Mouse spermatogenic stem cells continually interconvert between equipotent singly isolated and syncytial states

Kenshiro Hara, Toshinori Nakagawa, Hideki Enomoto, Mikiko Suzuki, Masayuki Yamamoto, Benjamin D. Simons, Shosei Yoshida

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

213 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The identity and behavior of mouse spermatogenic stem cells have been a long-standing focus of interest. In the prevailing "As model," stem cell function is restricted to singly isolated (As) spermatogonia. By examining single-cell dynamics of GFRα1+ stem cells in vivo, we evaluate an alternative hypothesis that, through fragmentation, syncytial spermatogonia also contribute to stem cell function in homeostasis. We use live imaging and pulse labeling to quantitatively determine the fates of individual GFRα1+ cells and find that, during steady-state spermatogenesis, the entire GFRα1+ population comprises a single stem cell pool, in which cells continually interconvert between As and syncytial states. A minimal biophysical model, relying only on the rates of incomplete cell division and syncytial fragmentation, precisely predicts the stochastic fates of GFRα1+ cells during steady state and postinsult regeneration. Thus, our results define an alternative and dynamic model for spermatogenic stem cell function in the mouse testis.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)658-672
Number of pages15
JournalCell Stem Cell
Volume14
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2014 May 1

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