Stage-specific changes in GDNF expression by rat Sertoli cells: a possible regulator of the replication and differentiation of stem spermatogonia.

ABSTRACT: In the adult testis, the precise control of the self-renewing replication and differentiation of stem spermatogonia is fundamental to male fertility. Previous studies have shown that the replication of A single (A(s)) spermatogonia, a population that includes the stem cells, is maximal at stage I of the cycle of the rat seminiferous epithelium and minimal at stage VII, while the ratio of A-paired spermatogonia to A(s) spermatogonia increases from stages I to VII. It has been hypothesized that these changes in A(s) spermatogonia replication and differentiation result from changes in the expression of glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) by Sertoli cells. To directly test this hypothesis, we used immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy to demonstrate that within intact semi

SUBMITTER: Johnston DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3184291 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature