The Wilms Tumor Gene, Wt1, Is Critical for Mouse Spermatogenesis via Regulation of Sertoli Cell Polarity and Is Associated with Non-Obstructive Azoospermia in Humans
Figure 5
Deletion of Wt1 causes morphologic changes and loss of tight junction formation in cultured SCs.
Control SCs display a typical epithelial morphology (A and E), while Wt1-ablated SCs display a mesenchyme-like morphology (C and E). The tight junctions between SCs were assessed by ZO-1 staining. ZO-1 protein is present along the boundary between control SCs (B, white arrows). In contrast, ZO-1 protein is diffused in the cytosol and not detected along the cell boundary in Wt1-deficient SCs (D). (F) FITC-dextran flux assays indicated increased permeability in Wt1-deficient SCs compared to control SCs. * p<0.05.