3.精細胞分化におけるW, Sl遺伝子の働き

抄録

In order to define the role of steel factor encoded by the mouse steel (Sl) gene in spermatogenesis, we have examined its production in Sertoli cells. The ability to support proliferation and maintenance of mast cells in co-culture with primary mouse Sertoli cells were used for steel factor bioactivity. Sertoli cells derived from +/+ and W^v/W^v but not Si^d/Si^d mutant mice produce biologically active steel factor as a membrane-bound form.
Testicular cells prepared from neonatal (2 days and 5 days after birth) mice by enzymatic digestion were cultured in serum-supplemented medium to investigate c-kit mediated germ cell proliferation. The addition of antibody to the c-kit receptor inhibited the proliferation of cultured spermatogonia from 5-day-old mice but not from 2-day-old mice in a dose dependent manner indicating that the differentiated but not undifferentiated germ cell growth is c-kit mediated. Furthermore, the proliferation of undifferentiated primitive type A spermatogonia in 2 day testis may depend on some other supporting cell-derived factor (s) .