Progress on spermatogonial stem cells of large animals

Abstract

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are male germline stem cells that reside in the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubule in the testis. SSCs are characterized by their capability of self-renewal to maintain the stem cell pool throughout the lifespan and commitments to germ line after puberty, thus transmitting the genetic information from parents to the SSC-derived progenies. SSCs can be isolated from testis, propagated in vitro, and induced to differentiate into varied germ cells. Although significant progress has been made in the field of rodent SSCs, the SSCs of large animals have advanced slowly. Studies on SSCs of large animal models can offer insights into the physiological and pathological mechanism of human reproduction. Moreover, SSCs of agricultural large animals can be used as an essential tool for multiplication of elite animal individuals, and generation of genetically modified livestock with valuable economic traits. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on SSCs of large animal models for agricultural and medical purposes, and discuss the present problems and future prospects. This review can give an overall view of large animal SSCs as respect to their applications in novel alternative reproductive technologies, generation of transgenic animals, treatment of male infertility and regenerative medicine.