Seiler P, Wenzel I, Wagenfeld A, Yeung C H, Nieschlag E, Cooper T G
Institute of Reproductive Medicine of the University, Münster, Germany.
Int J Androl. 1998 Aug;21(4):217-26. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2605.1998.00116.x.
This work demonstrates similarities between epididymal basal cells and macrophages in the mouse. Light microscopic studies of the postnatal development of the murine epididymis showed that basal cells were not present before days 12, 14 and 16 in the cauda, caput and corpus epididymis, respectively. An increase in cell number per unit length of tubule perimeter was demonstrated in all segments between days 20 and 27, when testicular fluid and spermatozoa start entering the epididymis. In the adult, there were more basal cells per unit perimeter in the cauda than caput or corpus epididymis. Conspicuous and consistent expression by basal cells of antigens detected by antibodies against tissue-fixed macrophages (F4/80) and mature macrophages (Mac-1) occurred only after they became established within the epithelium. Basal cells in the cauda epididymis did not display either antigen in the adult, although they persisted in the caput region. Such developmental patterns are compatible with the hypothesis that basal cells play a role in immune defence against sperm autoantigens.
这项研究揭示了小鼠附睾基底细胞与巨噬细胞之间的相似性。对小鼠附睾出生后发育的光学显微镜研究表明，附睾尾部、头部和体部分别在出生后第12天、14天和16天之前不存在基底细胞。在第20天至27天期间，当睾丸液和精子开始进入附睾时，所有节段的单位长度小管周长的细胞数量均有所增加。在成年小鼠中，附睾尾部每单位周长的基底细胞比附睾头部或体部更多。只有当基底细胞在上皮内定植后，它们才会显著且持续地表达针对组织固定巨噬细胞（F4/80）和成熟巨噬细胞（Mac-1）的抗体所检测到的抗原。成年附睾尾部的基底细胞不表达任何一种抗原，尽管它们在附睾头部区域持续存在。这种发育模式与基底细胞在针对精子自身抗原的免疫防御中发挥作用的假说相符。
