EXPRESSION OF CYTOKERATIN 5 DURING THE POSTNATAL BLOOD-TESTIS BARRIER DEVELOPMENT

SOSA MA; CARVELLI L,; PULCINI GEORGINA; MORALES CR; AGUILERA AC

MENDOZA

Congreso; XL Reunión Científica Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo; 2022

Sociedad de Biología de Cuyo

Cytokeratins (CKs), as part of the cytoskeleton, are important for the mechanical stability and integrity of epithelial cells and tissues. In keratinocytes, CKs 5 and 14 participate in the assembly of desmosomes that make up the epithelial barrier. In testis, Sertoli cells participate in the formation and maintenance of the blood-testis barrier. Particularly, in mice fetuses, these cells express CKs 8, 18 and 19 until they differentiate (postnatal day 14). The expression of CK 5 in mouse Sertoli cells has not been described yet, although our preliminary studies demonstrated, for the first time, that these cells expressed this intermediate filament in adult mice. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship of CK 5 and the formation of the blood-testis barrier during postnatal testis development. Male mice (C57BL/6) of 1, 5, 18 and 90 days old were used. After sacrifice, the testes were removed and processed for immunocytochemical (IHC) and immunoblotting assays. Light microscopy-IHC observations of mice testis showed that in Sertoli cells, the CK 5 staining intensity is markedly increased in animals with a developed and functional blood-testis barrier. Moreover, by immunoblot analysis, an increased expression of CK5 in adult mice testes was also noted. These preliminary results suggest that CK5 could play an important role in the formation and maintenance of the blood-testis barrier in mice providing new insights for this protein in the spermatogenesis process