title: Sphere-formation culture of testicular germ cells in the common marmoset, a small New World monkey.
abstract: Spermatogonia are specialized cells responsible for continuous spermatogenesis and the production of offspring. Because of this biological property, in vitro culture of spermatogonia provides a powerful methodology to advance reproductive biology and engineering. However, methods for culturing primate spermatogonia are poorly established. We have designed a novel method for culturing spermatogonia in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus), a small primate. By using our method with a suite of growth factors, adult marmoset testis-derived germ cells could be cultured in the form of a floating sphere for several weeks. Notably, this method could be applied not only to freshly isolated cells but also to cryopreserved cell stocks. The spheres enriched spermatogonia and early spermatocytes, and could be assembled from a C-KIT(+) spermatogonial population. Techniques for culturing spermatogonia could facilitate increased understanding of primate reproduction as well as the preservation of valuable biomaterials from nonhuman primates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Zachary Yu-Ching
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Orie
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Hikabe
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Sadafumi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Takamasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.
authors.forename: Haruhiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Siomi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan.|Department of Applied Developmental Biology, Central Institute for Experimental Animals, 3-25-12 Tonomachi, Kawasaki, 210-0821, Japan.|PRESTO Japan Science and Technology Agency, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan. imamura.masanori.2m@kyoto-u.ac.jp.|Molecular Biology Section, Department of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-8506, Japan. imamura.masanori.2m@kyoto-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Imamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, 35 Shinanomachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 160-8582, Japan. hidokano@a2.keio.jp.
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002144:Callithrix / Q000502:physiology*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013093:Spermatogonia / Q000254:growth & development*; D013737:Testis / Q000254:growth & development*
keywords: Common marmoset; Germ cell culture; Testis