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Ultrastructure of cell contacts of fetal and adult Leydig cells in the rat: a systematic study from birth to senium

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Abstract

Differentiation, development, and function of Leydig cells in the testis are regulated also by macrophages, vascular endothelial cells, and peritubular cells in the testis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible morphological substrates for communication between these cells. The cell contacts between adjacent Leydig cells, and between Leydig cells and other interstitial cells were studied electron microscopically in the rat testis of various age groups from birth to senium. Intercellular bridges with continuous cytoplasm were observed between fetal Leydig cells (FLCs) in the early postnatal period. Gap junctions were present in nearly every age group. A structural diversity as well as an increased occurrence of gap junctions with the maturity of the Leydig cells was noted. Coated pits were observed initially on pnd 30. From pnd 50 onwards, macrophages and Leydig cells were attached very closely to each other, when the cell processes of Leydig cells protruded either into the coated pits or into the deep invaginations of macrophages. To conclude, this is the first report on the presence of intercellular bridges between FLCs suggesting a possible functional synchronization of interconnected Leydig cells. The cell contacts observed here are possibly required for a precise communication between the Leydig cells and other interstitial cells.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ms Gabriele Berthold for her excellent technical assistance. The work reported here would be submitted for the partial fulfillment of doctoral thesis by Nicole Tran to the Faculty of Medicine, Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf.

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  1. Institute of Anatomy II, Heinrich Heine University, Moorenstr. 5, 40225, Düsseldorf, Germany

    Nicole Tran, Gisela Servos & Syed G. Haider

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  1. Nicole Tran
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  2. Gisela Servos
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  3. Syed G. Haider
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Correspondence to Syed G. Haider.

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Tran, N., Servos, G. & Haider, S.G. Ultrastructure of cell contacts of fetal and adult Leydig cells in the rat: a systematic study from birth to senium. Anat Embryol 211, 273–282 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-006-0079-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-006-0079-z

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