THY1 is a conserved marker of undifferentiated spermatogonia in the pre-pubertal bull testis

Abstract

The undifferentiated spermatogonial population consists of stem and progenitor germ cells which function to provide the foundation for spermatogenesis. The stem cell component, termed spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), is capable of self-renewal and differentiation. These unique attributes have made them a target for novel technologies to enhance reproductive function in males. With bulls, culture and transplantation of SSCs have the potential to enhance efficiency of cattle production and provide a novel avenue to generate transgenic animals. Isolation of SSCs is an essential component for the development of these techniques. In rodents and non-human primates, undifferentiated spermatogonia and SSCs express the surface marker THY1. The hypothesis tested in this study was that THY1 is a conserved marker of the undifferentiated spermatogonial population in bulls. Flow cytometric analyses showed that the THY1C cell fraction comprises a rare sub-population in testes of pre-pubertal bulls. Immunocytochemical analyses of the isolated THY1C fraction for expression of VASA showed that this cell population is comprised mostly of germ cells. Additionally, expression of the undifferentiated spermatogonial specific transcription factor promyelocytic leukemia zinc finger (PLZF, ZBTB16) protein was found to be enriched in the isolated THY1C testis cell fraction. Lastly, xenogeneic transplantation of bull testis cells into seminiferous tubules of immunodeficient mice resulted in greater than sixfold more colonies from isolated THY1C cells compared to the unselected total testis cell population indicating SSC enrichment. Collectively, these results demonstrate that THY1 is a marker of undifferentiated spermatogonia in testes of pre-pubertal bulls, and isolation of THY1C cells results in their enrichment from the total testis cell population.Reproduction (2010) 139 893-903

Spermatogonial stem cells: Current biotechnological advances in reproduction and regenerative medicine

“…That is the case of the widely accepted marker GFRα1, the receptor for GDNF in SSCs [43] . In domestic animals, besides GFRα1, another important marker for both gonocytes (perinatal germline stem cells) and SSCs is THY1 [44][45][46] . are able to generate very diverse tissues while in cell culture [1,3] .…”

Derivation, enrichment and characterization of goat (Capra hircus) spermatogonial stem cells from pre-pubertal testes

“…Among the transcription factors, PLZF expression has been reported in gonocytes and undifferentiated spermatogonia and has been shown to be essential for spermatogonial stem cell maintenance and self-renewal in mouse (Luo et al 2006), goat (Pramod and Mitra 2014) cattle (Reding et al 2010) and buffalo (Kadam et al 2012). THY1 has been shown to be a unique surface marker of SSCs in mice (Kubota et al 2004b), cattle (Reding et al 2010), buffalo (Kadam et al 2012) and goat (Abbasi et al 2013), while UCHL1 is expressed in pre-meiotic male germ cells.…”

“…THY1 has been shown to be a unique surface marker of SSCs in mice (Kubota et al 2004b), cattle (Reding et al 2010), buffalo (Kadam et al 2012) and goat (Abbasi et al 2013), while UCHL1 is expressed in pre-meiotic male germ cells. Its expression has been reported in pre pubertal testes from pigs, cattle and buffalo (Luo et al 2006, Herrid et al 2007, Goel et al 2010.…”

Spermatogonial Stem Cells and Animal Transgenesis

“…They are essential transcription factors for the maintenance of pluripotency (Goel et al, 2008). THY-1, a member of the Ig super family is highly expressed in rat stem cells and in SSCs from pre-pubertal bulls (Aponte et al, 2005, Ryu et al, 2004and Reding et al, 2010, However, the role of THY-1 in the male fertility is still unknown (Aponte et al, 2005 andBarlow et al, 2002). PLZF (Zfp145) is a molecular marker for A s , A pr and A al spermatogonia and as GRFA1, it is related with self-renewal of SSC (Aponte et al, 2005;Buaas et al, 2004 andCostoya et al, 2004 …”