Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

Journal of Reproduction & Infertility

In vitro Culture of Human Testicular Stem Cells on Feeder-Free Condition

Authors
1 Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2 Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
3 Reproductive Biotechnology Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
Abstract
Background: Spermatogonial stem cells are subpopulation of spermatogonial cells in testis tissue that support beginning and maintenance of spermatogenesis. Ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) could be a specific marker for identification of spermatogonial stem cells including spermatogonial sperm cells (SSCs) in testis tissue and during the culture; therefore we undertook this study to culture these human testicular stem cells (hTSCs) in vitro and approved the presence of human testicular stem cells (hTSCs) by UCHL1, also known as PGP9.5. Methods: Enzymatic digestion of human testicular biopsies was done by collagenase IV (4 mg/ml) and trypsin (0.25%). Differential plating of testicular cells in DMEM/F12 and 10% FBS was applied for 16 hr. Floating cells were collected and transferred onto laminin-coated plates with Stem-Pro 34 media supplemented with growth factors of GDNF, bFGF, EGF and LIF to support self-renewal divisions; testicular stem cell clusters were passaged every 14 days for two months. Spermatogonial cells propagation was studied through Expression of UCHL1 in testis tissue and the entire testicular stem cell culture. Results: Testicular stem cell clusters from 10 patients with obstructive azoospermia were cultured on laminin-coated plates and subsequently propagated for two months. The average of harvested viable cells was approximately 89.6%. UCHL1 was expressed as specific marker in testicular stem cells entire the culture. Conclusion: Human testicular stem cells could be obtained from human testicular tissue by a simple digestion, culturing and propagation method for long-term in vitro conditions. Propagation of these cells approved by specific marker UCHL1, during the culture period.
Keywords

  1. Clermont Y. Renewal of spermatogonia in man. Am J Anat. 1966;118(2):509-24.
  2. Zhang ZJ, Burgunder JM, An XK, Wu Y, Chen WJ, Zhang JH, et al. Lack of evidence for association of a UCH-L1 S18Y polymorphism with Parkinson's disease in a Han-Chinese population. Neurosci Lett. 2008;442(3):200-2.
  3. Hofmann MC, Braydich-Stolle L, Dym M. Isolation of male germ-line stem cells; influence of GDNF. Dev Biol. 2005;279(1):114-24.
  4. Kubota H, Avarbock MR, Brinster RL. Growth factors essential for self-renewal and expansion of mouse spermatogonial stem cells. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004;101(47):16489-94.
  5. Clermont Y. Kinetics of spermatogenesis in mammals: seminiferous epithelium cycle and spermatogonial renewal. Physiol Rev. 1972;52(1):198-236.
  6. Kanatsu-Shinohara M, Miki H, Inoue K, Ogonuki N, Toyokuni S, Ogura A, et al. Long-term culture of mouse male germline stem cells under serum-or feeder-free conditions. Biol Reprod. 2005;72(4): 985-91.
  7. Dym M, Kokkinaki M, He Z. Spermatogonial stem cells: mouse and human comparisons. Birth Defects Res Part C Embryo Today. 2009;87(1):27-34.
  8. Clermont Y. The cycle of the seminiferous epithelium in man. Am J Anat. 1963;112:35-51.
  9. Sadri-Ardekani H, Akhondi MA, van der Veen F, Repping S, van Pelt AM. In vitro propagation of human prepubertal spermatogonial stem cells. JAMA. 2011;305(23):2416-8.
  10. He Z, Kokkinaki M, Jiang J, Dobrinski I, Dym M. Isolation, characterization, and culture of human spermatogonia. Biol Reprod. 2010;82(2):363-72.
  11. Kanatsu-Shinohara M, Inoue K, Ogonuki N, Morimoto H, Ogura A, Shinohara T. Serum- and feeder-free culture of mouse germline stem cells. Biol Reprod. 2011;84(1):97-105.
  12. Luo J, Megee S, Rathi R, Dobrinski I. Protein gene product 9.5 is a spermatogonia-specific marker in the pig testis: application to enrichment and culture of porcine spermatogonia. Mol Reprod Dev. 2006; 73(12):1531-40.
  13. Rodriguez-Sosa JR, Foster RA, Hahnel A. Development of strips of ovine testes after xenografting under the skin of mice and co-transplantation of exogenous spermatogonia with grafts. Reproduction. 2010;139(1):227-35.
  14. Tokunaga Y, Imai S, Torii R, Maeda T. Cytoplasmic liberation of protein gene product 9.5 during the seasonal regulation of spermatogenesis in the monkey (Macaca fuscata). Endocrinology. 1999; 140(4):1875-83.
  15. Dann CT, Alvarado AL, Molyneux LA, Denard B S, Garbers DL, Porteus MH. Spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal requires OCT4, a factor down-regulated during retinoic acid-induced differenti-ation. Stem Cells. 2008;26(11):2928-37.
  16. Liu S, Tang Z, Xiong T, Tang W. Isolation and characterization of human spermatogonial stem cells. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2011;9:141.
  17. Hermann BP, Sukhwani M, Lin CC, Sheng Y, Tomko J, Rodriguez M, et al. Characterization, cryopreservation, and ablation of spermatogonial stem cells in adult rhesus macaques. Stem Cells. 2007;25(9):2330-8.
  18. Wu X, Goodyear SM, Tobias JW, Avarbock MR, Brinster RL. Spermatogonial stem cell self-renewal requires ETV5-mediated downstream activation of Brachyury in mice. Biol Reprod. 2011;85(6):1114-23.
  19. Kanatsu-Shinohara M, Ogonuki N, Iwano T, Lee J, Kazuki Y, Inoue K, et al. Genetic and epigenetic properties of mouse male germline stem cells during long-term culture. Development. 2005;132 (18):4155-63.
  20. Costoya JA, Hobbs RM, Barna M, Cattoretti G, Manova K, Sukhwani M, et al. Essential role of Plzf in maintenance of spermatogonial stem cells. Nat Genet. 2004;36(6):653-9.
  21. Meng X, Lindahl M, Hyvönen ME, Parvinen M, de Rooij DG, Hess MW, et al. Regulation of cell fate decision of undifferentiated spermatogonia by GDNF. Science. 2000;287(5457):1489-93.