This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Lue, Y. Articles by Swerdloff, R. S. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Lue, Y. Articles by Swerdloff, R. S.

(American Journal of Pathology. 2007;170:899-908.)
© 2007 American Society for Investigative Pathology
DOI: 10.2353/ajpath.2007.060543

Fate of Bone Marrow Stem Cells Transplanted into the Testis

Potential Implication for Men with Testicular Failure

From the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, David Geffen School of Medicine at University of California–Los Angeles, Harbor-University of California–Los Angeles Medical Center, and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-University of California–Los Angeles Medical Center, Torrance, California

To assess adult stem cell differentiation in the testis, we injected bone marrow cells from adult green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgenic mice into the seminiferous tubules and the testicular interstitium of busulfan-treated wild-type or c-kit mutant (W/W^v) mice. Ten to 12 weeks after transplantation, we examined the fate of the transplanted bone marrow cells and found that they survived in recipient testes. In both the busulfan-treated and W/W^v mice, some of the GFP-positive donor cells had a Sertoli cell appearance and expressed follicle-stimulating hormone receptor within the seminiferous tubules. In addition, GFP-positive donor cells were found in the interstitium of recipient testes, and they expressed the cytochrome P450 side chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc). In the seminiferous tubules of busulfan-treated mice, GFP-positive donor cells had the appearance of spermatogonia or spermatocytes and expressed VASA. However, this was not found in the seminiferous tubules of W/W^v mice. We conclude that adult bone marrow cells, in a favorable testicular environment, differentiate into somatic and germ cell lineages. The resident neighboring cells in the recipient testis may control site-appropriate stem cell differentiation. This clinically relevant finding raises the possibility for treatment of male infertility and testosterone deficiency through the therapeutic use of stem cells.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				H.-J. Lee, K. Selesniemi, Y. Niikura, T. Niikura, R. Klein, D. M. Dombkowski, and J. L. Tilly Bone Marrow Transplantation Generates Immature Oocytes and Rescues Long-Term Fertility in a Preclinical Mouse Model of Chemotherapy-Induced Premature Ovarian Failure J. Clin. Oncol., August 1, 2007; 25(22): 3198 - 3204. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]