During mammalian development, morphogenesis of the testis requires the coordinated interplay of somatic cells to form seminiferous cords in which the primitive germ cells reside. These cords are the precursor of the functional male gonad and as such form the basis of male fertility. Cell migration during mammalian organogenesis and formation of complex tissues, such as the testis, are difficult to study in situ. Herein, we report extensive rearrangement of cells to regenerate complete functional testis tissue after implantation of isolated neonatal porcine testis cells under the skin of immunodeficient mice. Somatic cells and germ cells reorganized into structures that have remarkable morphologic and physiologic similarity to normal testis tissue, forming the endocrine and spermatogenic compartment of the testis. This unique in vivo system provides an accessible model for the study of testicular morphogenesis that could be especially useful in nonrodent species.
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1 January 2007
Building a Testis: Formation of Functional Testis Tissue after Transplantation of Isolated Porcine (Sus scrofa) Testis Cells
Ali Honaramooz,
Susan O. Megee,
Rahul Rathi,
Ina Dobrinski
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Biology of Reproduction
Vol. 76 • No. 1
January 2007
Vol. 76 • No. 1
January 2007
assisted reproductive technology
germ cells
morphogenesis
pig
spermatogenesis
testis