Understanding the Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Meiotic Arrest during In Vitro Spermatogenesis in Rat Prepubertal Testicular Tissue.

ABSTRACT: In vitro spermatogenesis appears to be a promising approach to restore the fertility of childhood cancer survivors. The rat model has proven to be challenging, since germ cell maturation is arrested in organotypic cultures. Here, we report that, despite a meiotic entry, abnormal synaptonemal complexes were found in spermatocytes, and in vitro matured rat prepubertal testicular tissues displayed an immature phenotype. RNA-sequencing analyses highlighted up to 600 differentially expressed genes between in vitro and in vivo conditions, including genes involved in blood-testis barrier (BTB) formation and steroidogenesis. BTB integrity, the expression of two steroidogenic enzymes, and androgen receptors were indeed altered in vitro. Moreover, most of the top 10 predicted upstream regulators of

SUBMITTER: Saulnier J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9180380 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature