Immunoregulatory mechanisms between epithelial clear cells and mononuclear phagocytes in the epididymis.

Autor: Battistone MA; Program in Membrane Biology, Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts., Elizagaray ML; Program in Membrane Biology, Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts., Barrachina F; Program in Membrane Biology, Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts., Ottino K; Program in Membrane Biology, Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts., Mendelsohn AC; Program in Membrane Biology, Nephrology Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts., Breton S; Faculty of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec-Research Center, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproduction, Université Laval, Québec, Canada.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Andrology [Andrology] 2024 Jul; Vol. 12 (5), pp. 949-963. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Aug 12.
DOI: 10.1111/andr.13509
Abstrakt: Introduction: One of the most intriguing aspects of male reproductive physiology is the ability of the epididymis to prevent the mounting of immune responses against the onslaught of foreign antigens carried by spermatozoa while initiating very efficient immune responses versus stressors. Epithelial clear cells are strategically positioned to work in a concerted manner with region-specific heterogeneous subsets of mononuclear phagocytes to survey the epididymal barrier and regulate the balance between inflammation and immune tolerance in the post-testicular environment.
Objective: This review aims to describe how clear cells communicate with mononuclear phagocytes to contribute to the unique immune environment in which sperm mature and are stored in the epididymis.
Materials/methods: A comprehensive systematic review was performed. PubMed was searched for articles specific to clear cells, mononuclear phagocytes, and epididymis. Articles that did not specifically address the target material were excluded.
Results: In this review, we discuss the unexpected roles of clear cells, including the transfer of new proteins to spermatozoa via extracellular vesicles and nanotubes as they transit along the epididymal tubule; and we summarize the immune phenotype, morphology, and antigen capturing, processing, and presenting abilities of mononuclear phagocytes. Moreover, we present the current knowledge of immunoregulatory mechanisms by which clear cells and mononuclear phagocytes may contribute to the immune-privileged environment optimal for sperm maturation and storage.
Discussion and Conclusion: Notably, we provide an in-depth characterization of clear cell-mononuclear phagocyte communication networks in the steady-state epididymis and in the presence of injury. This review highlights crucial concepts of mucosal immunology and cellcell interactions, all of which are critical but understudied facets of human male reproductive health.
(© 2023 American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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