Endocytic activity of Sertoli cells grown in bicameral culture chambers

Journal Article · Wed Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Anat. Rec.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6027257

Dai, R X; Djakiew, D; Dym, M

Immature rat Sertoli cells were cultured for 7 to 14 days on Millipore filters impregnated with a reconstituted basement membrane extract in dual-environment (bicameral) culture chambers. Electron microscopy of the cultured cells revealed the presence of rod-shaped mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, rough endoplasmic reticulum, and Sertoli-Sertoli tight junctions, typical of these cells in vivo. The endocytic activity of both the apical and basal surfaces of the Sertoli cells was examined by either adding alpha 2-macroglobulin (alpha 2-M) conjugated to 20 nm gold particles to the apical chamber or by adding /sup 125/I labeled alpha 2-M to the basal chamber. During endocytosis from the apical surface of Sertoli cells, the alpha 2-M-gold particles were bound initially to coated pits and then internalized into coated vesicles within 5 minutes. After 10 minutes, the alpha 2-M-gold was found in multi-vesicular bodies (MVBs) and by 30 minutes it was present in the lysosomes. The proportion of alpha 2-M-gold found within endocytic cell organelles after 1 hour of uptake was used to estimate the approximate time that this ligand spent in each type of organelle. The alpha 2-M-gold was present in coated pits, coated vesicles, multivesicular bodies, and lysosomes for approximately 3, 11, 22, and 24 minutes, respectively. This indicates that the initial stages of endocytosis are rapid, whereas MVBs and lysosomes are relatively long-lived.

• Research Organization: Georgetown Univ., Washington, DC
• OSTI ID: 6027257
• Journal Information: Anat. Rec.; (United States), Vol. 218:3
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL CELLS
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
CELL CULTURES
CELL MEMBRANES
CYTOPLASM
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM
GOLD
IN VITRO
IODINE 125
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
LYSOSOMES
MITOCHONDRIA
RATS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
ANIMALS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CELL CONSTITUENTS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
IODINE ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
ISOTOPES
MAMMALS
MEMBRANES
METALS
MICROSCOPY
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
ORGANOIDS
RADIOISOTOPES
RODENTS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
VERTEBRATES
550301* - Cytology- Tracer Techniques