Temporal maturation of Sertoli cells during the establishment of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium

Sertoli cells, omnipresent, somatic cells within the seminiferous tubules of the mammalian testis are essential to male fertility. Sertoli cells maintain the integrity of the testicular microenvironment, regulate hormone synthesis, and of particular importance, synthesize the active derivative of vitamin A, all trans retinoic acid (atRA), which is required for germ cell differentiation and the commitment of male germ cells to meiosis. Stages VII-IX, when atRA synthesis occurs in the testis, coincides with multiple germ cell development and testicular restructuring events that rely on Sertoli cell gene products to proceed normally. In this study, we have synchronized and captured the mouse testis at four recurrent points of atRA synthesis to observe transcriptomic changes within Sertoli cells as mice age and the Sertoli cells are exposed to increasingly developed germ cell subtypes. This work provides comprehensive, high-resolution characterization of when known, functional Sertoli cell genes are induced across the first wave of spermatogenesis, and outlines in silico predictions of germ cell derived signaling mechanisms targeting Sertoli cells.