Neonatal administration of diethylstilbestrol has adverse effects on somatic cells rather than germ cells

• Published in: Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2006-11, Vol.22 (4), p.746-753
• Main Authors: Koh, Kyu-Bom, Toyama, Yoshiro, Komiyama, Masatoshi, Adachi, Tetsuya, Fukata, Hideki, Mori, Chisato
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating - toxicity; Biological and medical sciences; Busulfan; Busulfan - toxicity; Cell Proliferation - drug effects; Diethylstilbestrol; Diethylstilbestrol - administration & dosage; Diethylstilbestrol - toxicity; Embryology: invertebrates and vertebrates. Teratology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Germ cell; Germ cell transplantation; Green fluorescence; Green Fluorescent Proteins - genetics; Green Fluorescent Proteins - metabolism; Injections, Subcutaneous; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Microscopy, Fluorescence - methods; Seminiferous Tubules - cytology; Seminiferous Tubules - drug effects; Somatic cell; Spermatogenesis - drug effects; Spermatogonia - cytology; Spermatogonia - drug effects; Spermatogonia - transplantation; Stem Cell Transplantation - methods; Teratology. Teratogens; Testis - cytology; Testis - drug effects; Testis - transplantation; Toxicology
• ISSN: 0890-6238; 1873-1708
• DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2006.07.006

Neonatal administration of diethylstilbestrol (DES) to rodents has adverse effects on spermatogenesis. However, not many studies have been conducted to determine which type of cell – germ or somatic – is the major target of DES. In order to clarify this, we tried reciprocal germ cell transplantation—transplantation of germ cells from DES-treated mice into intact mice and germ cells from normal mice into DES-treated mice. The donor germ cells were tagged with the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene in order to distinguish the exogenous germ cells from the endogenous cells. Moreover, to obtain a large number of spermatogonia from the testes of adult mice, we performed fractionation by centrifugation with Percoll. Consequently, we found that the germ cells collected from DES-treated mice have differentiated into normal sperms in normal seminiferous tubules. However, in the case of the transplantation of normal germ cells into the seminiferous tubules of DES-treated mice, defective spermatogenesis was observed. In conclusion, DES has adverse effects on the somatic cells that are involved in spermatogenesis rather than the germ cells.