Homeostatic regulation of germinal stem cell proliferation by the GDNF/FSH pathway.
Stem cell regulatory mechanisms are difficult to study because self-renewal and production of differentiated progeny, which are both strictly controlled, occur simultaneously in these cells. To focus on the self-renewal mechanism alone, we investigated the behavior of germinal stem cells (GSCs) in progeny-deficient testes with defective GSC differentiation. In these testes, we found that the proliferation of undifferentiated spermatogonia, some of which are GSCs, was accelerated by high concentrations of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF). Furthermore, we found that follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) stimulation via homeostatic control was one of the major regulators of GDNF concentration. These results suggest that in mammalian testes, GSC proliferation and population size are regulated homeostatically by the GDNF/FSH pathway.
Tadokoro
Yuko
Y
Department of Science for Laboratory Animal Experimentation, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Yamadaoka 3-1, Suita 565-0871, Japan.
Yomogida
Kentaro
K
Ohta
Hiroshi
H
Tohda
Akira
A
Nishimune
Yoshitake
Y
D000818:Animals; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002455:Cell Division; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D005260:Female; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008954:Models, Biological; D009154:Mutation; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C495040:Gdnf protein, mouse; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; C494174:Pou5f1 protein, mouse; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D001973:Bromodeoxyuridine