Dong Lei, Jelinsky Scott A, Finger Joshua N, Johnston Daniel S, Kopf Gregory S, Sottas Chantal M, Hardy Matthew P, Ge Ren-Shan
Department of Pathology, the 1st Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical College, Zhejiang, 325000, China.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Dec;1120:16-35. doi: 10.1196/annals.1411.016.
In rats and mice, Leydig cells are formed as two morphologically and functionally different generations. The first generation develops in utero, from undifferentiated stem Leydig cells (SLCs) that differentiate into fetal Leydig cells (FLCs). After birth, SLCs that may differ from the fetal SLCs undergo lineage-specific commitment and give rise to adult Leydig cells (ALCs). The intermediates of ALCs first become apparent by day 11 postpartum. These first-appearing intermediates, progenitor Leydig cells (PLCs), are spindle shaped and identifiable as steroidogenic because they express luteinizing hormone receptor (LHR) and 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3betaHSD). The next step in the transition of PLCs to ALCs is the appearance of the immature Leydig cells (ILCs), most commonly seen in the testis during days 28 to 56 postpartum. ILCs have a more abundant smooth endoplasm reticulum (SER), the network of membranes providing a scaffold for steroidogenic enzyme localization, compared to PLCs, but are considered immature because they secrete higher levels of 5alpha-reduced androgen than testosterone. ILCs undergo a final division before ALC steroidogenic function matures by postnatal day 56. ALCs mark the point of maximum differentiation, and at this stage, the Leydig cell secretes testosterone at the highest rate. In this review, trends of gene expression during development of the two Leydig-cell generations, and recent information from gene profiling by microarray, are evaluated. The expression profiles are distinct, indicating that FLCs and ALCs may originate from separate pools of stem cells.
在大鼠和小鼠中，睾丸间质细胞以两种形态和功能不同的类型形成。第一代在子宫内由未分化的间质干细胞（SLCs）发育而来，这些干细胞分化为胎儿睾丸间质细胞（FLCs）。出生后，可能与胎儿SLCs不同的SLCs经历谱系特异性定向分化，产生成年睾丸间质细胞（ALCs）。ALCs的中间体在出生后第11天首次显现。这些最早出现的中间体，即祖代睾丸间质细胞（PLCs），呈纺锤形，因其表达促黄体生成素受体（LHR）和3β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶（3βHSD）而可被识别为具有类固醇生成功能。PLCs向ALCs转变的下一步是未成熟睾丸间质细胞（ILCs）的出现，最常见于出生后28至56天的睾丸中。与PLCs相比，ILCs具有更丰富的滑面内质网（SER），这种膜网络为类固醇生成酶的定位提供了支架，但因其分泌的5α-还原雄激素水平高于睾酮而被认为是未成熟的。ILCs在出生后第56天ALC类固醇生成功能成熟之前进行最后一次分裂。ALCs标志着最大分化点，在这个阶段，睾丸间质细胞以最高速率分泌睾酮。在这篇综述中，评估了两代睾丸间质细胞发育过程中的基因表达趋势，以及最近通过微阵列进行基因谱分析获得的信息。表达谱是不同的，这表明FLCs和ALCs可能起源于不同的干细胞池。
