Expression profile of a 400-bp Stra8 promoter region during spermatogenesis.
Although numerous markers have been helpful in isolating and enriching spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), such as Thy-1 and GFR alpha-1, no specific marker for this cell type has been identified so far. A 400-bp regulatory region of the stimulated by retinoic acid gene 8 (Stra8) promoter was reported to direct gene expression into SSCs and we have recently generated a new transgenic mouse model harboring the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) downstream of this Stra8 promoter. In this study, a detailed analysis of the EGFP expression pattern in the testis was carried out, showing that the transgene was expressed in meiotic and postmeiotic germ cells and not in undifferentiated germ cells. These findings were supported by confocal microscopy and flow cytometric analyses, and do not agree with the previous report concerning the 400-bp Stra8 promoter activity.
Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, Department of Histology and Medical Embryology, Sapienza University of Rome, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Fabrizio
F
Antonangeli
Claudia
C
Giampietri
Simonetta
S
Petrungaro
Antonio
A
Filippini
Elio
E
Ziparo
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D017930:Genes, Reporter; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000502:physiology*
D048868:Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing; D011506:Proteins; C102019:Stra8 protein, mouse; C485184:enhanced green fluorescent protein; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins