Exposure to retinoic acid in the neonatal but not adult mouse results in synchronous spermatogenesis.

ABSTRACT: Retinoic acid (RA) is required for germ cell differentiation, the regulation of which gives rise to a constant production of mature sperm. In testes from 3-day postpartum (dpp) RARE-hsplacZ mice, periodic regions positive for beta-galactosidase activity were observed along the length of the seminiferous tubules. Periodicity was abolished by treatment of neonates with exogenous RA at 2 dpp. To assess the consequences, 2-dpp mice were treated with RA, and the long- and short-term effects were assessed. Long-term effects of neonatal RA exposure included a delay in the appearance of advanced germ cells and the absence of a spermatogenic wave (synchronous spermatogenesis) in the adult. In contrast, RA exposure in vitamin A-sufficient adults did not result in synchronous spermatogenesis but rath

SUBMITTER: Snyder EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3080418 | biostudies-literature | 2011 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature