Defect in germ cells, not in supporting cells, is the cause of male infertility in the jsd mutant mouse: proliferation of spermatogonial stem cells without differentiation.
C57BL/6 (B6)-jsd/jsd male mice are sterile because of lack of spermatogenesis. To find the cause of the deficient spermatogenesis, we have examined whether the mutation phenotype is the result of a defect in germ cells or in supporting cells using germ cell transplantation. In the seminiferous tubules of B6-jsd/jsd mutant mice, donor germ cells derived from the wild type GFP transgenic mouse (B6-+/+GFP) were able to undergo complete spermatogenesis, indicating that the juvenile spermatogonial depletion (jsd/jsd) mouse possesses normal supporting cell functions. In contrast, undifferentiated spermatogonia derived from B6-jsd/jsd mice were unable to differentiate in the seminiferous tubules of W/W v mice, even if the mutant germ cells successfully settled in the tubules. These results demonstrate that the deficiency in spermatogenesis of B6-jsd/jsd mice can be ascribed to a defect in spermatogonia but not in their supporting cell environment. Furthermore, the defect in B6-jsd/jsd spermatogonia is not in their ability to proliferate, but in their differentiation and may result from their hypersensitivity to high concentrations of androgen in the testis.
Ohta
H
H
Department of Science for Laboratory Animal Experimentation, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
Yomogida
K
K
Tadokoro
Y
Y
Tohda
A
A
Dohmae
K
K
Nishimune
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008817:Mice, Mutant Strains; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000166:cytology; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000235:genetics; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000473:pathology* / Q000637:transplantation; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology