Spermatogonial stem cells

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the most primitive spermatogonia in the testis and have an essential role to maintain highly productive spermatogenesis by self-renewal and continuous generation of daughter spermatogonia that differentiate into spermatozoa, transmitting genetic information to th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biology of reproduction 2018-07, Vol.99 (1), p.52-74
Main Authors: Kubota, Hiroshi, Brinster, Ralph L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult Germline Stem Cells - cytology
Animals
Cell self-renewal
cryopreservation
Gene therapy
germ cell transplantation
germline modification
germline stem cell
Humans
infertility treatment
Male
Physiological aspects
Reproductive health
Review
REVIEWS
Spermatogenesis - physiology
Spermatogonia - cytology
spermatogonial stem cell
spermatogonium
stem cell culture
stem cell niche
Stem cells
Testis - cytology
transdifferentiation
transgenesis
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Summary:Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are the most primitive spermatogonia in the testis and have an essential role to maintain highly productive spermatogenesis by self-renewal and continuous generation of daughter spermatogonia that differentiate into spermatozoa, transmitting genetic information to the next generation. Since the 1950s, many experimentalmethods, including histology, immunostaining, whole-mount analyses, and pulse-chase labeling, had been used in attempts to identify SSCs, but without success. In 1994, a spermatogonial transplantation method was reported that established a quantitative functional assay to identify SSCs by evaluating their ability to both self-renew and differentiate to spermatozoa. The system was originally developed using mice and subsequently extended to nonrodents, including domestic animals and humans. Availability of the functional assay for SSCs has made it possible to develop culture systems for their ex vivo expansion, which dramatically advanced germ cell biology and allowed medical and agricultural applications. In coming years, SSCs will be increasingly used to understand their regulation, as well as in germline modification, including gene correction, enhancement of male fertility, and conversion of somatic cells to biologically competent male germline cells.
ISSN:0006-3363
1529-7268
DOI:10.1093/biolre/ioy077