Figure 3.

Effect of partial ablation of the Sertoli cell population on the BTB. To determine whether BTB integrity was maintained after partial ablation of the Sertoli cell population, adult (50 days) iDTR mice were treated with DTX (10 ng). Testes were injected with biotin or vehicle (solution containing MgCl₂) in vitro, and biotin infiltration into the tubules was assessed (a) after 7 days or (b) after 30 days. Biotin infiltration into the lumen was seen in some tubules 7 days after DTX injection and, more markedly, 30 days after injection. However, most tubules were unaffected by partial ablation of the Sertoli cells (inserts at the bottom right of each figure), indicating that the remaining cells were able to establish a viable BTB.