J Vet Sci.  2007 Sep;8(3):219-222. 10.4142/jvs.2007.8.3.219.

Sertoli cell proliferation during the post hatching period in domestic fowl

• Bozkurt HH
• Akta A
• Ulkay MB
• Firat UB

• KMID: 1090794
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4142/jvs.2007.8.3.219

Abstract

There has been no study aimed at directly determiningof the periods of Sertoli cell proliferation in birds evendomestic fowl. The aims of this study were to observe thecessation of post-hatching mitotic proliferation of Sertolicells in domestic fowl, and to determine the volumedensity of Sertoli and germ cells during this period. Atotal of 50 Leghorn chicks were used in this study. Thetestes sections of the animals were immunostained withBrdU to observe the proliferation of cells from one to 10weeks of age. The volume density of the Sertoli and germcells were determined using the standard point countingmethod. The volume density of the germ cell nuclei wasinitially less than that of the Sertoli cells but the volumedensity converged by week 6, and remained relativelyconstant until the commencement of meiosis. Clearlabeling of Sertoli and germ cells was observed from week1 to week 7. The only those cells still labeled after 8 weekswere germ cells, indicating that Sertoli cell proliferationhad ceased. Therefore, it is recommended that anyresearch into the testes of domestic fowl should considerthe cessation of Sertoli cell proliferation by approximately8 weeks.

Keyword

fowl; germ cell; Sertoli cell; testis

MeSH Terms

Animals
Bromodeoxyuridine/metabolism
Cell Differentiation/physiology
Cell Growth Processes/physiology
Chickens/*physiology
Histocytochemistry/veterinary
Male
Mitosis/physiology
Sertoli Cells/*cytology/metabolism
Spermatocytes/cytology
Testis/*cytology/metabolism

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Section of an immature fowl testis (at age of 6 weeks) showing germ cells (arrows) and Sertoli cells (arrowhead). bar = 30 µm.

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  Fig. 2 Testes sections of fowls at 8 weeks of age. (a) BrdU labelling only of germ cells (arrows), (b) BrdU labelling of germ cells and Sertoli cells (arrowhead), (c) Spermatocytes (stars) in the hematoxylin and eosin stained section of the animal in Fig. 2a. (d) BrdU labeling of a testis section at age 10 weeks. bar = 30 µm.

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  Fig. 3 Changes in the volume densities of seminiferous tubule from week 1 to 8. Each point is the mean ± SE for the five birds. The differences between time groups that are identified by a different letter are significant (p < 0.001). The volume densities were estimated using standard point counting method.

• 

  Fig. 4 Changes from week 1 to 8 in the volume densities of Sertoli cell and germ cell nuclei, showing the mean ± SE for the five birds. Significances of the differences in the volume densities between the Sertoli and germ cells in each week are indicated by **(p < 0.01) and ***(p < 0.001). Within the same cell groups, the differences between time groups (on the same line) that are identified by a different letter (e.g. a, b) are significant i.e. for Sertoli cells (p < 0.001) and for germ cells (p < 0.01). The volume densities were estimated using standard point counting method.

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