Two functionally redundant sources of retinoic acid secure spermatogonia differentiation in the seminiferous epithelium.

ABSTRACT: In mammals, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) is instrumental to spermatogenesis. It is synthesized by two retinaldehyde dehydrogenases (RALDH) present in both Sertoli cells (SCs) and germ cells (GCs). In order to determine the relative contributions of each source of ATRA, we have generated mice lacking all RALDH activities in the seminiferous epithelium (SE). We show that both the SC- and GC-derived sources of ATRA cooperate to initiate and propagate spermatogenetic waves at puberty. In adults, they exert redundant functions and, against all expectations, the GC-derived source does not perform any specific roles despite contributing to two-thirds of the total amount of ATRA present in the testis. The production from SCs is sufficient to maintain the periodic expression of genes in SC

SUBMITTER: Teletin M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6340151 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature