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Endocrinology Vol. 138, No. 7 2863-2870
Copyright © 1997 by The Endocrine Society


ARTICLES

Vectorial Production of Interleukin 1 and Interleukin 6 by Rat Sertoli Cells Cultured in a Dual Culture Compartment System1

Corinne Cudicini2, Henri Kercret, Anne-Marie Touzalin, François Ballet and Bernard Jégou

Germ-Inserm U435 (C.C., H.K., A.-M.T., B.J.), Université de Rennes I, Campus de Beaulieu, Avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042 Rennes, Bretagne, France; Rhône-Poulenc Rorer (C.C., F.B.), Centre de Recherche de Vitry-Alfortville, Département de la Sécurité du Médicament, 94403 Vitry sur Seine Cedex, France

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Dr. Bernard Jégou, Germ-Inserm U 435, Université de Rennes I, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes, Bretagne, France. E-mail: bernard.jegou{at}univ-rennes1.fr


    Abstract
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
The bidirectional production of interleukin-1 (IL-1) and IL-6 by Sertoli cells and its regulation by inflammatory and physiological stimuli has been studied using a dual compartment culture system allowing the study of Sertoli cell apical and basal secretory activities. Another Sertoli cell activity, the vectorial transferrin production was also studied in all culture conditions. A low constitutive IL-1 production appeared equally distributed between both poles, while IL-6 and transferrin constitutive production was predominantly directed apically. Two activators of macrophages, lipopolysaccharides and zymosan, were found to induce marked increases of IL-1 in the compartment where they had been added: basal if added to the lower compartment and vice versa. In contrast, after a basal stimulation, IL-6 production was mainly increased in the upper compartment that corresponds to a Sertoli cell apical flux. In this system, IL-1 and IL-6 levels were not modified by FSH; they were not also affected by residual bodies and latex beads, probably due to the fact that, in the bicameral system, phagocytosis is restricted to the Sertoli cells situated at the surface of the inner compartment. IL-1ß, but not IL-1{alpha}, induced IL-6 secretion in the compartment of stimulation. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that vectorial secretory patterns of IL-1 and IL-6 production greatly differ and that these cytokines are also differently regulated. These results suggest that Sertoli IL-1 and IL-6 have different targets within the testis and that, in normal and pathophysiological conditions, both the tubular and the interstitial compartments may be influenced by the action of these paracrine factors.


    Introduction
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
SERTOLI CELLS extend from the innermost layer of the basement membrane lining the tubules toward the lumen and send out numerous fine cytoplasmic processes that envelop the associated germ cells. This topographical arrangement allows Sertoli cells to interact with all the other testicular cell types. In fact, they can receive, integrate, and impart signals to or from the extratubular compartment, the peritubular cells located at their basal side, and the different generations of germ cells all along their periphery (1). The specialized junctional complexes interconnecting Sertoli cells at their baso-lateral pole, that represent essential elements of the blood-testis barrier, are responsible for Sertoli cell polarization and divide the seminiferous epithelium into two distinct compartments, basal and adluminal (2). In the adluminal compartment, primary spermatocytes and spermatids divide and differentiate in a unique microenvironment whose composition is set to a large extent by the Sertoli cells (1, 3). In contrast, in the basal compartment, spermatogonia and early spermatocytes can be reached by both Sertoli cell products that are secreted at their basal pole and molecules originating from the testicular interstitial compartment (4, 5).

