ReviewReproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E2012
Tubulobulbar complex: cytoskeletal remodeling to release spermatozoa.
Review in Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed, 48 citations in OpenAlex.
- Actin Cytoskeleton Dysregulation Links Testicular and Sperm Dysfunction in Type 1 Diabetes.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- A comparison of spermatogenesis between flies and men-conserved processes of male gamete production.Human reproduction update · 2025Review
- Review
- Identification of novel cytoskeleton protein involved in spermatogenic cells and sertoli cells of non-obstructive azoospermia based on microarray and bioinformatics analysis.BMC medical genomics · 2025Article
- The impact of Connexin 43 deficiency on the cell shape and cytoskeleton of murine Sertoli cells: A house with ramshackle walls?PloS one · 2025Article
- Autophagy mediated tubulobulbar complex components degradation is required for spermiation.Fundamental research · 2024Article
- mTORC1/C2 regulate spermatogenesis in Eriocheir sinensis via alterations in the actin filament network and cell junctions.Cell and tissue research · 2022Article
- E3 ubiquitin ligase ASB17 is required for spermiation in mice.Translational andrology and urology · 2021Article
- The I510V mutation in KLHL10 in a patient with oligoasthenoteratozoospermia.The Journal of reproduction and development · 2021Article
- Diverse functions of myosin VI in spermiogenesis.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2021Review
- Retinoic Acid Induced Protein 14 (PeerJ · 2021Article
- Loss of myosin VI expression affects acrosome/acroplaxome complex morphology during mouse spermiogenesis†.Biology of reproduction · 2020Article
- Myosin VI maintains the actin-dependent organization of the tubulobulbar complexes required for endocytosis during mouse spermiogenesis†‡.Biology of reproduction · 2020Article
- HIPK4 is essential for murine spermiogenesis.eLife · 2020Article
- Efficient GFP-labeling and analysis of spermatogenic cells using the IRG transgene and flow cytometry.Genesis (New York, N.Y. : 2000) · 2019Article
- Multiple aspects of male germ cell development and interactions with Sertoli cells require inositol hexakisphosphate kinase-1.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Article
- Ggnbp2-Null Mutation in Mice Leads to Male Infertility due to a Defect at the Spermiogenesis Stage.The American journal of pathology · 2017Article
- Of Oestrogens and Sperm: A Review of the Roles of Oestrogens and Oestrogen Receptors in Male Reproduction.International journal of molecular sciences · 2017Review
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Tubulobulbar complexes (TBCs) are actin-based structures that help establish close contact between Sertoli-Sertoli cells or Sertoli-mature germ cells (spermatids) in the seminiferous tubules of the testes. They are actin-rich push-through devices that eliminate excess spermatid cytoplasm and prepare mature spermatids for release into the tubular lumen. Just prior to spermiation, the elongated spermatid interacts with the Sertoli cell via an extensive structure comprising various adhesion molecules called the apical ectoplasmic specialization which is partially replaced by the apical TBC, on the concave surface of the spermatid head. The sperm release process involves extensive restructuring, namely the disassembly and reassembly of junctions at the Sertoli-spermatid interface in the seminiferous epithelium. Based on the presence of different classes of molecules in the TBCs or the defects observed in the absence of TBCs, the main functions attributed to TBCs are elimination of excess spermatid cytoplasm, endocytosis and recycling of junctional molecules, shaping of the spermatid acrosome, and forming transient anchoring devices for mature spermatids before they are released. This review summarizes the recent findings that focus on the role of TBCs in cell cytoskeleton restructuring during sperm release in the testes and the molecular mechanism involved.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.