Zheng Tingting, Fok Ellis Kin Lam
School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, SAR, China.
School of Biomedical Sciences Core Laboratory, Shenzhen Research Institute, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, PR, China.
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2025;1469:333-354. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-82990-1_14.
Spermatogenesis, the process responsible for the daily production of millions of sperm, originates from spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Dysregulation of spermatogenesis is a major contributing factor to male infertility. Additionally, cryopreservation of SSCs followed by transplantation is a viable approach to restore spermatogenesis after sterilizing treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer treatment. Therefore, investigating the biology and regulatory mechanisms involved in maintaining SSCs will provide valuable insights into the etiology of male fertility disorders and inform clinical strategies for fertility preservation and restoration. In this chapter, we will review the origin of SSCs, their biological and functional properties, and the various types of cells that contribute to the SSC niche. Additionally, we will discuss the regulation of SSC self-renewal and differentiation by niche factors, cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, intrinsic gene regulation, and emerging intercellular communication mechanisms.
精子发生是一个负责每日产生数百万精子的过程，它起源于精原干细胞（SSCs）。精子发生失调是男性不育的一个主要促成因素。此外，对精原干细胞进行冷冻保存后再移植，是在诸如癌症化疗和放疗等绝育治疗后恢复精子发生的一种可行方法。因此，研究维持精原干细胞所涉及的生物学和调控机制，将为男性生育障碍的病因提供有价值的见解，并为生育力保存和恢复的临床策略提供依据。在本章中，我们将回顾精原干细胞的起源、它们的生物学和功能特性，以及构成精原干细胞生态位的各种细胞类型。此外，我们还将讨论生态位因子、细胞间和细胞与细胞外基质相互作用、内在基因调控以及新兴的细胞间通讯机制对精原干细胞自我更新和分化的调节。
