Identifying disruptors of male germ cell development by small molecule screening in ex vivo gonad cultures

Germ cell development involves formation of the spermatogenic or oogenic lineages from the bipotential primordial germ cells. Signaling mechanisms in the fetal testis and ovary determine whether germ cells enter the male or female developmental pathway, respectively. These signaling processes underp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:BMC research notes 2013-04, Vol.6 (1), p.168-168, Article 168
Main Authors: Wakeling, Stephanie I, Miles, Denise C, Western, Patrick S
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Animals
Chemicals
Embryos
Endocrine disruptors
Experiments
Female
Flow cytometry
Genetics
Health sciences
In Vitro Techniques
Male
Methods
Mice
Mice, Transgenic
Proteins
Rodents
Scholarships & fellowships
Small Molecule Libraries
Spermatozoa
Spermatozoa - cytology
Spermatozoa - drug effects
Technical Note
Technological change
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Germ cell development involves formation of the spermatogenic or oogenic lineages from the bipotential primordial germ cells. Signaling mechanisms in the fetal testis and ovary determine whether germ cells enter the male or female developmental pathway, respectively. These signaling processes underpin an important phase of germ cell development, disruption of which can lead to failed germ cell function resulting in infertility or the formation of germ cell tumours. In this study we have developed a small molecule screening protocol combined with flow cytometry to identify signaling pathways that direct male-specific development of germ cells. Here we provide a detailed method for this screening protocol, which we have used to identify signaling pathways important for male germ cell development. This method will be of particular use in screening inhibitors of signaling pathways, endocrine disruptors or other chemicals for their ability to disrupt testis and germ cell development, thereby providing insight into testicular dysgenesis and factors underlying poor male reproductive health.
ISSN:1756-0500
1756-0500
DOI:10.1186/1756-0500-6-168