Dynamics of testicular germ cell proliferation in normal mice and transgenic mice overexpressing rat androgen-binding protein: a flow cytometric evaluation
Abstract
Transgenic mice carrying rat androgen-binding protein (ABP) genomic DNA express high amounts of testicular ABP and develop a progressive impairment of spermatogenesis. To understand the mechanism of these changes, we have studied the pattern of testicular germ cell proliferation from 7 to 360 days of age in wild-type (WT) control and transgenic homozygous (ABP-TG) mice by flow cytometry after labeling DNA in isolated germ cells with propidium iodide. At all ages studied, the body weight of the ABP-TG mice was lower than that of age-matched WT controls. Significantly reduced testicular weight and total germ cell number in the ABP-TG mice were evident from Day 30 and Day 60, respectively. Flow cytometric analysis of isolated germ cells revealed that the number of germ cells undergoing proliferation (S-phase cells) was identical in WT control and ABP-TG mice up to Day 14. Subsequently, the number of germ cells in S-phase was consistently higher in ABP-TG than in WT mice. The number of primary spermatocytes was significantly increased starting from Day 60, and the numbers of round and elongated spermatids were significantly reduced in the ABP-TG animals from Day 21 and Day 60 onwards, respectively. Immunocytometry for intracellular...Continue Reading
References
Androgen binding protein is tissue-specifically expressed and biologically active in transgenic mice
Citations
Expression of Hsf1, Hsf2, and Phlda1 in cells undergoing cryptorchid-induced apoptosis in rat testes
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Apoptosis
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