Project description:Sustained spermatogenesis in adult males and recovery of fertility following germ cell depletion are dependent on undifferentiated spermatogonia with self-renewal potential. We have previously demonstrated a critical role for the transcription factor Spalt-like 4 (SALL4) in spermatogonial differentiation. However, it remains unclear whether SALL4 has broader roles within the spermatogonial pool despite its ability to co-regulate genes with PLZF, a transcription factor required for undifferentiated cell maintenance. To identify genes regulated by SALL4 in the male germline, we established cultures of undifferentiated spermatogonia from a Sall4 inducible knockout mouse model. Cells were treated with vehicle (as control) or tamoxifen to induce gene deletion, then cells harvested and analysed by microarray to identify genes mis-expressed upon loss of SALL4.
Project description:DDX5, or PLZF co-immunoprecipitation in lysates from cultured undifferentiated spermatogonia followed by identification of eluted proteins using mass spectrometry. IgG control IPs included.
Project description:We show that Glis3 is expressed in gonocytes, SSCs and SPCs, but not in differentiated spermatogonia or subsequent stages of spermatogenesis nor in Sertoli or Leydig cells. We further demonstrate that Glis3-deficiency causes a severe impairment in spermatogenesis in mice. Although the number of gonocytes was slightly diminished in Glis3KO testis, the number undifferentiated, PLZF+ spermatogonia was dramatically reduced leading to a virtual block in the progression of spermatogenesis. Gene expression profiling showed that the expression of a number of genes associated with self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial cells was significantly decreased in 1-week-old Glis3KO2 testis. These included a set of GDNF-dependent genes, such as Etv5, Bcl6b, Lhx1, Brachyury, Id4, and Pou3f1, and GDNF-independent genes, such as FoxO1, Oct4, and Zbtb16. Impairment of the nuclear localization of FoxO1 may be in part responsible for the reduced expression of Ret, Lhx1, and Sall4 in Glis3KO2 testis. Our study identifies Glis3 as a novel and critical regulator of early stages of spermatogenesis. Thy1+ cells were isolated from 3 WT and 3 Glis3KO2 testis at postnatal day 4, and total RNAs were purified from them. Then the samples were applied to Agilent mouse genome chip.
Project description:The undifferentiated spermatogonial population of mouse testis is functionally heterogeneous and contains stem cells and committed progenitor cells. However, gene expression patterns marking these distinct cell fractions are poorly defined. Therefore, our aim was to profile gene expression of undifferentiated cells by RNA-Seq at the single cell level. Undifferentiated cells were therefore isolated from adult mouse testes based on expression of a Plzf/Zbtb16 gene reporter, which marks both stem and progenitor spermatogonia. Isolated cells were then processed using the 10X Chromium system and analysed by RNA-Seq. Our goal was to characterize distinct subsets of undifferentiated spermatogonia based on gene expression patterns.
Project description:We show that Glis3 is expressed in gonocytes, SSCs and SPCs, but not in differentiated spermatogonia or subsequent stages of spermatogenesis nor in Sertoli or Leydig cells. We further demonstrate that Glis3-deficiency causes a severe impairment in spermatogenesis in mice. Although the number of gonocytes was slightly diminished in Glis3KO testis, the number undifferentiated, PLZF+ spermatogonia was dramatically reduced leading to a virtual block in the progression of spermatogenesis. Gene expression profiling showed that the expression of a number of genes associated with self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial cells was significantly decreased in 1-week-old Glis3KO2 testis. These included a set of GDNF-dependent genes, such as Etv5, Bcl6b, Lhx1, Brachyury, Id4, and Pou3f1, and GDNF-independent genes, such as FoxO1, Oct4, and Zbtb16. Impairment of the nuclear localization of FoxO1 may be in part responsible for the reduced expression of Ret, Lhx1, and Sall4 in Glis3KO2 testis. Our study identifies Glis3 as a novel and critical regulator of early stages of spermatogenesis. Testis total RNAs were purified from 4 WT and 4 Glis3KO2 at 1 week old age, and 3WT and 3 Glis3KO2 at 3 week-old age. Then the samples were applied to Agilent mouse genome chip.
Project description:We examined a regulatory role of the AR during the process of spermatogenesis. Using a SSCs-Sertoli cells co-culture system, we demonstrated that androgen negatively regulated Plzf in SSCs that co-exist with Sertoli cells. In addition, we identified Gata2 as a target of AR in Sertoli cells, and subsequently observed that Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) and β1-integrin as two putative intermediate molecules to transfer the differentiation signals to SSCs. This signal pathway was further verified using androgen pharmacological deprivation mice model. These results demonstrate a regulatory pattern of androgen in SSCs niche, that androgen turns off the stemness maintenance switch PLZF in undifferentiated spermatogonia populations to promote spermatogenesis in an indirect way via multiple steps of signal transduction.