Protein synthesis in the rat seminiferous epithelium during onset of spermatogenesis--an autoradiographic study

The pattern of protein synthesis in Sertoli and germ cells during the ontogeny of spermatogenesis in the rat was followed by autoradiography using (3H)-Leucine as precursor. The results suggest that the protein synthetic potential of Sertoli cells is greater than that of germ cells at any stage of differentiation. Significantly enough, the ontogeny-related protein synthetic capabilities of the germ cell compartment find a parallel in those reported for the adult rodent. Furthermore, the data support the suggestion that proteins may be transported from Sertoli cells to germ cells.