Recently, our laboratory and others have demonstrated that rat Sertoli cells constitute an important source of interleukin-1{alpha} (IL-1{alpha}) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) within the testis (6, 7, 8). Furthermore, residual bodies shed by late spermatids at the time of spermiation were found to trigger Sertoli cell IL-1 production which, in turn, was found to stimulate, by an autocrine mechanism, IL-6 secretion through activation of leukotriene production (9, 10). IL-1{alpha} and IL-6 are generally known to be key mediators of inflammation (11). In fact, in cultures of monocytes/macrophages or lymphocytes, these cytokines are strongly induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a component of the cell wall of Gram-negative bacteria (12, 13). Within the testis, in vivo administration of phthalate esters, which are plasticizers present in polyvinyl chloride plastics, was found to enhance the release of Sertoli cell IL-1, concomitantly to an interstitial leukocyte infiltration (14). Furthermore, in vitro treatments by inflammatory mediators, including IL-1 and LPS, are known to increase surface expression of Sertoli cell integrin ligands and to stimulate IL-1 and IL-6 productions, as well as lymphocyte adhesion to Sertoli cells (7, 8, 9, 10, 15). In addition to their involvement in inflammatory events, IL-1{alpha} and IL-6 are also most probably involved in the local control of spermatogenesis. In fact, IL-1{alpha} was found to stimulate DNA replication in mitotic spermatogonia and in the meiotic spermatocytes in vitro (16), and other experiments, in vitro, have shown that IL-6 has the opposite effects (17).

Considering this dual involvement of cytokines in the pathophysiology (inflammation) and physiology (spermatogenesis) of the testis, it seems possible that chemical or infectious agents prone to increase the production of Sertoli IL-1 and IL-6 may also interfere with the spermatogenetic process. With this hypothesis in mind, we believe that the elucidation of the activating and secretory pathways of Sertoli cell cytokines would be very useful for the understanding of the IL-1 and IL-6 testicular sites of action and regulatory mechanisms.

In the present study, we have investigated the vectorial production of IL-1 and IL-6 by rat Sertoli cells using a dual compartment culture system and their possible regulation by factors originating from infectious agents such as lipopolysaccharide (bacteria) and zymosan (yeast), by FSH, or by the phagocytosis of latex beads or residual bodies. In addition, we have examined the ability of IL-1{alpha} and -ß to regulate vectorial IL-6 production by polarized Sertoli cells. Transferrin being a major Sertoli cell product (1–4% of total glycoproteins secreted by Sertoli cells; 1), vectorial transferrin production was also measured in all culture conditions, as a conventional marker of Sertoli cell polarized secretion.


    Materials and Methods
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Animals and reagents
Sprague-Dawley male rats were purchased from Elevage Janvier (Le Genest, Saint-Isle, France). Female C3H/HEJ mice were obtained from Charles River (France). The Hybridoma cell line 7TD1 was a gift from DR. J. Van Snick (Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Brussels, Belgium). Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) tumors were kindly provided by Dr. B. Clément (INSERM U49, Rennes, France). Millicel CM filter inserts were purchased from Millipore (Saint Quentin en Yvelines, France). DMEM and gentamycin were obtained from Life Technologies (Cergy Pontoise, France). Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), zymosan, recombinant human interleukin 1{alpha} and -1ß (rhIL-1{alpha} and -1ß), insulin, soybean trypsin inhibitor, DNAse, collagenase, trypsin and hyaluronidase were obtained from Sigma Chemical Co. (St. Louis, MO). Ovine FSH (NIDDK oFSH-17 was kindly provided by the NIH (Bethesda, MD).

Preparation of Matrigel
Matrigel was extracted from EHS tumors according to the method described previously by Kleinman et al. (18, 19). All the extraction procedures were performed at 4 C. Briefly, tumors were washed, homogenized in 3.4 M NaCl, 0.05 M Tris-HCl, 0.004 M EDTA buffer, pH 7.4, containing 0.002 M N-ethylmaleimide and then centrifuged (15 min, 12000 x g) three times. The pellets were washed overnight in 2 M urea, 0.05 M Tris-HCl, 0.15 M NaCl buffer, pH 7.4, and centrifuged twice (20 min, 24000 x g). The supernatants were pooled and dialyzed against 0.15 M NaCl, 0.05 M Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.4, containing chloroform (0.5%) for sterilization, for 2 h. Supernatants were dialyzed against Tris-NaCl buffer twice more and a last dialysis step was performed against culture medium. The Matrigel was then aliquoted and stored at -20 C.

Isolation of residual bodies
Residual bodies were isolated from crude germ cell suspensions prepared from adult rat testes according to methods previously described by Meistrich et al. (20) and Pineau et al. (21), combining a mechanical and enzymatical dissociation of testicular tissues and centrifugal elutriation. Centrifugal elutriation yields high enrichment of the residual body fraction (around 80–85%), the major contaminants observed being early spermatids (5–10%), late spermatids and sperm heads (10–15%).

