The Pluripotent Microvascular Pericytes Are the Adult Stem Cells Even in the Testis.

The pericytes of the testis are part of the omnipresent population of pericytes in the vertebrate body and are the only true pluripotent adult stem cells able to produce structures typical for the tree primitive germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. They originate very early in the embryogenesis from the pluripotent epiblast. The pericytes become disseminated through the whole vertebrate organism by the growing and differentiating blood vessels where they remain in specialized periendothelial vascular niches as resting pluripotent adult stem cells for tissue generation, maintenance, repair, and regeneration.

Nestin in the epididymis is expressed in vascular wall cells and is regulated during postnatal development and in case of testosterone deficiency.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), distinguished by the expression of the neuronal stem cell marker nestin, may represent stem cell-like progenitor cells in various organs including the testis. We investigated epididymal tissues of adult nestin-GFP mice, rats after Leydig cell depletion via ethane dimethane sulfonate (EDS), rats and mice during postnatal development and human tissues. By use of Clarity, a histochemical method to illustrate a three-dimensional picture, we could demonstrate nestin-GFP positive cells within the vascular network.

Vascular wall cells contribute to tumourigenesis in cutaneous neurofibromas of patients with neurofibromatosis type 1. A comparative histological, ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study.

Unlabelled: Neurofibromas are benign nerve sheath tumours. They occur sporadically, singly or few in number, and in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), an autosomal inherited disease. These tumours are composed of different cell types, e.

Cyclic GMP signaling in rat urinary bladder, prostate, and epididymis: tissue-specific changes with aging and in response to Leydig cell depletion.

Aging of the male reproductive system leads to changes in endocrine signaling and is frequently associated with the emergence of prostate hyperplasia and bladder dysfunctions. Recent reports highlight prostate and bladder as promising targets for therapeutic interventions with inhibitors of the cyclic GMP (cGMP)-degrading phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5). However, the cGMP signaling system in these organs is as yet poorly characterized, and the possibility of age-related alterations has not been addressed.

Expression of neuron-specific enolase in irradiated salivary glands of the rat: a pilot study.

External irradiation of advanced head and neck cancer often includes the major salivary glands, despite them not being affected by the disease. The aim of this study was to determine neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as a marker of inflammation in irradiated and non-irradiated salivary glands of the rat. This study shows that NSE expression in irradiated salivary glands is dependent on the topography of the organ related to the irradiation source.