Neonatal administration of diethylstilbestrol has adverse effects on somatic cells rather than germ cells.
Neonatal administration of diethylstilbestrol (DES) to rodents has adverse effects on spermatogenesis. However, not many studies have been conducted to determine which type of cell - germ or somatic - is the major target of DES. In order to clarify this, we tried reciprocal germ cell transplantation--transplantation of germ cells from DES-treated mice into intact mice and germ cells from normal mice into DES-treated mice. The donor germ cells were tagged with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene in order to distinguish the exogenous germ cells from the endogenous cells. Moreover, to obtain a large number of spermatogonia from the testes of adult mice, we performed fractionation by centrifugation with Percoll. Consequently, we found that the germ cells collected from DES-treated mice have differentiated into normal sperms in normal seminiferous tubules. However, in the case of the transplantation of normal germ cells into the seminiferous tubules of DES-treated mice, defective spermatogenesis was observed. In conclusion, DES has adverse effects on the somatic cells that are involved in spermatogenesis rather than the germ cells.
Koh
Kyu-Bom
KB
Department of Bioenvironmental Medicine (A3), Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Toyama
Yoshiro
Y
Komiyama
Masatoshi
M
Adachi
Tetsuya
T
Fukata
Hideki
H
Mori
Chisato
C
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating / Q000633:toxicity; D002066:Busulfan / Q000633:toxicity; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D012671:Seminiferous Tubules / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000637:transplantation; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000637:transplantation
D018906:Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol; D002066:Busulfan