Magre S, Jost A
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(24):7831-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.81.24.7831.
Differentiation of the rat testis from the undifferentiated primordium begins with the appearance of a new cell type characterized by a large and clear cytoplasm. These cells aggregate, enclose germ cells, and progressively form seminiferous cords. Therefore, they were considered primordial Sertoli cells. A similar process was obtained in vitro in explants cultured in a synthetic medium. On the contrary, when fetal calf serum was added to the medium, the organization of seminiferous cords was impaired; large clear cells appeared, but they did not aggregate. Instead, they remained scattered throughout the abnormal gonad. The present experiments were undertaken to verify whether these cells are in fact Sertoli cells. The production of Müllerian inhibitor is a marker of fetal Sertoli cells. Therefore, undifferentiated gonadal primordia from 12-day 16-hr old male rat fetuses were cultured for 2 days in vitro with serum and then associated for 3 days with 14.5-day-old sex ducts from female fetuses. Müllerian ducts were inhibited as well by the abnormal cordless gonads as by those with differentiated sex cords. These experiments confirm previous views on testicular development and demonstrate that differentiation of Sertoli cells may take place quite independently of the testicular cord formation.
大鼠睾丸从未分化原基开始分化，始于一种新细胞类型的出现，其特征为细胞质大且清晰。这些细胞聚集，包裹生殖细胞，并逐渐形成生精索。因此，它们被认为是原始支持细胞。在体外培养于合成培养基中的外植体中也获得了类似过程。相反，当向培养基中添加胎牛血清时，生精索的组织受到损害；出现了大的透明细胞，但它们没有聚集。相反，它们散布在整个异常性腺中。进行本实验以验证这些细胞是否实际上是支持细胞。缪勒管抑制物质的产生是胎儿支持细胞的一个标志。因此，将12日龄16小时大的雄性大鼠胎儿的未分化性腺原基在含血清的体外培养2天，然后与14.5日龄雌性胎儿的性导管联合培养3天。无索异常性腺和具有分化性索的性腺对缪勒管均有抑制作用。这些实验证实了先前关于睾丸发育的观点，并表明支持细胞的分化可能与睾丸索的形成完全独立发生。
