Poster Presentation Epigenetics 2013

Sertoli cell microvesicles as a vector for epigenetic inheritance (#220)

Navind Jayasooriah 1 2 , Sally A Eaton 1 , Jennifer E Cropley 1 2 , Paul E Young 1 , Catherine M Suter 1 2
  1. Molecular, Structural and Computational Biology Division, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Germ plasm theory states that germ cells are solely responsible for transmitting heritable genetic information, without any influence from somatic cells. The hypothetical barrier preventing somatic cells from affecting inheritance is known as the Weismann Barrier. Throughout mammalian spermatogenesis, germ cells grow and differentiate from spermatogonia that are in close contact with Sertoli cells; Sertoli cells are somatic cells. The Sertoli cell barrier (SCB) is formed by tight junctions between adjacent Sertoli cells, and this barrier divides blood and spermatogonia from more mature germ cells during gamete development; in effect the SCB is a physical manifestation of the theoretical Weismann Barrier. Here, we ask whether the SCB can be breached through the microvesicle pathway. We hypothesise that microvesicles such as exosomes, are released from Sertoli cells and contain genetic material that can be transferred to germ cells, leading to soma-to-germline feedback. We describe the isolation and detection of microvesicles from TM4 murine Sertoli cells. We have found that TM4 microvesicles contain a specific subset of RNA when compared to their cells of origin. This RNA has the potential to influence epigenetic inheritance, if transferred to germ cells by TM4 microvesicles.