A MOUSE SERTOLI-CELL LINE EXPRESSING ANTI-MULLERIAN HORMONE AND ITS TYPE-II RECEPTOR

Anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) induces the regression of Mullerian ducts in the male foetus; it is secreted by prepubertal testicular Sertoli cells and repressed at puberty. Using an AMH promoter/Simian virus 40 (SV40) oncogene fusion gene, we generated transgenic mouse lines exhib iting heritable Sertoli cell tumorigenesis. One cell line, derived fro m an adult male, expressed mRNAs characteristic of mature Sertoli cell s, but no AMH. Two other cell lines were obtained from pretumoral test es at 6.5 days. One was cloned to yield SMAT1, whose expression patter n was characteristic of prepubertal Sertoli cells, namely no transferr in and high SF-1 and AMH expression. SMAT1 also secretes AMH protein i nto the culture medium and expresses the AMH receptor. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first Sertoli cell line stably expressing A MH and its receptor. Our results show that, in targeted oncogenesis, t he timing of cell line derivation plays a critical role even when usin g a developmentally regulated promoter. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Irel and Ltd.