Supporting cell of the mammalian testis that surrounds and nourishes developing sperm cells.
Cells in the testis lining the testicular tubules that nurture the developing sperm cells; responsible in fetal life for the production of anti-Mullerian hormone, which stops the male fetus from developing fallopian tubes, a uterus and a vagina. A source of estradiol in men.
elongated cells found in the seminiferous tubules of the testis; apparently they nourish the spermatids
The cells found in the testes that assist in sperm cell production. close window
A testicular cell responsible for nurturing the spermatids (immature sperm). Secretes inhibin, a feedback hormone, which regulates FSH production by the pituitary gland. When stimulated by FSH, the Sertoli cell initiates spermatogenesis .
Enrico Sertoli, Italian histologist 1842 - 1910]. A type of cell found within seminiferous tubules of the testes, a nutritive cell to which spermatids attach for the duration of spermatogenesis until the mature spermatozoa is formed. Sertoli cells form the blood-testis barrier. Synonym: nurse cell.
A Sertoli cell (a kind of sustentacular cell) is a 'nurse' cell of the testes which is part of a seminiferous tubule.