title: Signaling pathways in spermatogonial stem cells and their disruption by toxicants.
abstract: Spermatogenesis is a complex biological process that is particularly sensitive to environmental insults such as chemicals and physical stressors. Exposure to specific chemicals has been shown to inhibit fertility through a negative impact on germ cell proliferation and differentiation that can lower sperm count. In addition, toxicants might produce DNA damages that could have negative consequences on the development of the offspring. This review describes spermatogonial stem cell development in the testis, signaling pathways that are crucial for self-renewal, and possible target molecules for environmental toxicants such as phthalate esters and nanoparticles.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Genomic Biology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61822, USA. mhofmann@illinois.edu
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lucas
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Hofmann
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000633:toxicity*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D015386:Hazardous Substances; D010795:Phthalic Acids; C032279:phthalic acid