JCB logo
Accuri Cytometers
  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF, 564K)
Right arrow PPT slides of all figures
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new content in the JCB
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gnessi, L.
Right arrow Articles by Betsholtz, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gnessi, L.
Right arrow Articles by Betsholtz, C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Complore   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Facebook   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati   Add to Twitter  
What's this?

© The Rockefeller University Press, 0021-9525/2000//1019 $5.00
The Journal of Cell Biology, Volume 149, Number 5, , 2000 1019-1026

Brief Report

Leydig Cell Loss and Spermatogenic Arrest in Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (Pdgf)-a–Deficient Mice



Lucio Gnessia, Sabrina Basciania, Stefania Mariania, Mario Arizzia, Giovanni Speraa, Chiayeng Wangb, Cecilia Bondjersc, Linda Karlssonc, and Christer Betsholtzc

a Department of Medical Pathophysiology, University of Rome "La Sapienza", 00161 Roma, Italy
b Center for Molecular Biology of Oral Diseases, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60612-7213
c Department of Medical Biochemistry, University of Göteborg, SE 405 30 Göteborg, Sweden
Dipartimento di Fisiopatologia Medica, Policlinico Umberto I, Università di Roma "La Sapienza", 00161 Roma, Italy.39 06 446145039 06 49970509

l.gnessi{at}caspur.it

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)- A–deficient male mice were found to develop progressive reduction of testicular size, Leydig cells loss, and spermatogenic arrest. In normal mice, the PDGF-A and PDGF-R{alpha} expression pattern showed positive cells in the seminiferous epithelium and in interstitial mesenchymal cells, respectively. The testicular defects seen in PDGF-A–/– mice, combined with the normal developmental expression of PDGF-A and PDGF-R{alpha}, indicate that through an epithelial-mesenchymal signaling, the PDGF-A gene is essential for the development of the Leydig cell lineage. These findings suggest that PDGF-A may play a role in the cascade of genes involved in male gonad differentiation. The Leydig cell loss and the spermatogenic impairment in the mutant mice are reminiscent of cases of testicular failure in man.

Key Words: PDGF-A • gene targeting • Leydig cell • spermatogenesis • testis

© 2000 The Rockefeller University Press

Abbreviations used in this paper: BrdU, bromodeoxyuridine; LH, luteinizing hormone; PAS, periodic acid-Schiff; PMC, peritubular myoid cells; RLF, relaxin-like factor; TUNEL, TdT-mediated dUTP biotin nick end labeling; WT, wild-type.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Complore Complore   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Facebook Facebook   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati   Add to Twitter Twitter    What's this?




  Home | Help | Feedback | Subscriptions | Archive | Search | Table of Contents