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Fink C, Baal N, Wilhelm J, Sarode P, Weigel R, Schumacher V, Nettersheim D, Schorle H, Schröck C, Bergmann M, Kliesch S, Kressin M, Savai R. On the origin of germ cell neoplasia in situ: Dedifferentiation of human adult Sertoli cells in cross talk with seminoma cells in vitro. Neoplasia 2021; 23:731-742. [PMID: 34153645 PMCID: PMC8233172 DOI: 10.1016/j.neo.2021.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Germ cell neoplasia in situ (GCNIS) is the noninvasive precursor of testicular germ cell tumors type II, the most common cancer in young men, which originates from embryonic germ cells blocked in their maturation. GCNIS is associated with impaired Sertoli cells (SCs) that express fetal keratin 18 (KRT18) and the pluripotency factor SRY-Box transcription factor 2 (SOX2). According to the current theory concerning the origin of GCNIS, these SCs are prepubertal cells arrested in their maturation due to (epi)genetic anomalies and/or environmental antiandrogens. Thus, they are unable to support the development of germ cells, which leads to their maturational block and further progresses into GCNIS. Alternatively, these SCs are hypothesized to be adult cells dedifferentiating secondarily under the influence of GCNIS. To examine whether tumor cells can dedifferentiate SCs, we established a coculture model of adult human SCs (FS1) and a seminoma cell line similar to GCNIS (TCam-2). After 2 wk of coculture, FS1 cells showed progressive expression of KRT18 and SOX2, mimicking the in vivo changes. TCam-2 cells showed SOX2 expression and upregulation of further pluripotency- and reprogramming-associated genes, suggesting a seminoma to embryonal carcinoma transition. Thus, our FS1/TCam-2 coculture model is a valuable tool for investigating interactions between SCs and seminoma cells. Our immunohistochemical and ultrastructural studies of human testicular biopsies with varying degrees of GCNIS compared to biopsies from fetuses, patients with androgen insensitivity syndrome, and patients showing normal spermatogenesis further suggest that GCNIS-associated SCs represent adult cells undergoing progressive dedifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cornelia Fink
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany.
| | - Nelli Baal
- Institute for Clinical Immunology and Transfusion Medicine, Universities of Giessen and Marburg, Giessen, Germany
| | - Jochen Wilhelm
- Department of Internal Medicine, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany; Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
| | - Poonam Sarode
- Department of Lung Development and Remodelling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Member of the DZL, Member of CPI, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Roswitha Weigel
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Valérie Schumacher
- Department of Urology and Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Surgery and Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Daniel Nettersheim
- Department of Urology, Urological Research Lab, Translational UroOncology, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Hubert Schorle
- University Hospital Bonn, Department of Developmental Pathology, Institute of Pathology, Bonn, Germany
| | - Carmen Schröck
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Martin Bergmann
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Sabine Kliesch
- University of Münster, Centre of Andrology and Reproductive Medicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Monika Kressin
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
| | - Rajkumar Savai
- Department of Internal Medicine, Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany; Department of Lung Development and Remodelling, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Member of the DZL, Member of CPI, Bad Nauheim, Germany; Institute for Lung Health (ILH), Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany.
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