Isolation and culture of Sertoli cells
Sertoli cells were prepared from testes of 20-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats according to the method described by Toebosch et al. (22) that reduced germ and peritubular cell contaminations to, respectively, about 2% and 0.5%. Sertoli cells were seeded at the density of 2.5 x 106 cells onto Millipore inserts culture CM (polytetrafluoroethylene membrane, {emptyset}: 12 mm, pore size: 0.40 µm), previously coated with Matrigel diluted 1:8 with sterile water, and air-dried for 6 h, in 600 µl of DMEM containing sodium bicarbonate (3.7 g/liter), HEPES (25 mM), gentamycin (50 mg/liter) and insulin (10 mg/liter). The inserts (upper compartment of the bicameral culture system) were placed in 24-well Nunclon culture plates (lower compartment) containing 600 µl DMEM/well. Cultures were maintained at 32 C in a humidified atmosphere of 95% air-5% CO2 and media in each compartment were changed every day. By days 2 and 3 of culture, the ability of Sertoli cells to form a confluent monolayer allowing the creation of a permeability barrier was assessed by the prevention of a hydrodynamic equilibrium of media between the upper and lower chambers, as previously described (23). On day 4 of culture, LPS (5–20 µg/ml), zymosan (800 µg/ml), IL-1{alpha} or IL-1ß (30 U/ml) were added separately to either the upper or the lower compartment, for 12 h. In other experiments, Sertoli cells were also exposed, either from the upper or the lower compartment, to LPS (20 µg/ml), for 3, 6, and 12 h. As phagocytosis of residual bodies or latex beads had been shown to induce IL-1 and IL-6 production in previous experiments done in a conventional culture system (7, 10) and because phagocytosis of residual bodies occurs at the Sertoli cell apical pole in situ (24), we performed another series of experiments where latex beads (3.5 x 108/ml) or residual bodies (4.2 x 106/ml) were added to the upper compartment for 24 and 36 h. Sertoli cells were also exposed to increasing concentrations of FSH (10–1000 ng/ml) added to the lower chamber for 12 h, FSH receptors being, in situ, localized at the baso-lateral pole of Sertoli cells (25). At the end of each experiment, media of the upper and the lower compartments were collected separately, centrifuged and stored at -20 C until IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin assays.

Bioassays of IL-1 and IL-6
IL-1 was quantified in the culture media using the murine thymocyte assay (26) as described by Syed et al. (10) and validated for Sertoli cell culture media by Gérard et al. (6, 9). One unit (U) of IL-1 was defined as the quantity of tested material required to double 3H-thymidine incorporation into thymocytes, when compared with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated cultures, PHA being a co-mitogen factor added to every assay dish. In our assay, one unit of IL-1 corresponds to 0.32 ± 0.10 ng.

IL-6 was measured using the specific IL-6-dependent 7TD1 mouse hybridoma cell line proliferation assay (27) described and validated previously for Sertoli cell culture media by Syed et al. (7). In this assay, one unit was defined as the IL-6 concentration that gave half maximal proliferation and corresponds to 1 ± 0.27 pg of IL-6.

The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were < 20 and 28% for the IL-1 bioassay, respectively, and < 10% for the IL-6 bioassay, for both coefficients of variation. All samples from each independent study were run in the same IL-1 or IL-6 bioassay. The results are expressed as U/600 µl of cell culture media of each compartment (U/chamber).

Neither IL- 1 nor IL-6 were detected in Matrigel coating the insert culture. None of the agents tested on Sertoli cells in the present study had any effect on proliferation of murine cells used for IL-1 and IL-6 bioassays.

Transferrin RIA
Rat transferrin (rTF) was measured using a specific double-antibodies RIA method described previously (28). The intra- and interassay coefficients of variation were < 6 and < 8%, respectively. The results are expressed as ng/600 µl of cell culture media of each chamber (ng/chamber).

