Testis transcriptome sample KO2 from Mus musculus
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are responsible for maintaining the population via self-renewal and differentiation into committed progenitor cells that ultimately generate spermatozoa, but the mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we used Csnk1a1flox mice crossed with Stra8-Cre mice to delete CK1 (encoded by Csnk1a1) in spermatogonia. Histological and morphological results indicated that CK1 deletion led to smaller testes, much fewer germ cells, and no spermatocytes and spermatids. The progenitor cell population (SOX3+) was dramatically decreased in cKO mice, while the self-renewal ability of SSCs (GFR1+) was not affected. Additionally, there was no significant increase in cell death within cKO testes.