Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2014 Jul-Aug;16(4):572-80.
doi: 10.4103/1008-682X.125401.

Blood-testis barrier and spermatogenesis: lessons from genetically-modified mice

Xiao-Hua Jiang, Ihtisham Bukhari, Wei Zheng, Shi Yin, Zheng Wang, Howard J Cooke, Qing-Hua Shi  1
Affiliations
Review

Blood-testis barrier and spermatogenesis: lessons from genetically-modified mice

Xiao-Hua Jiang et al. Asian J Androl. 2014 Jul-Aug.

Abstract

The blood-testis barrier (BTB) is found between adjacent Sertoli cells in the testis where it creates a unique microenvironment for the development and maturation of meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells in seminiferous tubes. It is a compound proteinous structure, composed of several types of cell junctions including tight junctions (TJs), adhesion junctions and gap junctions (GJs). Some of the junctional proteins function as structural proteins of BTB and some have regulatory roles. The deletion or functional silencing of genes encoding these proteins may disrupt the BTB, which may cause immunological or other damages to meiotic and postmeiotic cells and ultimately lead to spermatogenic arrest and infertility. In this review, we will summarize the findings on the BTB structure and function from genetically-modified mouse models and discuss the future perspectives.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Chiquoine AD. Observations on the early events of cadmium necrosis of the testis. Anat Rec. 1964;149:23–35. - PubMed
    1. Kormano M. Distribution of injected L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) in the adult rat testis and epididymis. Acta Physiol Scand. 1967;71:125–6. - PubMed
    1. Dym M, Fawcett DW. The blood-testis barrier in the rat and the physiological compartmentation of the seminiferous epithelium. Biol Reprod. 1970;3:308–26. - PubMed
    1. Kormano M. Dye permeability and alkaline phosphatase activity of testicular capillaries in the postnatal rat. Histochimie. 1967;9:327–38. - PubMed
    1. Kormano M. Penetration of intravenous trypan blue into the rat testis and epididymis. Acta Histochem. 1968;30:133–6. - PubMed

Publication types

Supplementary concepts