Statistical analyses
The data are the mean ± SEM of groups consisting of three dishes, each assayed for IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin in triplicate. Each experiment was performed independently at least twice, with representative results reported. Statistical analyses were performed using a Student’s t test after ANOVA. Significance was defined as P < 0.05.


    Results
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
Vectorial production of IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin and their regulation by LPS
In this series of experiments, vectorial production of IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin were studied under basal and LPS-stimulated conditions. By day 4 post plating, Sertoli cells produced low basal levels of IL-1 that were not significantly different between the upper and lower chambers (Fig. 1Go, A and B). Addition of LPS markedly stimulated IL-1 production when added to the upper or to the lower compartment (Fig. 1Go, A and B). Interestingly, IL-1 levels only increased in the compartment where LPS had been added, whereas in the opposite chamber, IL-1 production was only marginally stimulated. Between the concentrations of 10 and 20 µg/ml of LPS which, in control experiments, had no direct effect in the IL-1 bioassay, IL-1 levels plateaued at a value corresponding to 60 U/chamber, when LPS was added to the upper chamber (Fig. 1AGo). However, when added to the lower chamber, the same concentrations of LPS induced much higher IL-1 release: 100 and 140 U/chamber, at 10 and 20 µg/ml of LPS, respectively (Fig. 1BGo).



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Figure 1. Vectorial production of IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin by Sertoli cells cultured in a bicameral culture system. Sertoli cells were seeded onto Matrigel preimpregnated CM filter inserts. On day 4 post seeding, Sertoli cells were exposed or not to increasing concentrations of LPS (5, 10, and 20 µg/ml) from either the apical (A, C, E) or basal side (B, D, F) for 12 h. IL-1 (A, B), IL-6 (C, D) and transferrin (E, F) levels were measured in media from both the upper and the lower culture chambers, using the respective assays. Values are the mean ± SEM of three dishes, each assayed in triplicate. *, P < 0.05, ***, P < 0.001, as compared with the respective basal or apical unstimulated IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin levels.

 
Sertoli cells constitutively produced significantly more IL-6 apically than basally (Fig. 1Go, C and D; P < 0.01). The ratio of IL-6 between the upper and the lower chambers was unchanged whatever compartment LPS was added to. However, apical exposure of Sertoli cells to LPS induced only a slight but significant increase in basal IL-6 production (Fig. 1CGo), whereas a marked stimulation in IL-6 secretion was measured in the upper compartment, when 20 µg/ml of LPS was added to the lower chamber (Fig. 1DGo). At this concentration, LPS had no direct effect in the IL-6 bioassay.

Under all culture conditions tested, Sertoli cell transferrin production exhibited a marked apical preference, with an apical versus basal ratio (RA/B) of about 2 (Fig. 1Go, E and F) and no change in transferrin production was observed after either apical or basal LPS stimulation.

To study the kinetics of vectorial IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin production, Sertoli cells were cultured for different periods of time in the presence or absence of 20 µg/ml of LPS. Similar to the results obtained at 12 h (Fig. 1Go, A and B), after 3 h of culture, Sertoli cells produced constitutive low levels of IL-1, with an equal distribution between the apical and basal poles (Fig. 2AGo). Apical and basal IL-1 production increased significantly with the time of culture, with no significant modification of the apical vs. basal ratio. In confirmation of our previous experiments (Fig. 1Go, A and B), exposure of Sertoli cells to LPS markedly increased IL-1 production in the compartment where LPS had been added, independent of the duration of the treatment. LPS-stimulated IL-1 production (apical + basal) increased weakly between 3 and 6 h, when it reached maximal levels, which were maintained for 12 h for both apical and basal stimulation.



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Figure 2. Kinetics of vectorial IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin secretion after LPS stimulation. On day 4 post seeding, Sertoli cells were exposed or not {blacksquare} to LPS (20 µg/ml) added to either the apical {square} or the basal compartment for 3, 6, and 12 h. IL-1 (A), IL-6 (B), and transferrin (C) were assayed in culture media from both upper and lower chambers using the respective assays. Values are the mean ± SEM of three dishes, each assayed in triplicate. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001, as compared with the respective unstimulated IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin levels.

