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Hum. Reprod. Advance Access published online on March 31, 2009
Human Reproduction, doi:10.1093/humrep/dep073
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© The Author 2009. 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
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Molecular dissection of the male germ cell lineage identifies putative spermatogonial stem cells in rhesus macaques

Brian P. Hermann1,4,5, Meena Sukhwani5, David R. Simorangkir2,4,5, Tianjiao Chu1,5, Tony M. Plant2,4,5 and Kyle E. Orwig1,3,4,5,6

1 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 2 Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 3 Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 4 Center for Research in Reproductive Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, USA 5 Magee-Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA

6 Correspondence address. Magee-Womens Research Institute, 204 Craft Avenue, Room B711, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA; Tel: +1-412-641-2460; Fax: +1-412-641-3899; E-mail: orwigke{at}upmc.edu

BACKGROUND: The spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) pool in the testes of non-human primates is poorly defined.

METHODS: To begin characterizing SSCs in rhesus macaque testes, we employed fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS), a xenotransplant bioassay and immunohistochemical methods and correlated our findings with classical descriptions of germ cell nuclear morphology (i.e. Adark and Apale spermatogonia).

RESULTS: FACS analysis identified a THY-1+ fraction of rhesus testis cells that was enriched for consensus SSC markers (i.e. PLZF, GFR{alpha}1) and exhibited enhanced colonizing activity upon transplantation to nude mouse testes. We observed a substantial conservation of spermatogonial markers from mice to monkeys [PLZF, GFR{alpha}1, Neurogenin 3 (NGN3), cKIT]. Assuming that molecular characteristics correlate with function, the pool of putative SSCs (THY-1+, PLZF+, GFR{alpha}1+, NGN3+/–, cKIT–) comprises most Adark and Apale and is considerably larger in primates than in rodents. It is noteworthy that the majority of Adark and Apale share a common molecular phenotype, considering their distinct functional classifications as reserve and renewing stem cells, respectively. NGN3 is absent from Adark, but is expressed by some Apale and may mark the transition from undifferentiated (cKIT–) to differentiating (cKIT+) spermatogonia. Finally, the pool of transit-amplifying progenitor spermatogonia (PLZF+, GFR{alpha}1+, NGN3+, cKIT+/–) is smaller in primates than in rodents.

CONCLUSIONS: These results provide an in-depth analysis of molecular characteristics of primate spermatogonia, including SSCs, and lay a foundation for future studies investigating the kinetics of spermatogonial renewal, clonal expansion and differentiation during primate spermatogenesis.

Key words: spermatogonial stem cells/Adark spermatogonia/Apale spermatogonia/xenotransplantation/primate

Submitted on January 15, 2009; resubmitted on February 28, 2009; accepted on March 3, 2009.


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