Biochemical properties of the seminiferous tubule extracellular matrix (A02)

• Subject Area: Reproductive Medicine, Urology ; Cell Biology
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 549467913

The seminiferous tubules of the testes are ensheathed by a basement membrane interacting with the undifferentiated germ cells nurtured by somatic Sertoli cells. This project studies the role of the basement membrane in the formation of seminiferous tubules. The interplay of Sertoli cells, peritubular myoid cells, and primordial germ cell-like cells as well as the impact of basement-membrane composition and rigidity will be analysed in vitro, using video-imaging and molecular profiling at the RNA and protein level. The generated organoid systems allow for in vitro functional screening of candidate genes in male infertility.

• DFG Programme: Collaborative Research Centres
• Subproject of: SFB 1748: Principles of Reproduction – Unravelling the Molecular Mechanisms of Male Infertility
• Applicant Institution: Universität Münster
• Project Heads: Professor Dr. Johannes Andreas Eble; Professor Dr. Stefan Schlatt