HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (5) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Fouchécourt, S. Articles by Durand, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Fouchécourt, S. Articles by Durand, P.

INSERM U 418; INRA UMR 1245; Université Claude-Bernard Lyon 1, 29 rue Sur Bouvier, 69322 Lyon Cedex 05, France
¹ Faculté de Médécine, Centre Commun de Cytométrie en Flux, Université Jean Monnet, 42023 St Etienne, France

(Requests for offprints should be addressed to P Durand; Email: durand{at}lyon.inserm.fr)

Glial cell-line-derived neurotropic factor (GDNF) and its receptors glial cell-line-derived neurotropic factor (GFR1) and rearranged during transformation (RET) have been localized in the rat testis during postnatal development. The three mRNAs, and GDNF and GFR1 proteins were detected in testis extracts from 1- to 90-day-old rats by reverse transcriptase PCR and Western blotting respectively. The three mRNAs were present in Sertoli cells from 20- and 55-day-old rats, pachytene spermatocytes (PS), and round spermatids (RS). The GDNF and GFR1 proteins were detected in PS, RS, and Sertoli cells. GDNF and GFR1 were also detected using flow cytometry in spermatogonia and preleptotene spermatocytes, and in secondary spermatocytes. The localization of GDNF and GFR1 in germ and Sertoli cells was confirmed by immunocytochemistry. The hypothesis that GDNF may control DNA synthesis of Sertoli cells and/or spermatogonia in the immature rat was addressed using cultures of seminiferous tubules from 7- to 8-day-old rats. Addition of GDNF for 48 h resulted in a twofold decrease in the percentage of spermatogonia able to duplicate DNA, whereas Sertoli cells were not affected. These results are consistent with a role of GDNF in inhibiting the S-phase entrance of a large subset of differentiated type A spermatogonia, together with an enhancing effect of the factor on a small population of undifferentiated (stem cells) spermatogonia. Moreover, the wide temporal and spatial expression of GDNF and its receptors in the rat testis suggest that it might act at several stages of spermatogenesis.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. W Kuijk, B. Colenbrander, and B. A J Roelen The effects of growth factors on in vitro-cultured porcine testicular cells Reproduction, October 1, 2009; 138(4): 721 - 731. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Gassei, J. Ehmcke, and S. Schlatt Initiation of testicular tubulogenesis is controlled by neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinases in a three-dimensional Sertoli cell aggregation assay Reproduction, October 1, 2008; 136(4): 459 - 469. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Z. He, J. Jiang, M.-C. Hofmann, and M. Dym Gfra1 Silencing in Mouse Spermatogonial Stem Cells Results in Their Differentiation Via the Inactivation of RET Tyrosine Kinase Biol Reprod, October 1, 2007; 77(4): 723 - 733. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. Linher, D. Wu, and J. Li Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: An Intraovarian Factor that Enhances Oocyte Developmental Competence in Vitro Endocrinology, September 1, 2007; 148(9): 4292 - 4301. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]