 
Under control conditions, as described earlier, higher production of IL-6 was always observed in the apical compared with the basal compartment (Fig. 2BGo), whatever the time of culture. Total IL-6 production (apical + basal) increased with the time of culture (4-fold between 3 and 12 h). As previously seen (Fig. 1Go, C and D), addition of 20 µg/ml of LPS to the apical compartment had no effect on IL-6 secretion, whereas its addition to the lower chamber induced a 3-fold increase in the release of IL-6 in the upper chamber after 12 h.

Under control conditions, as well as after stimulation in the upper or lower compartments, transferrin production occurred preferentially at the apical pole (RA/B of about 2; Fig. 2CGo). Total transferrin production and apical/basal ratio increased in a time-dependent manner, and independent of the protocol used, no effect of LPS was ever observed on transferrin release.

Vectorial production of IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin after zymosan treatment
These experiments were designed to assess whether zymosan, a yeast component known to induce IL-1 and IL-6 production by macrophages, like LPS (29), would be able to stimulate production of these cytokines in Sertoli cells. In fact, zymosan also markedly stimulated the release of IL-1 in the compartment where it was added, without significant modification of IL-1 production in the opposite chamber (Fig. 3AGo). Notably, as with LPS, basal stimulations consistently induced higher IL-1 levels than apical stimulations, the factors of stimulation being 6.5 and 18 for the apical and basal stimulation, respectively.



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Figure 3. Effect of zymosan on vectorial IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin production by Sertoli cells cultured on CM inserts in a dual-compartment culture system. On day 4 post-seeding, zymosan (800 µg/ml) was added or not {blacksquare} to either the upper {square} or the lower compartment for 12 h. IL-1(A), IL-6 (B), and transferrin (C) were assayed in culture media of each chamber using the respective assays. Values are the mean ± SEM of three dishes, each assayed in triplicate. *, P < 0.05; ***, P < 0.001, as compared with the respective unstimulated IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin levels.

 
As also shown with LPS, zymosan-induced IL-6 production was increased 2-fold in the apical compartment, when zymosan was added to the lower chamber (Fig. 3BGo), whereas the addition of zymosan to the apical side had no effect on IL-6 secretion.

No change in transferrin production was ever observed after either apical or basal exposure of Sertoli cells to zymosan (Fig. 3CGo).

Effects of IL-1 on vectorial IL-6 and transferrin production
IL-6 production is known to be controlled by IL-1 in different cell systems including Sertoli cells (7, 10). Therefore, we assessed the effect of IL-1 on IL-6 production in the bicameral culture system. As IL-1 exists in two forms (30) - IL-1{alpha} and IL-1ß - both these forms were tested.

Whatever the compartment of stimulation, no effect of IL-1{alpha} was observed on Sertoli cell vectorial IL-6 production (Fig. 4AGo). In contrast, exposure of Sertoli cells to IL-1ß at their apical pole induced a 2.4-fold increase of IL-6 production in the upper chamber. The addition of IL-1ß to the lower chamber also induced a significant increase of IL-6 production in the same compartment (2.4-fold) (Fig. 4AGo). Interestingly, under certain culture conditions, IL-1 was found to stimulate Sertoli cell transferrin production (Fig. 4BGo). However, the response to an apical stimulation by IL-1 differed according to the IL-1 form used: IL-1{alpha} added to the upper compartment had no effect on transferrin production, while IL-1ß added to this compartment significantly enhanced both basal and apical transferrin secretion (Fig. 4BGo). In contrast, a basal stimulation by both IL-1{alpha} and -ß induced an increase in transferrin release in the lower compartment, with no effect observed in the opposite compartment.



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Figure 4. Effect of IL-1{alpha} and IL-1ß on vectorial IL-6 and transferrin production by Sertoli cells cultured in a bicameral culture system. On day 4 post seeding, Sertoli cells were exposed or not (Control), at the apical or basal pole to either IL-1{alpha} (30 U/ml) or IL-1ß (30 U/ml). Twelve hours later, media were collected and IL-6 (A) and transferrin (B) were assayed using the respective assay. Values are the mean ± sem of three dishes, each assayed in triplicate. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001, as compared with the respective unstimulated IL-6 and transferrin levels.

