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Phagocytosis by Sertoli Cells: Analysis of Main Phagocytosis Steps by Confocal and Electron Microscopy

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Sertoli Cells

Abstract

Sertoli cells were discovered in the seminiferous tubules by Enrico Sertoli in 1865 (Morgagni 7:31–33, 1865). Intense phagocytosis is, in the context of spermatogenesis cycle, morphologically the most noticeable function of Sertoli cells. In this chapter the major principles of phagocytosis machinery and its specificities in the seminiferous tubules will be briefly reviewed, guidelines of analysis of main phagocytosis steps by confocal and transmission electron microscopy will be described, and a simplified method to assess phagocytosis rate in routine experiments will be given.

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Acknowledgments

We specially thank Drs Michel Blanc (Ret.), Jean-Louis Dacheux (Ret.), and Rustem Uzbekov (Plateforme IBiSA de Microscopie Electronique, Université François Rabelais and CHU de Tours, France) for the help in setting on simplified methods of phagocytosis rate analysis in routine experiments. We thank Image-UP platform from Poitiers University and Imaging & Microscopy Technology Platform from IGBMC, Strasbourg.

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Correspondence to Nicolas Bourmeyster .

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Yefimova, M.G., Messaddeq, N., Meunier, AC., Cantereau, A., Jegou, B., Bourmeyster, N. (2018). Phagocytosis by Sertoli Cells: Analysis of Main Phagocytosis Steps by Confocal and Electron Microscopy. In: Alves, M., Oliveira, P. (eds) Sertoli Cells. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 1748. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7698-0_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7698-0_8

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  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7697-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7698-0

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