Single-cell RNAseq analysis of testicular germ and somatic cell development during the perinatal period
Citations Over TimeTop 10% of 2020 papers
Abstract
Pro-spermatogonia (SG) serve as the gateway to spermatogenesis. Using single-cell RNA sequencing (RNAseq), we studied the development of ProSG, their SG descendants and testicular somatic cells during the perinatal period in mice. We identified both gene and protein markers for three temporally distinct ProSG cell subsets, including a migratory cell population with a transcriptome distinct from the previously defined T1- and T2-ProSG stages. This intermediate (I)-ProSG subset translocates from the center of seminiferous tubules to the spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) 'niche' in its periphery soon after birth. We identified three undifferentiated SG subsets at postnatal day 7, each of which expresses distinct genes, including transcription factor and signaling genes. Two of these subsets have the characteristics of newly emergent SSCs. We also molecularly defined the development of Sertoli, Leydig and peritubular myoid cells during the perinatal period, allowing us to identify candidate signaling pathways acting between somatic and germ cells in a stage-specific manner during the perinatal period. Our study provides a rich resource for those investigating testicular germ and somatic cell developmental during the perinatal period.
Related Papers
- → Approaches for identifying germ cell mutagens: Report of the 2013 IWGT workshop on germ cell assays☆(2015)112 cited
- → Morphometry of rat germ cells during spermatogenesis(1995)34 cited
- → Comparison of somatic and germ cell models for cytogenetic screening(1982)59 cited
- → ANTIMUTAGENIC EFFECTS OF TANNIC ACID ON SOMATIC AND GERM CELLS OF RATS(2011)3 cited
- Resistance Effects of Metallothionein on Damage of Germ Cells Caused by Methymercury(2002)