Establishment of a rat Sertoli cell line that displays the morphological and some of the functional characteristics of the native cell.

Primary rat Sertoli cells are widely used as a model for mechanistic and toxicological studies, since they are often the target of toxicants in vivo. However, their isolation from testicular homogenates is tedious and requires the regular use of numerous immature animals. It is therefore of great interest to have available established cell lines that are usable in vitro for unlimited periods and closely similar to native cells. To this end, we have established a line of Wistar rat Sertoli cells (SerW3) by immortalization of fresh primary cells with the T antigens of the Simian virus (SV40). When plated on Matrigel, this cell line presents many of the functional characteristics of Sertoli cells in vivo. In addition, they are sensitive to cisplatin and secrete transferrin, although they do not show a clear response to follicle-stimulating hormone. They also present many morphological similarities, including the presence of tight junctions which mimic the natural epithelial barrier. Like Sertoli cells in vivo, they show extensive phagocytic activity. Finally, they display all the characteristics of immortalized, but not transformed, cells, i.e., topo-inhibition and apoptosis at confluence or under serum deprivation.