Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Cell Tissue Res. 2015 Sep 4;363(1):97–104. doi: 10.1007/s00441-015-2270-0

Figure 2. The blood-epididymis barrier is surveyed by mononuclear phagocytes.

Figure 2

The main component of the epididymis is a long tube lined by a pseudostratified epithelium that contains several cell types connected by apical tight junctions (TJs). ZO-1 immunolabeling (red, panel A) reveals the TJ network. Nuclei were labeled with DAPI (blue). This tight epithelium constitutes a physical barrier between the luminal compartment and the rest of the body, named the blood-epididymis barrier. The tubule is also populated by mononuclear phagocytes that closely interact with neighboring epithelial cells. Panel B shows a cross section of the mouse epididymal duct in the initial segment. Sperm are visible in the lumen. Cells that express green fluorescent protein under the control of CX3CR1 promoter are shown in pseudocolor to enhance contrast. CX3CR1 is expressed by subsets of monocytes, macrophages and dendritic cells. In the epididymis, CX3CR1+ cells are embedded in the epithelium, but are also present in the peritubular region and in the interstitium (arrowheads). Bars = 20 μm. (L): lumen.