Summary
Adult rat Leydig cell aromatase activity is stimulated 2.5fold by LH or dbcAMP. Spent media prepared from seminiferous tubules or Sertoli cells of immature rats depress both the basal and the LH stimulated estradiol syntheses (25 and 20% decreases, respectively). These inhibitory effects are further enhanced when FSH is added to the culture medium of seminiferous tubules or Sertoli cells. Rat serum as well as culture media from other cell lines are ineffective while seminiferous tubule media from other immature animals (mouse, guinea-pig, calf) inhibit the aromatase activity. This Sertoli cell factor is a heat stable protein (molecular weight > 10kDa), different from the LHRH-like Sertoli cell compound, which acts on the aromatase activity at a step beyond the adenylate cyclase.
Key Words
Seminiferous Tubules
-
Sertoli Cells
-
Leydig Cell Aromatase
