Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 5
Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation
and Culture
Jonathan A. Schmidt and Ralph L. Brinster
Abstract
The study of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) has been hampered by
the lack of techniques to identify, quantify, and maintain these cells both
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Although markers to definitively identify a specific cell as a SSC are
still unknown, techniques to maintain SSCs
in vitro
and to quantify the number of
SSCs in a specific cell population have been developed. SSC transplantation is a
technique in which a population of cells is transplanted into the testis of a recipient.
Presence of SSCs within the transplanted cells can later be validated by the produc-
tion of donor-derived colonies of spermatogenesis within the recipient testis. This
technique is extremely valuable for the quantitative analysis of the effect of experi-
mental treatments on SSC numbers as well as the generation of donor-derived and
transgenic spermatozoa for biotechnological applications.
In vitro
SSC culture has
allowed for a platform to study mechanisms regulating SSC function outside of the
testis, and when combined with SSC transplantation, serves as a powerful tool to
study these cells. The development of SSC transplantation and culture techniques
has revolutionized the study of these important cells; however, care must be taken
when interpreting data using these techniques due to the absence of a definitive
SSC marker. Nevertheless, many recent advances using these techniques, including
SSC transplantation in livestock and companion animals and the elucidation of the
roles of growth factors in SSC function, have significantly advanced the field of
SSC biology.
Keywords
Spermatogonial stem cell • Culture • Transplantation • Germ cell
• Testis
R.L. Brinster (
*
)
Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania,
3850 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6009, USA
e-mail: cpope@vet.upenn.edu
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