Tedde G, Montella A, Fiocca D, Delrio A N
Institute of Human Anatomy, University of Sassari.
Ital J Anat Embryol. 1993 Apr-Jun;98(2):105-17.
Because of the architectural complexity of the seminiferous epithelium, the Sertoli cell is extremely difficult to study. The individual cellular constituents of the tubular wall are intimately associated with one another; especially Sertoli cells and germinal cells are tightly connected. As implied by the name, Sertoli-cell-only syndrome (SCOS) is characterized by the presence of only Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubule. The absence of germinal cells makes this condition ideal for the morphological study of Sertoli cell. Testicular biopsy specimens of subjects affected by SCOS were studied under light and electron microscopy. The Sertoli cells appeared to be morphologically normal, except for their shape, that appears to be columnar as result of the complete absence of the germinal cells. The cellular outlines were irregular, particularly at the base, but the cytoplasm contained normal organelles and inclusions. The presence of both pale and dark elements was evident. These differences in staining reflect the variability in concentration of glycogen particles and intermediate microfilaments in the cytoplasm. In spite of these differences between Sertoli cells in SCOS and those in normal subjects, SCOS represents a satisfactory model for the morphological and functional analysis of the Sertoli cells.
由于生精上皮结构复杂，支持细胞极难研究。管壁的各个细胞成分彼此紧密相连；尤其是支持细胞和生精细胞紧密连接。顾名思义，唯支持细胞综合征（SCOS）的特征是生精小管中仅存在支持细胞。生精细胞的缺失使这种情况成为支持细胞形态学研究的理想选择。对受SCOS影响的受试者的睾丸活检标本进行了光镜和电镜研究。支持细胞在形态上似乎正常，只是由于完全没有生精细胞，其形状呈柱状。细胞轮廓不规则，尤其是在基部，但细胞质含有正常的细胞器和内含物。浅色和深色成分均明显存在。这些染色差异反映了细胞质中糖原颗粒和中间微丝浓度的变化。尽管SCOS患者的支持细胞与正常受试者的支持细胞存在这些差异，但SCOS仍是支持细胞形态和功能分析的理想模型。
