Abstract
Testicular cells composed mostly of germ cells and immature Sertoli cells from neonatal mice 2 and 5 days old were cultured to investigate germ-cell proliferation mediated by the c-kit receptor. The addition of antibody to block the interaction of the c-kit receptor with its ligand inhibited the proliferation of cultured spermatogonia from 5-day-old mice in a dose-dependent manner, but not from that of 2-day-old mice. The addition of anti-c-kit ACK2 monoclonal antibody also inhibited the proliferation of spermatogonia from 5-day-old mutant Sld/Sld mice but not of 5-day-old mutant Wv/Wv mice. The results indicate that c-kit-positive type A spermatogonia in the testes of 5-day-old mice require steel factor (kit ligand) for their proliferation, whereas self-renewal and differentiation of c-kit-negative primitive type A spermatogonia in the testes of 2-day-old mice do not.
Publication types
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Antibodies, Monoclonal / pharmacology
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Cell Differentiation / physiology
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Cell Division / physiology*
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Cells, Cultured
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Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
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Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors / physiology
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Immunohistochemistry
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Male
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Mice
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Mice, Inbred C57BL
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Mice, Mutant Strains
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins / immunology
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism*
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / immunology
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism*
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Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor / immunology
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Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor / metabolism*
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Spermatogonia / cytology*
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Stem Cell Factor
Substances
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Antibodies, Monoclonal
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Hematopoietic Cell Growth Factors
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins
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Receptors, Colony-Stimulating Factor
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Stem Cell Factor
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Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases