During normal spermatogenesis, more than half of the germ cells undergo apoptosis, but the physiological significance and molecular mechanisms of this programmed cell death are largely unknown. Because Bcl-2 functions as a death repressor, we have investigated the effect of misexpressing Bcl-2 in spermatogonia in transgenic mice using the human bcl-2 cDNA under the control of the human polypept...

Cryptorchidism represents the most common endocrine disease in boys, with infertility more frequently observed in bilateral forms. It is also known that undescended testes, if untreated, lead to an increased risk of testicular tumors, usually seminomas, arising from mutant germ cells. In normal testes, germ cell development is an active process starting in the first months of life when the neon...

objective(s):leptin is a novel and interesting hormone for anyone trying to lose weight, but its effects on male gonad structure in longitudinal study is unknown. the present study was designed to explore morphometrical changes of mouse testicular tissue after long-term administration of leptin. materials and methods:thirty healthy mature male mice were randomly assigned to either control (n=15...

BACKGROUND Spermatogonia are highly tolerant to reactive oxygen species (ROS) attack while advanced-stage germ cells such as spermatozoa are much more susceptible, but the precise reason for this variation in ROS tolerance remains unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Using the Japanese eel testicular culture system that enables a complete spermatogenesis in vitro, we report that advanced-s...

AIM To investigate whether estrogen stimulates the proliferation of spermatogonia or induces spermatogenesis in cryptorchid mice. METHODS Mice were surgically rendered cryptorchid, then treated with different doses of 17beta-estradiol (E2) s.c. once a day. Mice were killed at sexual maturity (45 days of age), and histological analysis and immunofluorescence were performed. Serum follicle stim...

Breast cancer amplified sequence 2 (BCAS2) is involved in multiple biological processes, including pre-mRNA splicing. However, the physiological roles of BCAS2 are still largely unclear. Here we report that BCAS2 is specifically enriched in spermatogonia of mouse testes. Conditional disruption of Bcas2 in male germ cells impairs spermatogenesis and leads to male mouse infertility. Although the ...

The present study examines the existence of clonogenic patterns in the proliferation and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells in two species of non-human primates, the marmoset and the rhesus monkey. We developed a novel approach to detect proliferating spermatogonial clones in whole mounts of seminiferous tubules. Dual fluorescence labeling of bromodeoxyuridine and acrosin in conjuncti...

BACKGROUND There are numerous investigations on wide range of issues that disrupt regulatory spermatogenesis, individuals who are exposed to drug abuse faced infertility and immature spermatogenesis. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the addiction effects of morphine and its derivatives on rats spermatogenesis. MATERIALS AND METHODS 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided in...

Spermatogenesis, the formation of sperm, is a complex developmental process that begins with the mitotic proliferation of spermatogonia and proceeds through extensive morphological changes that convert the haploid spermatid into a mature, functional spermatozoon. Although the process of spermatogenesis is the same in both mammalian and nonmammalian vertebrates, its control mechanisms are not we...

Mammalian spermatogenesis is maintained by spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). However, since evidentiary assays and unequivocal markers are still missing in non-human primates (NHPs) and man, the identity of primate SSCs is unknown. In contrast, in mice, germ cell transplantation studies have functionally demonstrated the presence of SSCs. LIN28 is an RNA-binding pluripotent stem cell factor, wh...