Biomaterial Database

Subcellular compartmentation of free and esterified cholesterol in the interstitial cells of the mouse testis. 1975

A Aoki, and E M Massa

The subcellular distribution of free and esterified cholesterol in mouse testis and the changes occurring in cholesterol content of whole testes and cell fractions after inhibition of gonadotropins with methallibure (ICI 33, 828) and restimulation with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) are reported in the present paper. In subcellular fractions, the bulk of free cholesterol is associated with organelles sedimented in the microsomal fraction while esterified cholesterol is mainly stored in isolated lipid droplets. The latter compartment increases in methallibure-treated mice 2.3 fold and is remarkably depleted after administration of HCG. There is a close parallelism between the changes in esterified cholesterol content and the variation in the numbers of lipid droplets found in electron micrographs of interstitial cells of mice receiving similar treatments. By contrast no significant changes were noticed in either free cholesterol concentrations of the microsomal fractions or in the fine structure of organelles associated with this fraction. The dynamic nature of steroidogenesis in the microsomal fraction requires the existence of a free cholesterol pool with a high turnover rate for use as an intermediate in androgen synthesis. On the other hand, the large content of free cholesterol in microsomes and its stability under different conditions suggest the presence of a cholesterol compartment with a slow turnover, as a constituent of the membranes.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007985	Leydig Cells	Steroid-producing cells in the interstitial tissue of the TESTIS. They are under the regulation of PITUITARY HORMONES; LUTEINIZING HORMONE; or interstitial cell-stimulating hormone. TESTOSTERONE is the major androgen (ANDROGENS) produced.	Interstitial Cells, Testicular,Leydig Cell,Testicular Interstitial Cell,Testicular Interstitial Cells,Cell, Leydig,Cell, Testicular Interstitial,Cells, Leydig,Cells, Testicular Interstitial,Interstitial Cell, Testicular
D008055	Lipids	A generic term for fats and lipoids, the alcohol-ether-soluble constituents of protoplasm, which are insoluble in water. They comprise the fats, fatty oils, essential oils, waxes, phospholipids, glycolipids, sulfolipids, aminolipids, chromolipids (lipochromes), and fatty acids. (Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed)	Lipid
D008297	Male		Males
D008693	Methallibure	A dithiobiurea compound with anti-gonadotropic activity.	Aimax,ICI-33,828,Metallibur,Metallibure,Suisynchron,Turisynchron,ICI 33,828,ICI33,828
D008861	Microsomes	Artifactual vesicles formed from the endoplasmic reticulum when cells are disrupted. They are isolated by differential centrifugation and are composed of three structural features: rough vesicles, smooth vesicles, and ribosomes. Numerous enzyme activities are associated with the microsomal fraction. (Glick, Glossary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 1990; from Rieger et al., Glossary of Genetics: Classical and Molecular, 5th ed)	Microsome
D009940	Organoids	An organization of cells into an organ-like structure. Organoids can be generated in culture, e.g., self-organized three-dimensional tissue structures derived from STEM CELLS (see MICROPHYSIOLOGICAL SYSTEMS). They are also found in certain NEOPLASMS.	Organoid
D002479	Inclusion Bodies	A generic term for any circumscribed mass of foreign (e.g., lead or viruses) or metabolically inactive materials (e.g., ceroid or MALLORY BODIES), within the cytoplasm or nucleus of a cell. Inclusion bodies are in cells infected with certain filtrable viruses, observed especially in nerve, epithelial, or endothelial cells. (Stedman, 25th ed)	Cellular Inclusions,Cytoplasmic Inclusions,Bodies, Inclusion,Body, Inclusion,Cellular Inclusion,Cytoplasmic Inclusion,Inclusion Body,Inclusion, Cellular,Inclusion, Cytoplasmic,Inclusions, Cellular,Inclusions, Cytoplasmic
D002784	Cholesterol	The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.	Epicholesterol
D002788	Cholesterol Esters	Fatty acid esters of cholesterol which constitute about two-thirds of the cholesterol in the plasma. The accumulation of cholesterol esters in the arterial intima is a characteristic feature of atherosclerosis.	Cholesterol Ester,Cholesteryl Ester,Cholesteryl Esters,Ester, Cholesterol,Ester, Cholesteryl,Esters, Cholesterol,Esters, Cholesteryl
D004721	Endoplasmic Reticulum	A system of cisternae in the CYTOPLASM of many cells. In places the endoplasmic reticulum is continuous with the plasma membrane (CELL MEMBRANE) or outer membrane of the nuclear envelope. If the outer surfaces of the endoplasmic reticulum membranes are coated with ribosomes, the endoplasmic reticulum is said to be rough-surfaced (ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM, ROUGH); otherwise it is said to be smooth-surfaced (ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM, SMOOTH). (King & Stansfield, A Dictionary of Genetics, 4th ed)	Ergastoplasm,Reticulum, Endoplasmic