Differentiation of interstitial cells and sertoli cells in fetal guinea pig testes

Abstract

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum appears in interstitial cells and Sertoli cells of 22–24d testes of fetal guinea pigs before the beginning of morphological differentiation of the male reproductive tract at 29d (Price et al., '67), and before the appearance of demonstrable 3β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, an enzyme important in steroid biosynthesis, in the interstitial cells at 29d (Ortiz et al., '66). This enzyme has not yet been demonstrated in the Sertoli cells.The smooth reticulum of the interstitial cells increases in amount, filling the cells with tubules by 27d, and later forming some fenestrated cisternae which are occasionally seen in whorls. In Sertoli cells, the tubular reticulum shows signs of degeneration at 26d. After this time the cisternal endoplasmic reticulum in these cells increases in amount and by 45d is predominantly smooth‐surfaced. Yet it is never as prominent as the smooth reticulum of the interstitial cells.Scattered clusters of ribosomes or polyribosomes are seen on the surface of the tubular reticulum of these differentiating cells. These polyribosomes become more widely spaced as the smooth‐surfaced areas increase and may be associated with the production of smooth membranes.Smooth endoplasmic reticulum is known to play a role in the production of steroid hormones, and therefore the extensive development of smooth reticulum in fetal interstitial cells is consistent with experimental evidence that implicates these cells as the chief source of steroid hormones governing male reproductive tract differentiation.