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Periodic retinoic acid–STRA8 signaling intersects with periodic germ-cell competencies to regulate spermatogenesis

2015; National Academy of Sciences; Volume: 112; Issue: 18 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1073/pnas.1505683112

1091-6490

Tsutomu Endo, Katherine A. Romer, Ericka L. Anderson, Andrew E. Baltus, Dirk G. de Rooij, David C. Page,

Reproductive Biology and Fertility

Significance As male sex cells mature into sperm, two pivotal transitions are spermatogonial differentiation (exit from the stem cell pool) and meiotic initiation. These transitions occur in physical proximity, with 8.6-d periodicity. We report that the gene Stra8 , essential for meiotic initiation, also promotes (but is not required for) spermatogonial differentiation. Moreover, injected RA induces both transitions to occur precociously. We conclude that a periodic RA signal, acting instructively through the common target Stra8 , coordinates these transitions. This RA signal intersects with two distinct windows of sex-cell competency, which both begin while RA levels are low; sex cells respond quickly to rising RA. These mechanisms help account for the elaborate organization of sperm production, and its prodigious output.