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Spermatogonial stem cells in higher primates: are there differences to those in rodents?

B Hermann, Ob/Gyn and Reproductive Sciences, Magee-Womens Research Institute , University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, 15213, United States
M Sukhwani, Magee Womens Research Institute, Pittsburgh, United States
M Hansel, Interdisciplinary Biomedical Graduate Program, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, United States
K Orwig, Ob/Gyn & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, 15213, United States

Correspondence: Kyle Orwig, Email: korwig{at}pdc.magee.edu

Abstract

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) maintain spermatogenesis throughout the reproductive life of mammals. While Asingle spermatogonia comprise the rodent SSC pool, the identity of the stem cell pool in the primate spermatogenic lineage is not well established. The prevailing model is that primate spermatogenesis arises from Adark and Apale spermatogonia, which are considered to represent reserve and active stem cells, respectively. However, there is limited information about how the Adark and Apale descriptions of nuclear morphology correlate with the clonal (Asingle, Apaired Aaligned), molecular (e.g., GFR1, PLZF) and functional (SSC transplantation) descriptions of rodent SSCs. Thus, there is a need to investigate primate SSCs using criteria, tools, and approaches that have been used to investigate rodent SSCs over the past two decades. SSCs have potential clinical application for treating some cases of male infertility, providing impetus for characterizing and learning to manipulate these adult tissue stem cells in primates (nonhuman and human). This review recounts the development of a xenotransplant assay for functional identification of primate SSCs and progress dissecting the molecular and clonal characteristics of the primate spermatogenic lineage. These observations highlight similarities and potential differences between rodents and primates regarding the SSC pool and the kinetics of spermatogonial self-renewal and clonal expansion. With new tools and reagents for studying primate spermatogonia, the field is poised to develop and test new hypotheses about the biology and regenerative capacity of primate SSCs.