Skip Navigation


Hum. Reprod. Advance Access originally published online on October 6, 2005
Human Reproduction 2006 21(2):397-404; doi:10.1093/humrep/dei325
This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF ) Freely available
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
21/2/397    most recent
dei325v1
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (20)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Pauls, K.
Right arrow Articles by Zhou, H.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Pauls, K.
Right arrow Articles by Zhou, H.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Spatial expression of germ cell markers during maturation of human fetal male gonads: an immunohistochemical study

Katharina Pauls1,5, Hubert Schorle2, Wiebke Jeske1, Ralph Brehm3, Klaus Steger4, Nicolas Wernert1, Reinhard Büttner1 and Hui Zhou1

1 Institute of Pathology and 2 Department of Developmental Pathology, University of Bonn, and 3 Department of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology and 4 Department of Urology and Pediatric Urology, University of Giessen, Germany

5 To whom correspondence should be addressed at: Institut für Pathologie, Sigmund-Freud-Strasse 25, D-53127, Germany. E-mail: katharina.pauls{at}ukb.uni-bonn.de

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to examine fetal male germ cells for expression of proteins associated with differentiation and maturation and to compare them with morphologically defined subpopulations. METHODS: Testes of 61 fetuses from week 12 of gestation to the newborn period were selected. Immunohistochemistry was performed using antibodies to proteins associated with differentiation of germ cells (c-KIT, AP-2{gamma}) or pluripotency (OCT3/4), oncofetal protein M2A and spermatogonial marker MAGE-A4. RESULTS: Two subtypes of fetal germ cells were detected by quantification and immunohistochemistry. Nearly all germ cells with morphological criteria of gonocytes and intermediate cells co-expressed OCT3/4, c-KIT, M2A and AP-2{gamma}. Starting from week 12, their number increased up to week 18/19 and then declined continuously during further development. After week 25, pre-spermatogonia were predominant and expressed MAGE-A4 selectively. CONCLUSIONS: Fetal male germ cells are comprised of two major groups with distinct immunohistochemical phenotypes. Germ cells that are predominantly found before week 25 of gestation co-express oncofetal proteins OCT3/4, c-KIT, M2A and AP-2{gamma}. After week 25, most germ cells have lost their pluripotent potential and acquire a spermatogonial phenotype defined by expression of MAGE-A4.

Key words: AP-2{gamma}/MAGE-A4/M2A/gonocyte/pre-spermatogonia


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
M. Nurmio, V. Keros, P. Lahteenmaki, T. Salmi, M. Kallajoki, and K. Jahnukainen
Effect of Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Therapy on Spermatogonia Populations and Future Fertility
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., June 1, 2009; 94(6): 2119 - 2122.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ReproductionHome page
A Forand, S Messiaen, R Habert, and J Bernardino-Sgherri
Exposure of the mouse perinatal testis to radiation leads to hypospermia at sexual maturity
Reproduction, March 1, 2009; 137(3): 487 - 495.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
R.T. Mitchell, G. Cowan, K.D. Morris, R.A. Anderson, H.M. Fraser, K.J. Mckenzie, W.H.B. Wallace, C.J.H. Kelnar, P.T.K. Saunders, and R.M. Sharpe
Germ cell differentiation in the marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) during fetal and neonatal life closely parallels that in the human
Hum. Reprod., December 1, 2008; 23(12): 2755 - 2765.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
P. A. Fowler, S. Cassie, S. M. Rhind, M. J. Brewer, J. M. Collinson, R. G. Lea, P. J. Baker, S. Bhattacharya, and P. J. O'Shaughnessy
Maternal Smoking during Pregnancy Specifically Reduces Human Fetal Desert Hedgehog Gene Expression during Testis Development
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., February 1, 2008; 93(2): 619 - 626.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ReproductionHome page
J. Tu, L. Fan, K. Tao, W. Zhu, J. Li, and G. Lu
Stem cell factor affects fate determination of human gonocytes in vitro
Reproduction, December 1, 2007; 134(6): 757 - 765.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab.Home page
P. J. O'Shaughnessy, P. J. Baker, A. Monteiro, S. Cassie, S. Bhattacharya, and P. A. Fowler
Developmental Changes in Human Fetal Testicular Cell Numbers and Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Levels during the Second Trimester
J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., December 1, 2007; 92(12): 4792 - 4801.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol Hum ReprodHome page
I. Gashaw, O. Dushaj, R. Behr, K. Biermann, R. Brehm, H. Rubben, R. Grobholz, K. W. Schmid, M. Bergmann, and E. Winterhager
Novel germ cell markers characterize testicular seminoma and fetal testis
Mol. Hum. Reprod., October 1, 2007; 13(10): 721 - 727.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Hum ReprodHome page
M. F. Gjerstorff, K. Kock, O. Nielsen, and H. J. Ditzel
MAGE-A1, GAGE and NY-ESO-1 cancer/testis antigen expression during human gonadal development
Hum. Reprod., April 1, 2007; 22(4): 953 - 960.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Cancer Res.Home page
P. Kahl, L. Gullotti, L. C. Heukamp, S. Wolf, N. Friedrichs, R. Vorreuther, G. Solleder, P. J. Bastian, J. Ellinger, E. Metzger, et al.
Androgen Receptor Coactivators Lysine-Specific Histone Demethylase 1 and Four and a Half LIM Domain Protein 2 Predict Risk of Prostate Cancer Recurrence
Cancer Res., December 1, 2006; 66(23): 11341 - 11347.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.