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SCF Improves In Vitro Differentiation of SSCs Through Transcriptionally Up-regulating PRTM1, STRA8, c-KIT, PIWIL2, and OCT4 Genes

  • Reproductive Biology: Original Article
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A Correction to this article was published on 22 February 2021

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Abstract

Several lines of evidence strongly suggest that retinoic acid (RA) and stem cell factor (SCF)/c-Kit signal transduction pathways are involved in the differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). This study was aimed to investigate the effect of RA and SCF on in vitro differentiation of SSCs via evaluation of the mRNA expression of meiosis-specific genes in cultured testicular tissues. Testicular tissue samples were obtained from bilaterally vasectomized rats and also healthy adult rats and then were cultured for 25, 30, and 35 days on different conditions. The cultured testicular pieces were sectioned and stained with PAS to histological analysis. The total RNA was extracted from cultured testicular samples, and the expression of ACR, PRTM1, SYCP3, STRA8, c-KIT, PIWIL2, and OCT4 genes at mRNA level was quantified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) procedure. After 1-month surgery, bilateral testicular weight showed a significant decrease in vasectomized adult rats compared with healthy adult rats (P < 0.05). Reduction in the diameter of the seminiferous tubules and depletion of advanced germinal elements in vasectomized rats compared with healthy adult rats were also observed. Our findings also demonstrated that the mRNA expression level of PRTM1, STRA8, c-KIT, PIWIL2, and OCT4 genes in cultured testicular tissues significantly up-regulated in experimental group II compared with the control group (P < 0.001). Our findings lead us to conclude that SCF improves in vitro differentiation of SSCs in the OA rats, at least partially, by transcriptionally upregulating PRTM1, STRA8, c-KIT, PIWIL2, and OCT4 genes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to Vice-Chancellor of Research and Technology at Babol University of Medical Sciences, Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center at Babol University of Medical Sciences, the staff of Stem Cell Laboratory of the Reproductive Health and Infertility Research Center of Fatemeh Al-Zahra Hospital and Islamic Azad University of Ayatollah Amoli.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran

    Mahnaz Nasimi & Esmail Fattahi

  2. Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Infertility and Health Reproductive Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, P.O. Box: 4136747176, Babol, Iran

    Seyed Gholam Ali Jorsaraei

  3. Health Reproductive Research Center, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran

    Maryam Gholamitabar Tabari

  4. Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Ebrahim Zabihi Neyshaburi

  5. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran

    Ebrahim Zabihi Neyshaburi

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  1. Mahnaz Nasimi
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Contributions

Mahnaz Nasimi, Seyed Gholam Ali Jorsaraei, and Esmail Fattahi designed the experiments, performed the statistical analysis, contributed to the interpretation of the results, and wrote the manuscript; Mahnaz Nasimi, Maryam Gholamitabar Tabari, and Ebrahim Zabihi Neyshaburi carried out the experiments; Seyed Gholam Ali Jorsaraei and Esmail Fattahi supervised the project.

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Correspondence to Seyed Gholam Ali Jorsaraei.

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The current study was approved by the ethics committee for experimental research on animals at Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.

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This article was updated to correct the spelling of Esmail Fattahi’s name in the author listing.

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Nasimi, M., Jorsaraei, S.G.A., Fattahi, E. et al. SCF Improves In Vitro Differentiation of SSCs Through Transcriptionally Up-regulating PRTM1, STRA8, c-KIT, PIWIL2, and OCT4 Genes. Reprod. Sci. 28, 963–972 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-020-00326-z

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