Autonomous differentiation of Drosophila spermatogonia in vitro

Spermatogenesis is a complex process that produces functional sperm by establishing male germline stem cells (mGSCs) in adult testes. To study Drosophila spermatogenesis in vitro, we examined various culture conditions of spermatogonia. Spermatogonia from larval testes began to differentiate soon af...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Development, growth & differentiation growth & differentiation, 2008-09, Vol.50 (7), p.623-632
Main Authors: Kawamoto, Tatsuya, Kawai, Keita, Kodama, Tatsuji, Yokokura, Tomohiro, Niki, Yuzo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
cell culture
Cell Differentiation - physiology
Cell Division - physiology
Cells, Cultured
differentiation
Drosophila
Drosophila - physiology
germline stem cell
growth factors
Larva - cytology
Larva - physiology
Male
Mitosis - physiology
Models, Biological
Organ Culture Techniques
Sperm Motility - physiology
Spermatids - physiology
spermatogonia
Spermatogonia - physiology
Testis - cytology
Testis - physiology
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Summary:Spermatogenesis is a complex process that produces functional sperm by establishing male germline stem cells (mGSCs) in adult testes. To study Drosophila spermatogenesis in vitro, we examined various culture conditions of spermatogonia. Spermatogonia from larval testes began to differentiate soon after culture, whereas mGSCs did not undergo self-renewal division. Strikingly, 16-cell spermatogonia from early and late larval testes differentiated into motile spermatids autonomously. Furthermore, individual spermatogonia developed into motile spermatids even after mechanical dissociation from encapsulating cyst cells. This is the first study to report that spermatogonia in larval testes retain the ability to differentiate into spermatids in the absence of gonadal tissue. Our in vitro system should provide an excellent opportunity to study spermatogenesis in detail and apply genetic manipulation.
ISSN:0012-1592
1440-169X
DOI:10.1111/j.1440-169X.2008.01060.x