TM4

TM4 Cells are immortalized mouse Sertoli cells isolated from the testes of prepubertal mice and used as an in vitro model system for testicular biology and spermatogenesis. In culture, TM4 cells grow adherently and show epithelial like morphology. They contact each other through tight cell-cell interactions and form confluent monolayers. TM4 Cells express Sertoli cell markers and functional proteins that characterize the Sertoli cell phenotype including markers of the supportive nature of Sertoli cells (vimentin, transferrin) cell adhesion proteins (androgen receptor or AR) and proteins that participate in forming tight junctions (occludin and claudins). Like primary Sertoli cells, TM4 cells also produce many growth factors, cytokines and hormones important for germ cell survival and differentiation.

TM4 cells have been used to study aspects of Sertoli cell biology including cell-cell interactions in the testis and regulation of spermatogenesis. TM4 cells are used to study hormonal regulation of Sertoli cells (androgen and FSH signaling), oxidative stress, apoptosis and cellular toxicology. In particular, they are one of the most common models used in reproductive toxicology and endocrine disruption assay testing environmental chemicals, pharmaceuticals, or nanoparticles for male reproductive toxicity.