1. Effects of Leydig cell elimination on testicular interstitial cell populations: characterization by scRNA-seq and immunocytochemical techniques
- Author
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Fu Huang, Jiexia Wang, Hu Wang, Yun Hu, Zhenni Li, Jingfeng Xu, Mengjie Qin, Xin Wen, Shuyan Cao, Xiaoju Guan, Ping Duan, Haolin Chen, and Congde Chen
- Subjects
testicular interstitial cells ,rat Leydig cells ,scRNA-seq ,mesenchymal cells ,EDS ,hemicastration ,Diseases of the endocrine glands. Clinical endocrinology ,RC648-665 - Abstract
BackgroundThe mammalian testicular interstitial cells are not well-defined. The present study characterized the interstitial cell types and their turnover dynamics in adult rats. Additionally, the heterogeneity of the mesenchymal population and the effects of Leydig cell elimination on interstitial homeostasis were further analyzed by scRNA-seq datasets and immunocytochemical techniques.MethodsInterstitial cells were defined at the transcriptomic level by scRNA-seq and then confirmed and quantified with protein markers. The dividing activity of the major cell types was determined by continuous EdU labeling of the animals for one week. Some of the rats were also treated with a dose of ethylenedimethylsulfonate (EDS) to examine how the loss of Leydig cells (LCs) could affect interstitial homeostasis for three weeks.ResultsSeven interstitial cell types were identified, including cell types (percentage of the whole interstitial population) as follows: Leydig (44.6%), macrophage and dendritic (19.1%), lymphoid (6.2%), vascular endothelial (7.9%), smooth muscle (10.7%), and mesenchymal (11.5%) cells. The EdU experiment indicated that most cell types were dividing at relatively low levels (
- Published
- 2024
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