Organogenesis. 2007 Oct;3(2):79-82. doi: 10.4161/org.3.2.4944.
Development of the mammalian testis begins with sex specific differentiation of the bipotential gonad during fetal development, continues after birth with proliferation and differentiation of testicular somatic cells, and culminates at puberty with germ cell differentiation, meiotic divisions and production of sperm that continues throughout the adult life of the male. Recently, it was demonstrated that functional testicular tissue formed de novo when cells isolated from neonatal porcine or rodent testes were grafted ectopically to mouse hosts. The spermatogenic and interstitial compartments of the testis were regenerated form transplanted cells in a cell autonomous fashion and supported the production of functional haploid germ cells. This fascinating ability of testis cells to recreate the necessary structural and cellular associations to support tissue maturation and germ cell differentiation can now be harnessed to study aspects of mammalian spermatogenesis and testicular morphogenesis in an accessible in vivo system.
哺乳动物睾丸的发育始于胎儿发育过程中两性生殖腺的特异性分化，随后在出生后继续进行睾丸体细胞的增殖和分化，并在青春期达到顶峰，伴随着生殖细胞的分化、减数分裂和精子的产生，这一过程一直持续到男性的成年期。最近，已经证明，当从新生猪或啮齿动物睾丸中分离的细胞异位移植到小鼠宿主中时，功能性睾丸组织可以从头形成。睾丸的生精和间质隔室以细胞自主的方式由移植细胞再生，并支持功能性单倍体生殖细胞的产生。睾丸细胞具有这种令人着迷的能力，可以重新创建必要的结构和细胞联系，以支持组织成熟和生殖细胞分化，现在可以利用这种能力来研究哺乳动物精子发生和睾丸形态发生的各个方面，在一个可及的活体系统中进行研究。
