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#spermatogonial stem cells

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Stem Cell -l

Spermatogonial stem cells are classified as:

In mammalian testis seminiferous tubules, spermatogonial stem cells reside on basement membrane, maintained by glial-derived neurotrophic factor GDNF secreted by Sertoli nurse cells activating Ret and Gfra1 receptors plus FGF2 and CSF1 from interstitial Leydig cells. Functional transplantation demonstrates single SSC can repopulate experimentally emptied testis and reinitiate complete spermatogenesis generating functional spermatozoa continuously. Although defined culture conditions with growth factors may reveal in vitro plasticity toward pluripotency, physiological lineage tracing confirms essentially exclusive sperm production throughout adult life, establishing unipotent classification despite remarkable self-renewal capacity.

Ref: Kanatsu-Shinohara et al., Cell 2003; De Rooij, Reproduction 2006: Spermatogonial unipotent in vivo self-renewing.

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Stem Cell -ll

Spermatogonial stem cells are classified as:

Spermatogonial stem cells reside along basement membrane of seminiferous tubules within specialized niche maintained by Sertoli cells producing glial-derived neurotrophic factor GDNF and fibroblast growth factor FGF2. In steady-state spermatogenesis they undergo self-renewing divisions to maintain pool and simultaneously produce differentiating spermatogonia that ultimately yield haploid spermatozoa through meiosis. Although capable of long-term self-renewal like other adult stem cells, lineage tracing demonstrates in vivo they generate only sperm lineage, and during prolonged culture can regain pluripotency if reprogrammed. Under physiological conditions they are classified as unipotent committed to male gamete lineage.

Ref: De Rooij & Russell, Reproduction 2000; Kanatsu-Shinohara, Cell 2003: Spermatogonial stem cells unipotent.

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