In the developing mammalian testis, only a small proportion of fetal and neonatal prospermatogonia give rise to the foundational pool of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Multiple lines of evidence have suggested the determination of which prospermatogonia give rise to foundational SSCs is not random, but is rather predetermined, such that foundational SSCs are ensured to develop advantageous characteristics such as enhanced genetic integrity. Here I suggest that differential epigenetic programing contributes to the molecular mechanisms by which an early subset of developing prospermatogonia becomes predetermined to form the foundational pool of SSCs. This would include epigenetic programing that promotes active expression of genes needed to develop advantageous characteristics, as well as differential epigenetic priming, which bookmarks genes that comprise the SSC-specific transcriptome to become activated when foundational SSCs appear in the postnatal testis. I suggest that, together, differential epigenetic programing and epigenetic priming contribute to the molecular mechanisms by which an early subset of developing prospermatogonia becomes predetermined to form the foundational pool of SSCs.
Keywords: cell fate; epigenetic priming; prospermatogonia; spermatogenesis; spermatogonial stem cells.
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