Loss of sperm in juvenile spermatogonial depletion (jsd) mutant mice is ascribed to a defect of intratubular environment to support germ cell differentiation.
C57BL/6(B6)-jsd/jsd mice are sterile due to the defective spermatogenesis in the testes. To know the cause of the deficient spermatogenesis in B6-jsd/jsd mice, we examined whether the problem is within or outside the seminiferous tubules by transplanting tubules from cryptorchid testes of B6- +/+ mice into B6-jsd/jsd testes or tubules from B6-jsd/jsd mice into testes of (WB x C57BL/6)F1-W/Wv (hereafter, WBB6F1-W/Wv) mice. Type A spermatogonia differentiated into spermatids in seminiferous tubules from cryptorchid testes transplanted into B6-jsd/jsd testes. In contrast, in B6-jsd/jsd tubules transplanted into WBB6F1-W/Wv testes, type A spermatogonia were stimulated to mitotic proliferation, but didn't proceed to any differentiated germ cells. The present results suggest that the cause of the deficient spermatogenesis in B6-jsd/jsd mice is a defect of intratubular environment to support germ cell differentiation.
Mizunuma
M
M
Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Japan.
Dohmae
K
K
Tajima
Y
Y
Koshimizu
U
U
Watanabe
D
D
Nishimune
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003456:Cryptorchidism / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009154:Mutation; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000637:transplantation; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000473:pathology*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000473:pathology*; D013737:Testis / Q000601:surgery