title: Induction of spermatogenic synchrony by retinoic acid in neonatal mice.
abstract: Retinoic acid (RA) is required for the successful differentiation and meiotic entry of germ cells in the murine testis. The availability of RA to undifferentiated germ cells begins in a variable, uneven pattern during the first few days after birth and establishes the asynchronous pattern of germ cell differentiation in adulthood. It has been shown that synchronous spermatogenesis can be induced in 2 d postpartum mice, but not in adult mice, by treating vitamin A sufficient males with RA. In this study, neonatal males were treated at different ages with a single dose of RA and spermatogenesis was examined after recovery to adulthood. The failure of exogenous RA to alter asynchrony correlates with the appearance of meiotic preleptotene spermatocytes within the seminiferous epithelium.
authors.affiliation: School of Molecular Biosciences; Washington State University; Pullman, WA USA.
authors.forename: Jeffrey C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Snyder
authors.forename: Cathryn A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hogarth
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Griswold
keywords: asynchronous spermatogenesis; differentiation; preleptotene spermatocytes; retinoic acid; spermatogenic wave; spermatogonia; synchronous spermatogenesis