lumicrine

adjective

Relating to hormones secreted and/or produced by an upstream set of cells through a luminal or ductal system in the testes. <!(see Hinton et al., 2000). For example, the testis secretes soluble growth factors that pass along the seminiferous tubule, through the rete testis and into the initial segment, the most proximal region of the epididymis. Growth factors can interact with their cognate receptors on the apical surface of the epididymal epithelial cells. Lumicrine regulation of epithelial cells may be found in numerous tubular structures throughout the body.