Ziparo E, Riccioli A, Filippini A, De Cesaris P, Barbacci E
Institute of Histology and Embryology, School of Medicine, La Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
Ital J Anat Embryol. 1995;100 Suppl 1:553-62.
The expression of the adhesion molecules ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 has been measured in mouse Sertoli cells cultured in vitro. Cytometric analysis revealed that, in basal conditions, low levels of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 were present on the surface of the cells, whereas treatment with TNF-alpha induced an increase in their expression. Binding experiments using both 51Cr-labelled lymphocytes, for quantitative analysis, and scanning electron microscopy demonstrated that increased expression of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on the surface of Sertoli cells, induced by TNF-alpha, determines an augmented adhesion between the two cell types. These results suggest the presence of a specific mechanism of interaction between Sertoli and immune-competent cells, possibly involved in the control of the immune response in the testis following an inflammatory reaction in situ. Such mechanism is of interest for the understanding of auto-immune pathologies of the testis and, if confirmed in humans, it could be involved in the sexual transmission of HIV infection.
已对体外培养的小鼠支持细胞中黏附分子ICAM - 1和VCAM - 1的表达进行了检测。细胞计数分析显示，在基础条件下，细胞表面存在低水平的ICAM - 1和VCAM - 1，而用肿瘤坏死因子α（TNF - α）处理会导致它们的表达增加。使用51Cr标记淋巴细胞进行的结合实验（用于定量分析）以及扫描电子显微镜表明，TNF - α诱导支持细胞表面ICAM - 1和VCAM - 1表达增加，这决定了两种细胞类型之间增强的黏附。这些结果表明支持细胞与免疫活性细胞之间存在特定的相互作用机制，可能参与原位炎症反应后睾丸免疫反应的控制。这种机制对于理解睾丸自身免疫性疾病具有重要意义，如果在人类中得到证实，它可能与HIV感染的性传播有关。
