Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The American Journal of Pathology logoLink to The American Journal of Pathology
. 1994 Mar;144(3):454–459.

Experimental Sertoli cell tumors in the mouse and their progression into a mixed germ cell-sex cord proliferation.

V Paquis-Flucklinger 1, M Rassoulzadegan 1, J F Michiels 1
PMCID: PMC1887103  PMID: 7510454

Abstract

Males of transgenic families where the large T protein of polyoma virus is expressed in the seminiferous epithelium of the testis (Sertoli and germ cells) develop bilateral testicular tumors when they become old (15 to 18 months). The histological features of these tumors revealed a neoplastic proliferation of Sertoli cell origin. Occasional isolated germ cells arrested at premeiotic stages were seen in the tumor. They did not participate in tumoral proliferation and their malignant character could not at first be established. Tumor cells injected in athymic (nu/nu) mice generated secondary tumors. In this case, a proliferative component of non-Sertoli origin was clearly evident. Its ultrastructural characteristics and the expression of genes that are transcribed in vivo in male germ cells (c-kit, LDH-X, and Hox a-4) suggest the progression of an initial, apparently pure Sertoli cell tumor into a mixed proliferation.

Full text

PDF
454

Images in this article

456Figure 1
on p.456
457Figure 2
on p.457
458Figure 3
on p.458

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Escalante-Alcalde D., Merchant-Larios H. Somatic and germ cell interactions during histogenetic aggregation of mouse fetal testes. Exp Cell Res. 1992 Jan;198(1):150–158. doi: 10.1016/0014-4827(92)90161-z. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Franks L. M. Spontaneous interstitial and Sertoli cell tumors of a testis in a C3H mouse. Cancer Res. 1968 Jan;28(1):125–127. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Galliot B., Dollé P., Vigneron M., Featherstone M. S., Baron A., Duboule D. The mouse Hox-1.4 gene: primary structure, evidence for promoter activity and expression during development. Development. 1989 Oct;107(2):343–359. doi: 10.1242/dev.107.2.343. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Gokkel E., Grossman Z., Ramot B., Yarden Y., Rechavi G., Givol D. Structural organization of the murine c-kit proto-oncogene. Oncogene. 1992 Jul;7(7):1423–1429. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Hadley M. A., Byers S. W., Suárez-Quian C. A., Kleinman H. K., Dym M. Extracellular matrix regulates Sertoli cell differentiation, testicular cord formation, and germ cell development in vitro. J Cell Biol. 1985 Oct;101(4):1511–1522. doi: 10.1083/jcb.101.4.1511. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Hintz M., Goldberg E. Immunohistochemical localization of LDH-x during spermatogenesis in mouse testes. Dev Biol. 1977 Jun;57(2):375–384. doi: 10.1016/0012-1606(77)90222-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Land H., Parada L. F., Weinberg R. A. Tumorigenic conversion of primary embryo fibroblasts requires at least two cooperating oncogenes. Nature. 1983 Aug 18;304(5927):596–602. doi: 10.1038/304596a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Manova K., Nocka K., Besmer P., Bachvarova R. F. Gonadal expression of c-kit encoded at the W locus of the mouse. Development. 1990 Dec;110(4):1057–1069. doi: 10.1242/dev.110.4.1057. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Matzuk M. M., Finegold M. J., Su J. G., Hsueh A. J., Bradley A. Alpha-inhibin is a tumour-suppressor gene with gonadal specificity in mice. Nature. 1992 Nov 26;360(6402):313–319. doi: 10.1038/360313a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Meier H., Myers D. D., Fox R. R., Laird C. W. Occurrence, pathological features, and propagation of gonadal teratomas in inbred mice and in rabbits. Cancer Res. 1970 Jan;30(1):30–34. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Paquis-Flucklinger V., Michiels J. F., Vidal F., Alquier C., Pointis G., Bourdon V., Cuzin F., Rassoulzadegan M. Expression in transgenic mice of the large T antigen of polyomavirus induces Sertoli cell tumours and allows the establishment of differentiated cell lines. Oncogene. 1993 Aug;8(8):2087–2094. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Peschon J. J., Behringer R. R., Cate R. L., Harwood K. A., Idzerda R. L., Brinster R. L., Palmiter R. D. Directed expression of an oncogene to Sertoli cells in transgenic mice using mullerian inhibiting substance regulatory sequences. Mol Endocrinol. 1992 Sep;6(9):1403–1411. doi: 10.1210/mend.6.9.1331774. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Rassoulzadegan M., Cowie A., Carr A., Glaichenhaus N., Kamen R., Cuzin F. The roles of individual polyoma virus early proteins in oncogenic transformation. Nature. 1982 Dec 23;300(5894):713–718. doi: 10.1038/300713a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rassoulzadegan M., Naghashfar Z., Cowie A., Carr A., Grisoni M., Kamen R., Cuzin F. Expression of the large T protein of polyoma virus promotes the establishment in culture of "normal" rodent fibroblast cell lines. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Jul;80(14):4354–4358. doi: 10.1073/pnas.80.14.4354. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Rassoulzadegan M., Paquis-Flucklinger V., Bertino B., Sage J., Jasin M., Miyagawa K., van Heyningen V., Besmer P., Cuzin F. Transmeiotic differentiation of male germ cells in culture. Cell. 1993 Dec 3;75(5):997–1006. doi: 10.1016/0092-8674(93)90543-y. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. SCULLY R. E. Gonadoblastoma; a gonadal tumor related to the dysgerminoma (seminoma) and capable of sex-hormone production. Cancer. 1953 May;6(3):455–463. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(195305)6:3<455::aid-cncr2820060303>3.0.co;2-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Wallace T. M., Levin H. S. Mixed gonadal dysgenesis. A review of 15 patients reporting single cases of malignant intratubular germ cell neoplasia of the testis, endometrial adenocarcinoma, and a complex vascular anomaly. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 1990 Jul;114(7):679–688. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from The American Journal of Pathology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Investigative Pathology

RESOURCES