 
Vectorial production of IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin after stimulation by FSH
Because FSH is a well known regulator of Sertoli cell function (1, 3), the possible influence of this hormone was assessed in our culture system. No effect of FSH on production of IL-1 and IL-6 was observed when this hormone was added to the lower compartment (Fig. 5Go, A and B). In contrast, a significant increase in transferrin production was observed in both upper and lower chambers after a stimulation by 1 µg/ml of FSH at the basal Sertoli cell pole (Fig. 5CGo), that is where FSH receptors are located in situ (25).



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Figure 5. Dose-response curves of vectorial production of IL-1, IL-6, and transferrin by Sertoli cells after FSH treatment. On day 4 post seeding, increasing concentrations of oFSH (0.01, 0.1 and 1 µg/ml) were added or not to the basal compartment for 12 h and IL-1 (A), IL-6 (B) and transferrin (C) were assayed in both upper and lower compartment culture media using the respective assays. Values are the mean ± SEM of three dishes, each assayed in triplicate. *, P < 0.05, as compared with the respective unstimulated IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin levels.

 
Effect of the addition of latex beads and residual bodies on vectorial IL-1, IL-6 and transferrin production by Sertoli cells
Our previous studies have shown that phagocytosis of latex beads or of residual bodies induced IL-1 and IL-6 production when monolayers of Sertoli cells were cultured in a conventional culture system (7, 9, 10). However, in the present bicameral culture system, neither IL-1 nor IL-6 levels were modified after the addition of residual bodies or latex beads for 24 or 36 h to either the upper or the lower compartment (data not shown). Furthermore, no effect of Sertoli cell phagocytosis was observed on transferrin production (data not shown).


    Discussion
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 
A decade ago, the development of elaborate culture systems, in which Sertoli cells were seeded at a high density in vitro onto basement membrane-coated filters, between two liquid compartments, have allowed the study of Sertoli cells presenting a polarized morphology evocating that of Sertoli cells in situ (31, 32). These systems present the great advantage of permitting the study of the vectorial production of Sertoli cell products and to expose Sertoli cells to various compounds presumed to regulate their functions from either their apical or basal pole. Using this dual-compartment culture system, vectorial secretion and regulation of e.g. rat Sertoli cell androgen binding protein (ABP), inhibin, sulfated glycoprotein-1 (SGP-1), sulfated glycoprotein-2 (SGP-2) and transferrin were studied (for review see Ref. 33). Concerning transferrin, an apical/basal ratio of about 2 was observed (24, 34, 35, 36), which is in total accordance with the results presented herein.

The present study for the first time provides evidence that Sertoli cell IL-1 and IL-6 productions are also bidirectional. Interestingly, under control conditions, the apical/basal ratio of IL-1 and IL-6 differs considerably: whereas IL-1 production is not significantly different between the apical and the basal poles, IL-6 secretion always occurs with a marked apical preference. The observation that IL-1 production is evenly distributed between both poles, added to that establishing that type I IL-1 receptors are widely distributed among the various testicular cell types (36A ) supports the hypothesis of multiple targets of IL-1 within the testis (for review see Ref. 37). The fact that IL-1 is secreted at the basal pole of the Sertoli cells is consistent with the observation that type I IL-1 receptors are present on spermatogonia (36A ), which are situated in the basal compartment of the seminiferous tubules, and with the other observation showing that IL-1 can stimulate DNA replication in this germ cell category (16). In the interstitial compartment, the Leydig cells are another important target for IL-1 (36A, 37). Leydig cell testosterone production and proliferation are regulated by this cytokine (38, 39). It is therefore possible that basal Sertoli cell IL-1 also plays a role in the paracrine control of Leydig cell activity. In accordance with the ability of Sertoli cells to constitutively produce IL-1 in the apical compartment, IL-1 was detected in the efferent duct fluid, which supports a previous hypothesis by Syed et al. (40) that, in vivo, IL-1 is also secreted through the Sertoli cell apical pole into the tubule lumen.

