Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026

An In Vivo Method to Study Mouse Blood-Testis Barrier Integrity
Published on: December 2, 2018
Testicular cell adhesion molecule 1 (TCAM1) is not essential for fertility
Roopa L Nalam1, Yi-Nan Lin, Martin M Matzuk
1Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
Abstract:
Testicular cell adhesion molecule 1 (Tcam1) is a testis-expressed gene that is evolutionarily conserved in most mammalian species. The putative location of TCAM1 on the cell surface makes it an attractive contraceptive target to study. We found that Tcam1 transcription is enriched in the adult testis, and in situ hybridization revealed that Tcam1 is expressed in pachytene to secondary spermatocytes. Immunofluorescence for TCAM1 protein showed strong expression along cell membranes of spermatocytes and weak localization to round spermatids. In light of this evidence, we hypothesized that TCAM1 interacts with an unknown receptor on the surface of Sertoli cells and that this interaction is important for germ cell-Sertoli cell interactions. However, Tcam1 knockout mice that we generated are fertile, and testis weights and sperm counts were not significantly altered. Therefore, we conclude that TCAM1 is not essential for male fertility or germ cell function in Mus musculus.
Related Concept Videos
Infertility in Males
Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions
CAM Families
The Integrin family of proteins is primarily involved in a...
Cell Adhesion Molecules - Types and Functions
CAM Families
The Integrin family of proteins is primarily involved in a...
Immunoglobulin-like Cell Adhesion Molecules
Ig-CAMs exhibit either homophilic binding (to other Ig-CAMs) or heterophilic binding (to other ligands such as integrins). While most Ig-CAMs...
Testes: Histology
The spermatogenic cells, responsible for producing sperm, are...
Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
Some...

