What is Blood-testis Barrier?

Information about Blood-testis Barrier

Germinal epithelium of the testicle. 1 basal lamina, 2 spermatogonia, 3 spermatocyte 1st order, 4 spermatocyte 2nd order, 5 spermatid, 6 mature spermatid, 7 Sertoli cell, 8 tight junction (blood testis barrier)
The blood-testis barrier (abbreviated as BTB) is a physical barrier between the blood vessels and the seminiferous tubules of the animal testes.

The barrier is formed by tight connections between the Sertoli cells, which are sustentacular cells (supporting cells) of the seminiferous tubules, and nourish the spermatogonia.

The barrier avoids passage of cytotoxic agents (bodies or substances that are toxic to cells) into the seminiferous tubules.

Autoimmune response

The blood-testes barrier can be damaged by trauma to the testes (including torsion or impact), by surgery or as a result of vasectomy. When the blood-testes barrier is breached, and sperm enters the bloodstream, the immune system mounts an autoimmune response against the sperm. The anti-sperm antibodies generated by the immune system can bind to various antigenic sites on the surface of the sperm. If they bind to the head, the sperm may be less able to fertilize an egg, and if they bind to the tail, the motility of the sperm can be reduced.

See also

External links

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Male reproductive system
Scrotumlayers (skin, Dartos, External spermatic fascia, Cremaster, Internal spermatic fascia) • Perineal raphe • Spermatic cord
Testeslayers (Tunica vaginalis, Tunica albuginea) • Appendix • Mediastinum • Lobules • Septa • Leydig cell • Sertoli cell • Blood-testis barrier
SpermatogenesisSpermatogonium • Spermatocytogenesis • Spermatocyte • Spermatidogenesis • Spermatid • Spermiogenesis • Spermatozoon
seminal tractSeminiferous tubules (Tubuli seminiferi recti, Rete testis, Efferent ducts) • Epididymis  (Appendix) • Vas deferens • Ejaculatory duct  Seminal colliculus
urinary tractInternal urethral orifice • Urethra (Prostatic, Intermediate, Spongy) • Urethral crest • Urethral gland • External urethral orifice
PenisCorpus cavernosum • Corpus spongiosum • Navicular fossa of male urethra • Glans penis • Fundiform ligament • Suspensory ligament • Foreskin • Frenulum
accessory glandsSeminal vesicles  (Excretory duct of seminal gland) • Prostate  (Prostatic utricle, Prostatic sinus) • Bulbourethral glands
The germinal epithelium is the outermost layer of the testicle.

External links

  • Histology at BU 17803loa - "Male Reproductive System: testis, germinal epithelium"
  • Anatomy Atlases - Microscopic Anatomy, plate 02.

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basal lamina is a layer on which epithelium sits and which is secreted by the epithelial cells. It is often confused with the basement membrane, and sometimes used inconsistently in the literature, see below.
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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 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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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 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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Tight junctions, or zonula occludens, are the closely associated areas of two cells whose membranes join together forming a virtual impermeable barrier to fluid. It is a type of junctional complex only present in vertebrates.
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The blood-testis barrier (abbreviated as BTB) is a physical barrier between the blood vessels and the seminiferous tubules of the animal testes.

The barrier is formed by tight connections between the Sertoli cells, which are sustentacular cells (supporting cells) of the
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The blood vessels are part of the cardiovascular system and function to transport blood throughout the body. The most important types, arteries and veins, carry blood away from or towards the heart, respectively.
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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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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.
..... Read more.
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.
..... Read more.
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
..... Read more.
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)
..... Read more.
Cytotoxicity is the quality of being toxic to cells. Examples of toxic agents are a chemical substance or an immune cell.

Cytotoxicity can be measured by the MTT assay, Trypan blue (TB) assay, Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, WST assay and clonogenic assay.
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Toxicity is the degree to which something is able to produce illness or damage to an exposed organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as a human or a bacterium or a plant, or to a substructure, such as a cell (cytotoxicity) or an organ (organotoxicity
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Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism.
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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Vasectomy is a permanent birth control method for men in which the vasa deferentia are cut, thus sterilizing the patient. There are some variations on the procedure such as no-scalpel (keyhole) vasectomies, [2]
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immune system is a collection of mechanisms within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own healthy
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MeSH D001327 Autoimmunity is the failure of an organism to recognize its own constituent parts (down to the sub-molecular levels) as "self", which results in an immune response against its own cells and tissues.
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Antibodies (also known as immunoglobulins) are proteins that are found in blood or other bodily fluids of vertebrates, and are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses.
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An antigen or immunogen is a molecule that stimulates an immune response. The word originated from the notion that they can stimulate antibody generation. We now know that the immune system does not only consist of antibodies.
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ovum (plural ova) is a haploid female reproductive cell or gamete. The word is derived from Latin, meaning egg or egg cell. Both animals and embryophytes have ova. The term ovule
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The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a membranic structure that acts primarily to protect the brain from chemicals in the blood, while still allowing essential metabolic function. It is composed of endothelial cells, which are packed very tightly in brain capillaries.
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Spermatogenesis is the process by which male spermatogonia develop into mature spermatozoa. Spermatozoa are the mature male gametes, in many sexually reproducing organisms. Thus, spermatogenesis is the male version of gametogenesis.
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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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human male reproductive system is a series of organs located outside of the body and around the pelvic region of a male that contribute towards the reproductive process.

The male contributes to reproduction by producing spermatozoa.
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The reproductive system is the ensembles and interactions of organs and/or substances within an organism that strictly pertain to reproduction. As an example, this would include in the case of female mammals, the hormone estrogen, ova, and the uterus and the vagina, and the breasts.
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In some male mammals, the scrotum is a protuberance of skin and muscle containing the testicles. It is an extension of the abdomen, and is located between the penis and anus.
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