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Updated: Aug 2, 2026

An Ex vivo Culture System to Study Thyroid Development
Published on: June 6, 2014
Thyroid hormone receptor beta mRNA expression in Sertoli cells isolated from prepubertal testis
S Palmero1, P De Marco, E Fugassa
1Istituto di Fisiologia Generale, Università degli Studi di Genova, Italy.
Abstract:
A polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay was used to evaluate the expression of thyroid hormone receptor beta mRNA in Sertoli cells isolated from both prepubertal rat and piglet testes. The expression of an mRNA coding for the functional thyroid hormone receptor beta isoform, as established by the PCR assay, agrees with the presence of specific tri-iodothyronine (T3) -binding sites in the Sertoli cell nuclei of both species, as previously evaluated by displacement analysis. The results ratify the existence of a functional T3 receptor in the prepubertal testis and confirm the Sertoli cell as a specific target for thyroid hormone action on the developing testis.
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