Title |
Germ cells influence cord formation and leydig cell gene expression during mouse testis development
|
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Published in |
Developmental Dynamics, January 2016
|
DOI | 10.1002/dvdy.24371 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Clarissa Rios-Rojas, Cassy Spiller, Josephine Bowles, Peter Koopman |
Abstract |
It is widely accepted that, during the development of testes in the mammalian embryo, male germ cells are influenced by signals from the surrounding somatic cells, but not vice versa, so that germ cells are dispensable for the formation of testes. We now demonstrate that development of the mouse fetal testis is compromised in the absence of germ cells. Using two- and three-dimensional imaging techniques, we reveal that W(e) /W(e) mutant testes devoid of germ cells have misshapen and poorly organized cords. We also found that mutant gonads have fewer Sertoli cells than normal and that the Leydig cells express key markers at higher than normal levels. These observations point to the existence of germ cell-derived signals that directly or indirectly affect the Sertoli and Leydig cell populations, and provide a new paradigm for the organogenesis of the mammalian testes. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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United Kingdom | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 21 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Researcher | 7 | 33% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 7 | 33% |
Lecturer > Senior Lecturer | 2 | 10% |
Lecturer | 1 | 5% |
Student > Bachelor | 1 | 5% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 3 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 9 | 43% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 4 | 19% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 4 | 19% |
Unknown | 4 | 19% |