Retinoblastoma protein (RB1) controls fate determination in stem cells and progenitors of the mouse male germline.

ABSTRACT: Continual spermatogenesis is the cornerstone of male fertility and relies on the actions of an undifferentiated spermatogonial population comprised of stem cells and progenitors. A foundational spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) pool is established during postnatal development that serves as a self-renewing reservoir from which progenitor spermatogonia arise that transiently amplify in number before committing to terminal differentiation. At present, the underlying molecular mechanisms governing these actions are undefined. Using conditional mutant mouse models, we investigated whether function of the undifferentiated spermatogonial population during postnatal life is influenced by the tumor suppressor protein RB1. Spermatogenesis initiates in mice with conditional inactivation of Rb1 in prosp

SUBMITTER: Yang QE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4434987 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature