Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29856785›Full record

ArticlePloS one2018

Loss of connexin43 in murine Sertoli cells and its effect on blood-testis barrier formation and dynamics.

Julia Hollenbach, Klaus Jung, Joanna Noelke, Hagen Gasse, Christiane Pfarrer, Mirja Koy, Ralph Brehm

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Testicular Gap (Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026
    Article
  3. COPS5 is Essential for Sertoli Cell Function and Male Fertility in Mice.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Roles of Cep215/Cdk5rap2 in establishing testicular architecture for mouse male germ cell development.FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology · 2024
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Connexin43 in Germ Cells Seems to Be Dispensable for Murine Spermatogenesis.International journal of molecular sciences · 2021
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Julia HollenbachInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Klaus JungInstitute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Joanna NoelkeInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Hagen GasseInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Christiane PfarrerInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Mirja KoyInstitute for Immunology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.
Ralph BrehmInstitute for Anatomy, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-0489-7594
University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation · DE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Connexin43 (Cx43) is the predominant testicular gap junction protein and in cases of impaired spermatogenesis, Cx43 expression has been shown to be altered in several mammals. Amongst other functions, Cx43 is supposed to regulate junction formation of the blood-testis barrier (BTB). The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression pattern of different tight junction (TJ) proteins of the murine BTB using SC-specific Cx43 knockout mice (SCCx43KO). Adult homozygous male SCCx43KO mice (SCCx43KO-/-) predominantly show an arrest of spermatogenesis and SC-only tubules that might have been caused by an altered BTB assembly, composition or regulation. TJ molecules claudin-3, -5 and -11 were examined in adult wild type (WT) and SCCx43KO-/- mice using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). In this context, investigation of single tubules with residual spermatogenesis in SCCx43KO-/- mice was particularly interesting to identify a potential Cx43-independent influence of germ cells (GC) on BTB composition and dynamics. In tubules without residual spermatogenesis, a diffuse cytoplasmic distribution pattern for claudin-11 protein could be demonstrated in mutant mice. Nevertheless, claudin-11 seems to form functional TJ. Claudin-3 and -5 could not be detected immunohistochemically in the seminiferous epithelium of those tubules. Correspondingly, claudin-3 and -5 mRNA expression was decreased, providing evidence of generally impaired BTB dynamics in adult KO mice. Observations of tubules with residual spermatogenesis suggested a Cx43-independent regulation of TJ proteins by GC populations. To determine initial BTB formation in peripubertal SCCx43KO-/- mice, immunohistochemical staining and qRT-PCR of claudin-11 were carried out in adolescent SCCx43KO-/- and WT mice. Additionally, BTB integrity was functionally analysed using a hypertonic glucose fixative. These analyses revealed that SCCx43KO-/- mice formed an intact BTB during puberty in the same time period as WT mice, which however seemed to be accelerated.

Indexed as

Animalsbeta-GalactosidaseBlood-Testis BarrierClaudinsConnexin 43Gene Expression RegulationGerm CellsImmunoenzyme TechniquesMaleMiceMice, KnockoutReal-Time Polymerase Chain ReactionSeminiferous TubulesSertoli CellsSexual MaturationSpermatogenesisbeta-GalactosidaseClaudinsConnexin 43

Identifiers

PMID29856785
PMCPMC5983412
OpenAlexW2807183817

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.