaminoglycan synthesis by peritubular myoid cells in vitro

We have previously reported metabolic cooperation between Sertoli and peritubular myoid cells in terms of synthesis of one of the main testicular extracellular matrix (ECM) constituents, glycosaminoglycans (GAG). This study concerns Sertoli cell ECM-peritubular myoid cell interactions in terms of GAG synthesis. We have examined the responses of hormones and other regulatory agents such as a combination of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), insulin, retinol, and testosterone (FIRT) on peritubular myoid cells, and tested if Sertoli cell ECM or serum factor substitute for the stimulation by FIRT. Testicular peritubular myoid cells cultured on Sertoli cell ECM showed significant increases in the levels of cell- and ECM-associated GAG over that when cultured on uncoated plastic. This indicates a specific cell-substratum interaction between Sertoli cell ECM and peritubular myoid cells in the testis in terms of GAG synthesis. Moreover, in terms of cell-associated GAG synthesis, peritubular myoid cells cultured on Sertoli cell ECM or on plastic in the presence of serum substituted for the stimulatory response of FIRT on peritubular myoid cells cultured on uncoated plastic. The data are discussed in relation to the possible role of cell-substratum interaction in maintaining peritubular myoid cell functions. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.