What is Leydig Cell?

Information about Leydig Cell



Histological section through testicular parenchyma of a boar. 1 Lumen of convoluted part of the seminiferous tubules, 2 spermatids, 3 spermatocytes, 4 spermatogonia, 5 Sertoli cell, 6 myofibroblasts, 7 Leydig cells, 8 capillaries

Cross-section of seminiferous tubules. Arrows indicate location of Leydig cells.
	subject #258 1243
MeSH	Leydig+cells
Dorlands/Elsevier	c_18/12224005

Leydig cells, also known as interstitial cells of Leydig, are found adjacent to the seminiferous tubules in the testicle. They can secrete testosterone and are often closely related to nerves. Leydig cells have round vesicular nuclei and a granular eosinophilic cytoplasm.

Nomenclature

Leydig cells are named after the German anatomist Franz Leydig, who discovered them in 1850.^[1]

Functions

Leydig cells release a class of hormones called androgens (19-carbon steroids). They secrete testosterone, androstenedione and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), when stimulated by the pituitary hormone luteinizing hormone (LH). LH increases cholesterol desmolase activity (an enzyme associated with the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone), leading to testosterone synthesis secretion by Leydig cells.

Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) increases the response of Leydig cells to LH by increasing the number of LH receptors expressed on Leydig cells.

Ultrastructure

Leydig cells are polygonal, eosinophilic cells with a round vesicular nucleus and contain lipid droplets. They contain abundant smooth endoplasmic reticulum, which accounts for their eosinophilia. Frequently, lipofuscin pigment and rod-shaped crystal-like structures (Reinke's crystals) are found.^[2]^[3]

Development

Leydig cells form during the 16th and 20th week of gestation and are quiescent until puberty.

Additional images

Section of a genital cord of the testis of a human embryo 3.5 cm. long.

References

1. ^ synd/625 at Who Named It
2. ^ Al-Agha O, Axiotis C (2007). "An in-depth look at Leydig cell tumor of the testis". Arch Pathol Lab Med 131 (2): 311-7. PMID 17284120.
3. ^ Ramnani, Dharam M (2005-01-25). Leydig Cell Tumor : Reinke's Crystalloids. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.

External links

• • [ e] Male reproductive system
Scrotum	layers (skin, Dartos, External spermatic fascia, Cremaster, Internal spermatic fascia) • Perineal raphe • Spermatic cord
Testes	layers (Tunica vaginalis, Tunica albuginea) • Appendix • Mediastinum • Lobules • Septa • Leydig cell • Sertoli cell • Blood-testis barrier
Spermatogenesis	Spermatogonium • Spermatocytogenesis • Spermatocyte • Spermatidogenesis • Spermatid • Spermiogenesis • Spermatozoon
seminal tract	Seminiferous tubules (Tubuli seminiferi recti, Rete testis, Efferent ducts) • Epididymis (Appendix) • Vas deferens • Ejaculatory duct Seminal colliculus
urinary tract	Internal urethral orifice • Urethra (Prostatic, Intermediate, Spongy) • Urethral crest • Urethral gland • External urethral orifice
Penis	Corpus cavernosum • Corpus spongiosum • Navicular fossa of male urethra • Glans penis • Fundiform ligament • Suspensory ligament • Foreskin • Frenulum
accessory glands	Seminal vesicles (Excretory duct of seminal gland) • Prostate (Prostatic utricle, Prostatic sinus) • Bulbourethral glands

Parenchyma is a term used to describe a bulk of a substance. It is used in different ways in animals and in plants.

The term is New Latin, from Greek parenkhuma, visceral flesh, from parenkhein, to pour in beside : para-, beside + en-, in + khein, to pour.
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S. scrofa

Binomial name
Sus scrofa
Linnaeus, 1758

The wild boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig.
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The term spermatid refers to the haploid male gametid that results from division of secondary spermatocytes. As a result of meiosis, each spermatid contains only half of the genetic material present in the original primary spermatocyte.
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A spermatocyte is a male gametocyte which is derived from a spermatogonium. Initially in spermatogenesis, a spermatogonium divides by mitosis into two so-called primary spermatocytes.
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A spermatogonium (plural: spermatogonia) is an intermediary male gametogonium (a kind of germ cell) in the production of spermatozoa.

There are two subtypes:

Type A(d)
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A Sertoli cell (a kind of sustentacular cell) is a 'nurse' cell of the testes which is part of a seminiferous tubule.

