Regulation of spermatogenic stem cell homeostasis by mitogen competition in an open niche microenvironment
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- Kitadate Yu
- Division of Germ Cell Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Sokendai)
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- Yoshida Shosei
- Division of Germ Cell Biology, National Institute for Basic Biology, National Institutes of Natural Sciences Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies (Sokendai)
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Description
<p>Continuity of spermatogenesis in mammals is underpinned by spermatogenic (also called spermatogonial) stem cells (SSCs) that self-renew and differentiate into sperm that pass on genetic information to the next generation. Despite the fundamental role of SSCs, the mechanisms underlying SSC homeostasis are only partly understood. During homeostasis, the stem cell pool remains constant while differentiating cells are continually produced to replenish the lost differentiated cells. One of the outstanding questions here is how self-renewal and differentiation of SSCs are balanced to achieve a constant self-renewing pool. In this review, we shed light on the regulatory mechanism of SSC homeostasis, with focus on the recently proposed mitogen competition model in a facultative (or open) niche microenvironment.</p>
Journal
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- Genes & Genetic Systems
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Genes & Genetic Systems 97 (1), 15-25, 2022-02-01
The Genetics Society of Japan
