Advances in the effect of NC1 domain of type Ⅳ collagen on spermatogenesis and blood-testis barrier

Abstract

In mammalian testis, the blood-testis barrier (BTB), located near the basement membrane of seminiferous epithelium, is essential for spermatogenesis. BTB is formed by the joining of adjacent Sertoli cells and divides the seminiferous epithelium into basal compartment near the basement membrane and apical compartment near the lumen of spermatogenic tubules. The barrier provides an immune defense mechanism for spermatogenesis. Type Ⅳ collagen is an important component of basement membrane. In rodent testis, type Ⅳ collagen is mainly composed of three α3 chains in a triple helix structure. The C-terminal noncollagenous domain (NC1 domain) of type Ⅳ collagen α3 chain of rat testis can be hydrolyzed into a 28 ku protein fragment called NC1 domain. NC1 domain as a basement membrane peptide is involved in spermatogenesis and sustains BTB function. This article reviews recent research results in order to identify the role of type Ⅳ collagen NC1 domain in testis and underlying mechanisms, mainly focuses on spermatogenesis and BTB.

Keywords

• spermatogenesis|blood-testis barrier (btb)|type ⅳ collagen|c-terminal noncollagenous domain (nc1 domain)