It is activated by follicle-stimulating hormone, and has FSH-receptor on its membranes.
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Myofibroblast is a cell that is in between a fibroblast cell and a smooth muscle in differentiation.

Developmental origin

There are many possible ways of myofibroblast development:

Partial smooth muscle differentiation of a fibroblastic cell

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capillary is used to describe any very narrow tube or channel through which a fluid can pass. See capillary action for details.

Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels, measuring 5-10 μm, which connect arterioles and venules, and are
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Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is a huge controlled vocabulary (or metadata system) for the purpose of indexing journal articles and books in the life sciences. Created and updated by the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), it is used by the MEDLINE/PubMed
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Elsevier, the world's largest publisher of medical and scientific literature, forms part of the Reed Elsevier group. Based in Amsterdam, the company has substantial operations in the UK, USA and elsewhere.
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Seminiferous tubules are located in the testicles, and are the specific location of meiosis, and the subsequent creation of gametes, namely spermatozoa.

The epithelium of the tubule consists of sustentacular or Sertoli cells, which are tall, columnar type cells that line
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The testicle (from Latin testis, meaning "witness",^[1] plural testes) or ballock is the male generative gland in animals. This article will concentrate on mammalian testicles unless otherwise noted.
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Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. Testosterone is primarily secreted in the testes of males and the ovaries of females, although small amounts are also secreted by the adrenal glands. It is the principal male sex hormone and an anabolic steroid.
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nucleus (3) ribosome (4) vesicle (5) rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER) (6) Golgi apparatus (7) Cytoskeleton (8) smooth ER (9) mitochondria (10) vacuole (11) cytoplasm (12) lysosome (13) centrioles]]

In cell biology, the nucleus (pl.
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Main article: Eosin

Eosinophilic means "loves eosin", and refers to the staining of certain tissues, cells, or organelles after they been washed with eosin, a dye.
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Cytoplasm is a gelatinous, semi-transparent fluid that fills most cells. Eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus that is kept separate from the cytoplasm by a double membrane layer. The cytoplasm has three major elements; the cytosol, organelles and inclusions.
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Franz von Leydig (May 21, 1821 - April 13, 1908), also Franz Leydig, was a German zoologist and comparative anatomist. ^[1] ^[2]

Life

Franz Leydig was born on May 21, 1821, in Rothenburg ob der Tauber (on the Tauber river).
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18th century - 19th century - 20th century
1820s 1830s 1840s - 1850s - 1860s 1870s 1880s
1847 1848 1849 - 1850 - 1851 1852 1853

:
Subjects: Archaeology - Architecture -
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hormone (from Greek όρμή - "to set in motion") is a chemical messenger that carries a signal from one cell (or group of cells) to another. All multicellular organisms produce hormones (including plants - see phytohormone).
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Androgen is the generic term for any natural or synthetic compound, usually a steroid hormone, that stimulates or controls the development and maintenance of masculine characteristics in vertebrates by binding to androgen receptors.
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If you are prevented from editing this page, and you wish to make a change, please discuss changes on the talk page, request unprotection, log in, or .
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Androstenedione (also known as 4-androstenedione) is a 19-carbon steroid hormone produced in the adrenal glands and the gonads as an intermediate step in the biochemical pathway that produces the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol.
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Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), is a natural steroid prohormone produced from cholesterol by the adrenal glands, the gonads, adipose tissue, brain and in the skin (by an autocrine mechanism).
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The pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland about the size of a pea that sits in a small, bony cavity (sella turcica) covered by a dural fold (sellar diaphragm) at the base of the brain.
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Luteinizing hormone (LH, also known as lutropin^[1]) is a hormone synthesized and secreted by gonadotropes in the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland.
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Cholesterol is a sterol (a combination steroid and alcohol), a lipid found in the cell membranes of all tissues, and is transported in the blood plasma of all animals. Because cholesterol is synthesized by all eukaryotes, trace amounts of cholesterol are also found in membranes of
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P450 scc (or 20,22-Desmolase) is an enzyme associated with the conversion of cholesterol to pregnenolone. The terminology "Desmolase" is becoming outdated and the enzyme is now more commonly referred to as P450scc.

The "scc" refers to side chain cleavage.
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Pregnenolone is a steroid hormone involved in the steroidogenesis of progesterone, mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, androgens, and estrogens. As such it is a prohormone.

Chemistry

Like other steroids, pregnenolone consists of four interconnected cyclic hydrocarbons.
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