Magnetic activated cell sorting allows isolation of spermatogonia from adult primate testes and reveals distinct GFRa1‐positive subpopulations in men |
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| Authors: | Kathrin Gassei Jens Ehmcke Rajiv Dhir Stefan Schlatt |
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| Institution: | 1. Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Center for Research in Reproductive Physiology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA;2. Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Institute of Reproductive and Regenerative Biology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany;3. GU Pathology, Health Sciences Tissue Bank, UPMC Shadyside‐Presbyterian Hospital, Pittsburgh, PA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Background Isolation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) could enable in vitro approaches for exploration of spermatogonial physiology and therapeutic approaches for fertility preservation. SSC isolation from adult testes is difficult due to low cell numbers and lacking cell surface markers. Glial cell‐derived neurotrophic factor family receptor alpha‐1 (GFRα1) plays a crucial role for the maintenance of SSCs in rodents and is expressed in monkey spermatogonia. Methods Magnetic activated cell sorting was employed for the enrichment of GFRα1+ spermatogonia from adult primate testes. Results Magnetic activated cell sorting of monkey cells enriched GFRα1+ cells threefold. 11.4% of GFRα1+ cells were recovered. 42.9% of GFRα1+ cells were recovered in sorted fractions of human testicular cells, representing a fivefold enrichment. Interestingly, a high degree of morphological heterogeneity among the GFRα1+ cells from human testes was observed. Conclusions Magnetic activated cell sorting using anti‐GFRα1 antibodies provides an enrichment strategy for spermatogonia from monkey and human testes. |
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| Keywords: | cell sorting germ line primates spermatogonial stem cell surface marker |
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