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Updated: Sep 6, 2025

A Proximal Culture Method to Study Paracrine Signaling Between Cells
Published on: August 28, 2018
Sertoli Cell-Germ Cell Interactions Within the Niche: Paracrine and Juxtacrine Molecular Communications
Marie-Claude Hofmann1, Elena McBeath1
1Department of Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.
Abstract:
Male germ cell development depends on multiple biological events that combine epigenetic reprogramming, cell cycle regulation, and cell migration in a spatio-temporal manner. Sertoli cells are a crucial component of the spermatogonial stem cell niche and provide essential growth factors and chemokines to developing germ cells. This review focuses mainly on the activation of master regulators of the niche in Sertoli cells and their targets, as well as on novel molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of growth and differentiation factors such as GDNF and retinoic acid by NOTCH signaling and other pathways.
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