Endocrine Abstracts

Nectin-2, a major protein component of the adherens junctions (AJs), is found between Sertoli cells and germ cells in the seminiferious epithelium. Recent studies have shown that the expression of nectin-2 gene in testis is crucial to maintain normal spermatogenesis since male knockout mice lacking nectin-2 gene are sterile and possess morphological abnormal spermatozoa. However, the molecular mechanisms governing its basal transcription remain poorly understood. By the use of...

Perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS) and its related product perfluorooctanic acid (PFOA) are anthropogenic fluorosurfactants widely used in consumer products. In general, studies in rodents have supported the conception that PFOS perturbs testis function, such as by inducing Sertoli cell injury. It remains to be demonstrated if similar effects could be reproduced in humans. We sought to examine its effects on human spermatogenesis by using a human Sertoli cell primary culture syst...