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Published Online June 20, 2002
Science DOI: 10.1126/science.1073162

Reports

Submitted on April 22, 2002
Accepted on June 12, 2002

Generation and in Vitro Differentiation of a Spermatogonial Cell Line

Li-Xin Feng 1, Yali Chen 1, Luis Dettin 1, Renee A. Reijo Pera 2, John C. Herr 3, Erwin Goldberg 4, Martin Dym 1

1 Department of Cell Biology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20007, USA.
2 Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
3 Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA.
4 Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60208, USA.

Spermatogenesis is the process by which spermatogonial stem cells divide and differentiate to produce sperm. In vitro sperm production has been difficult to achieve because of the lack of a culture system to maintain viable spermatogonia for long periods of time. Here we report the in vitro generation of spermatocytes and spermatids from telomerase-immortalized mouse type A spermatogonial cells in the presence of stem cell factor. This differentiation can occur in the absence of supportive cells. The immortalized spermatogonial cell line may serve as a powerful tool in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of spermatogenesis. Furthermore, through genomic modification and transplantation techniques, this male germ cell line may be used to generate transgenic mice and to develop germ cell gene therapy.


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