The rete testis harbors Sertoli-like cells capable of expressing DMRT1

Sertoli cells (SCs) are supporting cells in the mammalian testis that proliferate throughout fetal and postnatal development but exit the cell cycle and differentiate at puberty. In our previous study, we isolated a population of highly proliferative Sertoli-like cells (SLCs) from the region of the adult mouse testis containing the rete testis and adjacent seminiferous tubules. Here RNA-seq of the adult SLC culture as well as qPCR analysis and immunofluorescence of the adult and immature (6 dpp) SLC cultures were performed that allowed us to identify SLC-specific genes, including Pax8, Cdh1, and Krt8. Using these, we found that SLCs are mostly localized in the rete testis epithelium; however, some contribution of transitional zones of seminiferous tubules could not be excluded. The main feature of SLCs indicating their relationship to SCs is DMRT1 expression. More than 40% of both adult and immature SLCs expressed DMRT1 at different levels in culture. Only rare DMRT1+ cells were detected in the adult rete testis, whereas more than 40% of cells were positively stained for DMRT1 in the immature rete testis. One more SC protein, AMH, was found in some rete cells of the immature testis. It was also demonstrated that SLCs expressed such SC genes as Nr5a1, Dhh, Gdnf, and Kitl and interacted with germ cells in 3D co-culture with immature testicular cells. All these similarities between SLCs and rete cells on one the hand and SCs on the other, suggest that rete cells could share a common origin with SCs.