spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif spacer gif ARCHIVE ANNOUNCEMENT! spacer gif
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


spacer gif
     Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents    

First published online 15 March 2006
doi: 10.1242/dev.02303

Development 133, 1519-1527 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
This Article
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
dev.02303v1
133/8/1519    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by DiNapoli, L.
Right arrow Articles by Capel, B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by DiNapoli, L.
Right arrow Articles by Capel, B.

FGF9 promotes survival of germ cells in the fetal testis

Leo DiNapoli, Jordan Batchvarov and Blanche Capel*

Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA

* Author for correspondence (e-mail: b.capel{at}cellbio.duke.edu)

Accepted 31 January 2006

In addition to its role in somatic cell development in the testis, our data have revealed a role for Fgf9 in XY germ cell survival. In Fgf9-null mice, germ cells in the XY gonad decline in numbers after 11.5 days post coitum (dpc), while germ cell numbers in XX gonads are unaffected. We present evidence that germ cells resident in the XY gonad become dependent on FGF9 signaling between 10.5 dpc and 11.5 dpc, and that FGF9 directly promotes XY gonocyte survival after 11.5 dpc, independently from Sertoli cell differentiation. Furthermore, XY Fgf9-null gonads undergo true male-to-female sex reversal as they initiate but fail to maintain the male pathway and subsequently express markers of ovarian differentiation (Fst and Bmp2). By 14.5 dpc, these gonads contain germ cells that enter meiosis synchronously with ovarian gonocytes. FGF9 is necessary for 11.5 dpc XY gonocyte survival and is the earliest reported factor with a sex-specific role in regulating germ cell survival.

Key words: Fgf9, Fetal testis, Gonad, Germ cell




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Endocr. Rev.Home page
L. M. Cotton, M. K. O'Bryan, and B. T. Hinton
Cellular Signaling by Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) and Their Receptors (FGFRs) in Male Reproduction
Endocr. Rev., April 1, 2008; 29(2): 193 - 216.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Mol. Endocrinol.Home page
L. DiNapoli and B. Capel
SRY and the Standoff in Sex Determination
Mol. Endocrinol., January 1, 2008; 22(1): 1 - 9.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Biol. Chem.Home page
X. Zhang, O. A. Ibrahimi, S. K. Olsen, H. Umemori, M. Mohammadi, and D. M. Ornitz
Receptor Specificity of the Fibroblast Growth Factor Family: THE COMPLETE MAMMALIAN FGF FAMILY
J. Biol. Chem., June 9, 2006; 281(23): 15694 - 15700.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2006