| First Author | Ballow D | Year | 2006 |
| Journal | Dev Biol | Volume | 294 |
| Issue | 1 | Pages | 161-7 |
| PubMed ID | 16564520 | Mgi Jnum | J:109310 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:3628699 | Doi | 10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.02.027 |
| Citation | Ballow D, et al. (2006) Sohlh1 is essential for spermatogonial differentiation. Dev Biol 294(1):161-7 |
| abstractText | Spermatogonia are adult germline stem cells that can both self-renew and differentiate into spermatocytes. Little is known about factors necessary for spermatogonial differentiation. We identified a novel germ-cell-specific transcription factor that we named Sohlh1 (testis and ovary expressed basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor). In males, Sohlh1 is preferentially expressed in prespermatogonia and Type A spermatogonia. Loss of Sohlh1 causes infertility by disrupting spermatogonial differentiation into spermatocytes. Seven-day-old testes without Sohlh1 still express the testis-specific transcription factors Etv5, Taf4b, Zfp148, and Plzf, overexpress a novel Tohlh2 bHLH transcription factor, but lack LIM homeobox gene Lhx8 and show reduced expression of Ngn3. Sohlh1 represents the first testis-specific bHLH transcription factor that is essential for spermatogonial differentiation. |
