The Sperm Laboratory, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, 368 Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, People's Republic of China.
Mol Biol Rep. 2012 Apr;39(4):4727-41. doi: 10.1007/s11033-011-1265-5. Epub 2011 Sep 27.
Testis development is a highly regulated sequence of developmental process that spans from the establishment of germ cell lineage during embryonic development to the periodic wave of spermatogenesis in adulthood. The normal development of testes and the fertility of male animals require specific cell types to respond correctly at a specific time point, the process of which is precisely regulated by various factors. Several members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily are shown to be the key mediators. They act as the extracellular ligand of signaling transduction that regulates the proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and other cell behaviors to help coordinate the physiology of the cells to the overall development of the testis and the organism. This paper reviews the current understanding of some of TGF-βs' major regulatory roles in the overall process of testis development, analyzes the current studies and their limitations and points out the research areas that need further investigation.
睾丸发育是一个高度调控的发育过程序列，跨越了从胚胎发育期间生殖细胞系的建立到成年时期周期性精子发生的过程。睾丸的正常发育和雄性动物的生育能力需要特定的细胞类型在特定的时间点正确响应，这个过程受到多种因素的精确调控。转化生长因子-β超家族的几个成员被证明是关键的介质。它们作为信号转导的细胞外配体，调节增殖、分化、凋亡和其他细胞行为，以帮助协调细胞的生理学与睾丸和机体的整体发育。本文综述了 TGF-β 在睾丸发育的整体过程中一些主要调节作用的现有认识，分析了当前的研究及其局限性，并指出了需要进一步研究的领域。
