Membrane alteration of trypsin-treated smooth muscle cells and penetration by antibodies to myosin

Immunocytochemical staining of isolated rat Sertoli cells for anti-FSH beta

Sertoli cells are a primary target for the action of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in the testis. The purpose of this investigation was to verify ultrastructurally that FSH binds to receptors on the plasma membrane of isolated rat Sertoli cells. A relatively pure aliquot of Sertoli cells was obtained by first dissociating testicular tissue from immature rats with collagenase and then centrifuging the suspension in Percoll density gradients. Pre-embedding staining with the peroxidase anti-peroxidase (PAP) complex technique using anti-FSH beta as the primary antiserum localized endogenous receptor-bound FSH on the plasma membrane of isolated Sertoli cells. Staining was considered to be specific since membranes of Sertoli cells derived from hypophysectomized rats were not stained when subjected to the same procedure. Cytoplasmic vesicles in Sertoli cells from experimental, control, and hypophysectomized groups also stained with PAP. Staining of these structures appeared to be specific since it was obliterated by preabsorption of anti-FSH beta with FSH. Preabsorption with luteinizing hormone (LH) did not affect the staining of cytoplasmic vesicles. The results of this investigation provide the first evidence for ultrastructural localization of specific binding sites for anti-FSH beta on the cell membrane of isolated Sertoli cells using an unlabeled antibody technique, and they further support the contention that Sertoli cells are a primary target for the action of FSH.

Anti-myosin stains chromaffin cells

The presence in fixed chromaffin cells of antigenic sites for a myosin antibody was demonstrated using immunofluorescence techniques. Tests on viable cells showed that at least some of the antigenic sites seem to be localized on or close to the cell surface and explained the cell agglutination that occurred with the addition of the myosin antibody to cells isolated by a method described in this paper.

The effects of various hormones on the surface morphology of testicular cells in culture

The purpose of this investigation was to study the effects of various hormones on the surface morphology of 20-day-old rat testicular cells in culture. Aggregates containing primarily Sertoli cells and germinal cells were obtained by enzymatic digestion. The surface morphology of the cells composing these aggregates was characterized under various culture conditions using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The cytoplasmic processes of Sertoli cells became highly branched and filamentous after being cultured in the presence of rat, human or ovine FSH. Identical branching and filamentation was observed when Sertoli cells were cultured in rat TSH. Finally, numerous large blebs were observed on the surfaces of germinal cells cultured in the presence of insulin. These results suggest that the branching and filamentation of Sertoli cell cytoplasm observed after FSH stimulation are not specific for that hormone.