1. Nestin, a neuroectodermal stem cell marker, is expressed by bovine sertoli cells
- Author
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Reza Hadavi, Javad Ashrafihelan, Ebrahim Torkabadi, Parviz Tajik, Jalil Shoja, Abbas Barin, Mansoureh Movahedin, Mahmood Jeddi-Tehrani, Gholamali Moghaddam, Hamed Heidari-Vala, Babak Qasemi-Panahi, and Amir-Hassan Zarnani
- Subjects
endocrine system ,Mesenchymal stem cell ,Vimentin ,macromolecular substances ,Nestin ,Biology ,Stem cell marker ,Sertoli cell ,Molecular biology ,Pathology and Forensic Medicine ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,embryonic structures ,medicine ,biology.protein ,Anatomy ,Stem cell ,Intermediate filament ,Immunostaining - Abstract
Nestin, an intermediate filament protein is expressed by neuroectodermal stem cells and tumors originating from cells of neuroectodermal and mesenchymal lineages. Nestin expression is prominent in embryos and remains upregulated until 3–6 weeks after birth but is downregulated afterward. Sertoli cells are nucleated somatic cells that are spanned in the seminiferous epithelium and play a critical role in supporting and controlling germ-cell development. In this context, we employed immunocytochemical, Western blot, and Flow cytometric analyses to demonstrate nestin expression in bovine sertoli cells. Immunostaining clearly showed that setoli cells express high levels of nestin, a result which was confirmed by Western blot analysis of purified cells. Intracellular staining of sertoli cells by flow cytometry revealed that around 74% of the cells express this marker. Given the high expression of vimentin by sertoli cells, it is proposed that the expression of nestin in these cells might be required for the formation of stable vimentin/nestin intermediate filament network. In light of these findings, it seems that sertoli cells of mature bull have potentiality of proliferation.
- Published
- 2010
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