| First Author | Schrans-Stassen BH | Year | 2001 |
| Journal | Biol Reprod | Volume | 65 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 771-6 |
| PubMed ID | 11514340 | Mgi Jnum | J:71070 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:2149150 | Doi | 10.1095/biolreprod65.3.771 |
| Citation | Schrans-Stassen BH, et al. (2001) Nature of the spermatogenic arrest in Dazl -/- mice. Biol Reprod 65(3):771-6 |
| abstractText | Dazl encodes an RNA-binding protein essential for spermatogenesis. Mice that are deficient for Dazl are infertile, lacking any formation of spermatozoa, and the only germ cells present are spermatogonia and a few spermatocytes. To gain more insight regarding the timing of the spermatogenic arrest in Dazl -/- mice, we studied the spermatogonial cell types present in testis sections and in seminiferous tubular whole mounts. Most of the seminiferous tubular cross-sections contained A spermatogonia as the most advanced cell type, with only very few containing cells up to pachytene spermatocytes. Both 5-bromodeoxy-uridine incorporation and mitotic index indicated that the remaining A spermatogonia were actively proliferating. C-kit immunohistochemical studies showed that most of the A spermatogonia were positively stained for the c-Kit protein ( approximately 80%). The clonal composition of the A spermatogonia in tubular whole mounts indicated these cells to be A(single) (A(s)), A(paired) (A(pr)), and A(aligned) (A(al)) spermatogonia. It is concluded that the prime spermatogenic defect in the Dazl -/- mice is a failure of the great majority of the A(al) spermatogonia to differentiate into A(1) spermatogonia. As a result, most seminiferous tubules of Dazl -/- mice only contain actively proliferating A(s), A(pr), and A(al) spermatogonia, with cell production being equaled by apoptosis of these cells. |
