Role of Testosterone in Maintaining Polarity and Differentiated State of Sertoli Cells

Differentiation and migration of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) from the basal to the adluminal compartment of the seminiferous tubules require a well-specialised scaffold created by a well-developed cytoskeleton in the large cytoplasm of the Sertoli cells. The connection between these scaffolds in two adjacent Sertoli cells and germ cells is provided by adherent junctions. The formation of such a regularly- fabricated scaffold and complex network of intercellular communication is disrupted in the absence of testosterone. In an androgen-free microenvironment, Sertoli cells probably undergo the epithelial-mesenchymal transition(EMT) process. The EMT in the Sertoli cells can be explained by the same mechanisms by which convert prostate cancer epithelial cells) positive for androgen receptor), treated with an androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), to mesenchymal cells. The potential of the plasticity and reprogramming of Sertoli cells could open a new window for basic and clinical studies, especially in assisted reproductive studies such as the approaches of the in vitro spermatogenesis or testicular tissue xenograft.