As stated above, IL-6 constitutive production is clearly preferentially directed at the apical side. From this, it is tempting to hypothesize that IL-6 is particularly required within the adluminal compartment of the seminiferous tubules and may be in the seminiferous fluid. The presence of high concentrations of IL-6 in the human seminiferous plasma is consistent with this observation (41, 42). The fact that IL-6 is also produced basally is in accordance with the observation that this cytokine is a potent negative regulator of the replication of DNA in preleptotene spermatocytes and, to a lesser extent, in the A3-B spermatogonia (17), which are situated within the basal compartment of the tubules. Because IL-6 receptor messenger RNA have been detected in both Leydig cells and Sertoli cells (43), the bidirectional production of IL-6 also indicates that IL-6, like IL-1, probably has the potential for both autocrine and paracrine action within the testis.

In accordance with our previous studies in which Sertoli cells were cultured in monolayers (9), our present results indicate that the endotoxin LPS markedly stimulates the release of Sertoli IL-1 and IL-6. However, the present results also demonstrate that LPS concentration curves are different for the two cytokines: whereas LPS was stimulatory for IL-1 at the lowest concentration used (5 µg/ml), higher concentrations were required for IL-6 to be stimulated (10 µg/ml and more). Furthermore, whereas near maximum IL-1 production was observed after only 3 h of incubation of Sertoli cells with LPS, 12 h were required for IL-6 to be stimulated. In addition to this, it also clearly appears that vectorial production of both cytokines are regulated differentially. Indeed, we demonstrate that IL-1 production increases almost exclusively in the compartment of the bicameral culture system to which LPS has been added. In contrast, IL-6 release essentially occurs at the apical pole of Sertoli cells, and only when these cells have been exposed to LPS in the basal compartment. That IL-1 and IL-6 fluxes are differentially directed and regulated strongly suggests that the targets of these cytokines are, at least to some extent, different within the testis. We have also observed that unlike LPS, IL-1ß increases Sertoli cell IL-6 production at the same pole it had been added to. That Sertoli cell IL-6 can be stimulated by IL-1 has been previously shown (7). However, when Sertoli cells were cultured in a monolayer, we also shown that LPS effects on IL-6 were mediated through Sertoli cell IL-1 release (10). This finding is in accordance with our observations showing that, after addition of LPS, IL-1 stimulation occurs before IL-6 increases (10). The reason why, in the present study, a dissociation was observed between LPS action on IL-6, which occurred through a stimulation at the basal pole, and IL-1 action, which was mediated through the apical side, is obscure. It is possible that, under the present experimental conditions, IL-6 secretion observed after either direct (IL-1) or indirect (LPS) stimulations is, at least for a part, dependent on distinct regulatory pathways. Despite the fact that both IL-1{alpha} and IL-1ß bind to and act through the same receptor, the reason why in these studies IL-1{alpha} lacks effect on vectorial Sertoli IL-6 secretion, whereas it was very potent in a previous work on Sertoli cell monolayers (7), is unknown. It is noticeable though, that such divergences between actions of IL-1ß and IL-1{alpha} have already previously been observed in other studies on the testis (44, 45), for reasons that have not been elucidated yet. Leydig cells and macrophages (46, 47) and possibly also germ cells (48) have now been suggested to be sources of IL-1. The fact that, in vitro, Sertoli cells have the potential to be stimulated both through their basal and their apical poles, in turn, suggests that in vivo Sertoli cells have the ability to respond to IL-1 originating from the interstitial compartment, as well as from Sertoli cell or germ cell IL-1 within the seminiferous tubules.

