title: Dramatic expansion of germinal stem cells by ectopically expressed human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor in mouse Sertoli cells.
abstract: Although the mammalian germinal stem cell (GSC) provides a good model to investigate the regulation of stem cells, the small number of these cells currently available hampers elucidation of the regulatory mechanism. Here, we show the dramatic amplification of GSCs in mouse testis following transfection of human glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor cDNA into Sertoli cells using an efficient, in vivo electroporation technique. Transplantation analysis demonstrated not only GSC enrichment but also differentiation from stem cells into sperm. The GSC population, as estimated using a colony-formation assay, was approximately 20-fold greater than in cryptorchid testis, or approximately 500- to 1000-fold greater than in normal adult testis. This system should provide sufficient quantities of GSCs to accelerate our understanding of GSC properties, regulation mechanisms, and behavior control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Science for Laboratory Animal Experimentation, Research Institute for Microbial Diseases, Osaka University, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yomogida
authors.forename: Yo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yagura
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tadokoro
authors.forename: Yoshitake
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishimune
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D002455:Cell Division / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D018274:Electroporation / Q000379:methods; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008164:Luminescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000502:physiology*; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000166:cytology*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C495039:GDNF protein, human; C495040:Gdnf protein, mouse; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D008164:Luminescent Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins