![]() “It would be difficult to target this gene specifically in the testis without affecting other organs, cell types, or cellular processes,” De Falco says.Īlso, even if a treatment can be limited to Sertoli cells, any genetic variations that result would have a significant risk of being carried forward to future generations, including potentially unknown side effects. That’s because the Cdc42 gene plays many roles throughout the body. How many cases of infertility can be traced to malfunctioning Sertoli cells is not well-understood, but in theory, treatments that could improve Sertoli cell function would improve male sperm production.ĭirectly attempting to alter the Cdc42 gene is not likely to be an option, at least not for the short term. ![]() In many situations, male infertility plays a role. Nearly 1 in 7 couples in the US is infertile. Why is this discovery about Sertoli cells important? The scientists also learned that this disruption of sperm production occurs in mature adult testes, but not in juvenile testes. The misaligned cells become less capable of supporting sperm cells, and some of the misaligned Sertoli cells die off themselves, all of which reduces the ability of the testes to produce an ongoing supply of sperm. In experiments with mouse models, the team found that when the gene Cdc42 is missing or not functioning, it disrupts the polarity of Sertoli cells, meaning that some might be attached or oriented improperly inside the seminiferous tubules. Sertoli cells, sometimes called “nurse cells,” act as docking stations that provide nutrients to developing sperm cells. The study focuses on the function of Sertoli cells, which line up along the inside walls of long narrow tubes in the testes called seminiferous tubules, in which sperm production takes place. “Gaining more understanding about how Cdc42 acts within the male reproductive system provides key information for using this gene as a potential biomarker for infertility or reduced testicular function,” De Falco says. In findings published on October 26, 2021, in Cell Reports, a team led by co-first authors Anna Heinrich, BS, Bidur Bhandary, PhD, and senior author Tony De Falco, PhD, sheds new light on how sperm production can go wrong when a certain gene fails to function at the right time. Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s appear to have flipped another piece in the underexplored puzzle of male infertility. Reproductive Sciences experts at Cincinnati Children’s discover that the gene Cdc42 is required to support proper alignment and function of Sertoli cells. Scientists at Cincinnati Children’s have uncovered a critical role for the Rho GTPase CDC42 in regulating the polarity of Sertoli cells and maintaining steady-state sperm production. This image reveals how a single Sertoli cell, which is genetically labeled with yellow fluorescent protein among other Sertoli cells in red, contacts a number of cells in the tubule. Sertoli cells are highly polarized cells that nurture different stages of germ cells at the same time.
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