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Relationship of Absolute Numbers of Sertoli Cells to Testicular Size and Spermatogenesis in Young Beef Bulls¹

University of New Hampshire, Durham 03824 and Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523

Abstract

Testes were obtained from 34 Hereford or Angus bulls at about 1.5 yr of age and were used to investigate the relationship between the absolute number of Sertoli cells vs testicular size and daily spermatozoal production (DSP). Quantitative determination of DSP was based upon enumeration of elongated spermatids in testicular homogenates. The ratio of step 8 spermatids to Sertoli cells (S:SC) was established by direct counts of these cells in each of 20 round stage VIII seminiferous tubular cross sections for each bull. The number of Sertoli cells per paired testes was calculated as (total spermatids ÷ S:SC)/.394, where total spermatids equalled the number of homogenization-resistant spermatids. The factor of .394 adjusted for the fact that the latter cells are present for only 39.4% of the spermatogenic cycle. All data were subjected to simple linear and second-order regression analyses. A positive linear relationship (P<.005) was found between testicular weight (Y, in grams) and the absolute number of Sertoli cells per paired testes (X, in billions), which was characterized by the equation Y = 315.2 + 10.74X and a coefficient of correlation (r) of .56 (P<.01). A similar relationship was observed between DSP (Y, in billions) and Sertoli cell numbers (X, in billions). This was characterized by the equation Y = 1.36 + .222X (P<.005) and a coeficient of correlation of .70 (P<.01). Daily sperm production was unrelated to the S:SC ratio (P>.05). It was concluded that testes possessing a greater number of Sertoli cells were heavier and produced more sperm than testes with fewer Sertoli cells.

¹ Scientific contribution no. 1391 from the New Hamphshire Agr. Exp. Sta. Portions of these data were presented at the 1985 Meet. of the Northeast Sec. of the Amer. Soc. of Anim. Sci. (Abstr. A13).

² Dept. of Anim. and Nutr. Sci., Univ. of New Hampshire.

³ Visiting Professor, Dept. of Anim. Sci., Univ. of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.

⁴ Anim. Reprod. Lab., Colorado State Univ.

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