Glutathione metabolism in cultured Sertoli cells and spermatogenic cells from hamsters
in ReproductionSearch for other papers by P. J. Den Boer in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by P. Mackenbach in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by J. A. Grootegoed in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Summary. Isolated spermatocytes and spermatids from hamsters contained a large amount of glutathione (GSH) ∼40 and 30 nmol GSH/mg protein, respectively), but showed a spontaneous decrease of GSH content during prolonged incubation (t½ ∼35h). Incubation of the germ cells in the presence of the glutathione biosynthesis inhibitor buthionine sulphoximine (BSO) provided evidence that the cells can perform glutathione synthesis. This synthesis, however, was not sufficient to maintain the GSH content of the isolated cells, or to restore the cellular GSH pool after depletion caused by exposure of the cells to the glutathione S-transferase substrate, diethyl maleate (DEM). Cultured Sertoli cells, containing ∼10 nmol GSH/mg protein, had a more active BSO-sensitive GSH synthesis system. The Sertoli cells, but also tubule fragments containing Sertoli cells and germ cells, were able to restore their GSH pool after DEM-induced depletion. DEM treatment of the tubule fragments resulted in a 90% decrease of the GSH content of the spermatocytes and spermatids present within the fragments. The GSH levels of the tubule fragments and the enclosed germ cells were restored during a subsequent incubation in the absence of DEM. As indicated above, such a recovery was not observed for isolated spermatocytes and spermatids. The results illustrate the importance of Sertoli cell–germ cell interaction, and point to a role of Sertoli cells in glutathione synthesis by the germ cells.
Keywords: glutathione; testis; Sertoli cells; spermatocytes; spermatids; hamster
Reproduction is committed to supporting researchers in demonstrating the impact of their articles published in the journal.
The two types of article metrics we measure are (i) more traditional full-text views and pdf downloads, and (ii) Altmetric data, which shows the wider impact of articles in a range of non-traditional sources, such as social media.
More information is on the Reasons to publish page.
| Sept 2018 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full Text Views | 223 | 61 | 17 |
| PDF Downloads | 75 | 20 | 0 |
Online ISSN: 1741-7899
Print ISSN: 1470-1626
Strengthening biomedical communities
to advance science and health
CONTACT US
Bioscientifica Ltd | Starling House | 1600 Bristol Parkway North | Bristol BS34 8YU | UK
Bioscientifica Ltd | Registered in England no 3190519