Premium
Cessation of Spermatogenesis in Juvenile Spermatogonia! Depletion (jsd/jsd) Mice
Author(s) -
Kojima Yasuyuki,
Kominami Katsuya,
Dohmae Kayoko,
omura Norio,
Miki Tsuneharu,
Okuyama Akihiko,
Nishimune Yoshitake,
Okabe Masaru
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of urology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.172
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1442-2042
pISSN - 0919-8172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1442-2042.1997.tb00293.x
Subject(s) - spermatogenesis , biology , spermatocyte , andrology , spermatid , juvenile , sertoli cell , azoospermia , meiosis , infertility , genetics , endocrinology , medicine , gene , pregnancy
Background : Mice homozygousforthe jsd (juvenilespermatogonial depletion) allele are sterile because they become azoospermic. The onset of such azoospermia was investigated by histologic analysis of sections of testes from jsd/jsd mice. Method : The testes removed from C57BL/6‐ jsd/jsd mice aged 3 to 10 weeks were examined microscopically. Results : At 3 weeks of age, spermatocytes were seen in most of the seminiferous tubules of jsd/jsd mice. However, the number of tubules that contained spermatids was significantly smaller than that counted in the wild‐type mice. Since degenerative figures were not abundant in the jsd/jsd testes, the decreased number of spermatids found in the tubules suggested a longer duration of development from spermatocyte to spermatid in jsd/jsd mice. The abnormality extended to the development of type B spermatogonia, and a decrease in their number became apparent after 6 weeks of age in most of the jsd/jsd tubules. However, as early as 3 weeks of age, a few seminiferous tubules in jsd/jsd mice already contained only Sertoli cells and type A spermatogonia. Conclusion : It is assumed that the decrease in type B spermatogonia occurred at various ages and locations. The defect of spermatogenesis in jsd/jsd mice was attributable to aberrations in multiple steps of spermatogenesis.