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Division of Eukaryotic Molecular Genetics, MRC National Institute for Medical Research, The Ridgeway, Mill Hill, London NW7 1AA, UK
* Present address: Laboratory of Mammalian Neurogenesis, MRC Clinical Sciences Centre, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, UK
Present address: Section of Gene Function and Regulation, Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, 237 Fulham Road, London SW3 6JB, UK
Present address: Département de Biologie du Développement, Institut Jacques Monod, 2 Place Jussieu, 75005 Paris, France
Author for correspondence (e-mail: ptimmons{at}csc.mrc.ac.uk)
Accepted 1 November 2001
The seminiferous epithelial cycle and spermatogenic wave are conserved features of vertebrate spermatogenic organisation that reflect the need for the rigorous maintenance of sperm production. Although the cycle and the wave of the adult seminiferous epithelium have been well characterised, particularly in rodent species, their developmental origins are unknown. We show that the Sertoli cells of the pre-pubertal mouse, including those of the germ cell-deficient XXSxra mutant, exhibit coordinated, cyclical patterns of gene expression, presaging the situation in the adult testis, where Sertoli cell function is coupled to the spermatogenic cycle. In the case of the galectin 1 gene (Lgals1), localised differential expression in the Sertoli cells can be traced back to neonatal and embryonic stages, making this the earliest known molecular marker of functional heterogeneity in mammalian testis cords. In addition, the timing of germ cell apoptosis in normal pre-pubertal testes is linked to the temporal cycle of the Sertoli cells. These data show that the cycle and wave of the murine seminiferous epithelium originate at a much earlier stage in development than was previously known, and that their maintenance in the early postnatal cords depends exclusively on the somatic cell lineages.
Key words: Apoptosis, Cyclical gene expression, Galectin, Seminiferous epithelial cycle, Sertoli, Spermatogenic wave, Testis cords, Mouse
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