Cessation of spermatogenesis in juvenile spermatogonial depletion (jsd/jsd) mice.
BACKGROUND
Mice homozygous for the jsd (juvenile spermatogonial depletion) allele are sterile because they become azoospermic. The onset of such azoospermia was investigated by histologic analysis of sections of testes from jsd/jsd mice.


METHODS
The testes removed from C57BL/6-jsd/jsd mice aged 3 to 10 weeks were examined microscopically.


RESULTS
At 3 weeks of age, spermatocytes were seen in most of the seminiferous tubules of jsd/jsd mice. However, the number of tubules that contained spermatids was significantly smaller than that counted in the wild-type mice. Since degenerative figures were not abundant in the jsd/jsd testes, the decreased number of spermatids found in the tubules suggested a longer duration of development from spermatocyte to spermatid in jsd/jsd mice. The abnormality extended to the development of type B spermatogonia, and a decrease in their number became apparent after 6 weeks of age in most of the jsd/jsd tubules. However, as early as 3 weeks of age, a few seminiferous tubules in jsd/jsd mice already contained only Sertoli cells and type A spermatogonia.


CONCLUSIONS
It is assumed that the decrease in type B spermatogonia occurred at various ages and locations. The defect of spermatogenesis in jsd/jsd mice was attributable to aberrations in multiple steps of spermatogenesis.
Kojima
Y
Y
Department of Urology, Osaka University Medical School, Suita, Japan.
Kominami
K
K
Dohmae
K
K
Nonomura
N
N
Miki
T
T
Okuyama
A
A
Nishimune
Y
Y
Okabe
M
M
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D004822:Epididymis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009154:Mutation; D009845:Oligospermia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000473:pathology; D013087:Spermatids / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D013090:Spermatocytes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology*; D013737:Testis / Q000473:pathology