The effects of LPS on vectorial production of IL-1 and IL-6 are identical to those of the yeast extract zymosan. We propose that the ability of Sertoli cells to produce these cytokines after exposure to these two activators originating from bacteria and yeasts reflects their capability to respond to an infectious aggression in situ, as monocytes/macrophages do (11). Infectious agents can penetrate the testis through blood and lymphatic vessels located in the interstitial compartment, which corresponds to the lower compartment of our culture system. By analogy to what is observed in the bicameral system in this study, we hypothesize that if these infectious agents reach the basal portion of the seminiferous tubules, they would trigger a basal flux of IL-1 from the Sertoli cells. It is, therefore, tempting to speculate that, in this pathological situation, the directioning of IL-1 by the Sertoli cell toward the interstitial compartment would result in a marked reduction in the intratubular concentrations of IL-1 and, thus, would prevent the occurrence of unwanted actions of this cytokine within the tubules. We have also observed that basal stimulations by both LPS and zymosan consistently induced higher release of IL-1 and IL-6 than apical stimulation by the same activators. Therefore, it appears that Sertoli cells have a relatively greater ability to respond to stimuli originating from the interstitial compartment, or from their base, than from apical stimuli. Because it has been previously demonstrated that IL-1 is a potent inhibitor of Leydig cell steroidogenesis (38, 49, 50), it is likely that the reduced steroidogenesis observed after an in vivo endotoxin treatment (38, 51, 52) could be due, to some extent, to the basal release of Sertoli cell IL-1. This, in turn, suggests that Sertoli cell cytokines are involved in the altered testicular functions frequently observed in male patients with serious illness (53, 54).

In contrast to previous results obtained in conventional Sertoli cell cultures, when Sertoli cells were cultured in the presence of residual bodies or latex beads (7, 9, 10) in the bicameral culture system described here, no stimulation in bioactive IL-1 and IL-6 levels was observed. This was unexpected, as there are strong indications that, in addition to our own previous results (7, 9, 10), residual bodies are indeed important regulators of Sertoli cell IL-1 production (55). These effects of residual bodies on both IL-1 bioactivity and messenger RNA levels most likely reflects the physiological situation since, within the seminiferous epithelium, IL-1 levels rise dramatically between stages VII and VIII, when spermiation and consequently phagocytosis of residual bodies occurs in situ (56). In the bicameral system, the absence of cytokine activation by latex beads and residual bodies could result from the high density of Sertoli cells used. In fact, if this density is required for optimal vectorial secretion of Sertoli cell products (23 and our own data), it leads to the superposition of two to several layers of Sertoli cells. Under these conditions, our histological studies show that phagocytosis of residual bodies and of the latex beads almost exclusively occurred in Sertoli cells situated at the surface of the cultures, (data not shown). Therefore, it may be that not enough Sertoli cells were activated for changes in IL-1 and IL-6 to be detectable. Furthermore, it is also possible that this high density of Sertoli cells disrupts the transduction machinery induced by residual bodies and latex beads phagocytosis. This shows that if the bicameral culture system represents a very important tool to study the vectorial secretion of Sertoli cell products, it does not necessarily represent a simple reconstitution of the in situ situation, as often thought. This is not the first time that marked differences in the functionality of cultured Sertoli cells have been observed between the conventional and the bicameral culture system. In addition to the discrepancy described in the above discussion for IL-1{alpha}, in contrast to the situations observed in the monolayers, in the bicameral system, no estrogen production was observed, and effects of FSH on transferrin production were only seen with high concentrations of this pituitary hormone (35, 36). The latter results on transferrin are in agreement with the results herein presented. Also of note is the absence of effect of FSH on IL-6 levels in our bicameral system, when a stimulatory action of this hormone was previously shown in the conventional culture system (7).

In conclusion, our results show that the site of activation and the vectorial production of IL-1 and IL-6 greatly differ, which suggests that these cytokines have different targets and functions. Furthermore, the patterns of IL-1 and IL-6 vectorial productions also suggest that both the tubular and the interstitial compartments are influenced by these local factors in the normal and pathological testis.


    Acknowledgments
 
We thank Dr. C. Piquet-Pellorce for advice with the cytokine bioassays.


    Footnotes
 
1 This work was supported by Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale, Direction de la Recherche et des Etudes Doctorales, Rhône-Poulenc Rorer. Back

2 During the course of this work, C. Cudicini was the recipient of a Rhône-Poulenc Rorer fellowship. Back

Received October 17, 1996.


    References
 Top
 Abstract
 Introduction
 Materials and Methods
 Results
 Discussion
 References
 

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