Prepubertal testis development relies on retinoic acid but not rexinoid receptors in Sertoli cells.

ABSTRACT: Sertoli cells (SC) are instrumental to stem spermatogonia differentiation, a process that critically depends on retinoic acid (RA). We show here that selective ablation of RA receptor alpha (RARalpha) gene in mouse SC, singly (Rara(Ser-/-) mutation) or in combination with RARbeta and RARgamma genes (Rara/b/g(Ser-/-) mutation), abolishes cyclical gene expression in these cells. It additionally induces testis degeneration and delays spermatogonial expression of Stra8, two hallmarks of RA deficiency. As identical defects are generated upon inactivation of RARalpha in the whole organism, our data demonstrate that all the functions exerted by RARalpha in male reproduction are Sertoli cell-autonomous. They further indicate that RARalpha is a master regulator of the cyclical activity of SC and co

SUBMITTER: Vernet N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1698894 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature