Role Of STPB-C In The Development Of Spermatogonial Stem Cells In Mice

Male germline stem cells--spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs)--are the germline stem cells in adults; either renew themselves or differentiate into later-stage spermatogonia, which eventually transform into mature spermatozoa throughout postnatal life and transmit genetic information to the next generation. A single SSC has the ability to produce thousands of spermatozoa; therefore, it is an ideal target for genetic modification to efficiently generate transgenic animals. The SSC transplantation technique has been used to study the biological mechanisms of SSCs, which made possible the identification of external factors that support in vitro self-renewal and proliferation of SSCs.Short type PB-cadherin (STPB-C) belongs to the cadherin super family, which was first identified in pituitary gland and brain. Recent research revealed that STPB-C expressed in SSCs and Sertoli cells of the neonatal testis, indicating that it may play a role in the regulation of maintenance and differentiation of male germ line cells. In our study, we apply the technique of the SSC transplantation to generate STPB-C over- expression and gene-silencing mouse model to reveal the role of STPB-C in the development of SSCs. It is indicated that STPB-C can promote proliferation of SSCs during a short period of time in vitro, and both STPB-C over-expression and gene-silence lead to lethality in positive mouse. Also, expriments reveal that STPB-C has certain relation with cell adherence and contact inhibition.