Response to fission neutron irradiation of spermatogonial stem cells in different stages of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium.

Mice were irradiated with 1 Gy of fission neutrons. At intervals up to 15 days after irradiation undifferentiated spermatogonia were counted in whole mounts of seminiferous tubules in up to eight stages of the epithelial cycle. From Day 6 onward lower numbers of spermatogonia were found in the areas which were in stages IV-VII during irradiation than in those which were in stages IX-II. Minimal numbers in the former area were two to six times lower than those in the latter one. Areas which were in stages III or VIII gave intermediate values. It is concluded that the epithelial cycle can be divided into two parts with a different response to irradiation, that begin or end in stages III and VIII. Part III-VIII and part VIII-III comprise 45 and 55% of the epithelial cycle, respectively. In part VIII-III control levels were found again at Day 15, while in part III-VIII spermatogonial numbers were still very low. In controls it was found that part VIII-III corresponds to a period of high proliferative activity of the stem cells, while in part III-VIII the proliferative activity is very low. This may affect their radiosensitivity and/or their proliferative behavior after irradiation, resulting in different spermatogonial numbers in the two parts of the epithelial cycle. Unlike in normal epithelium, after irradiation giant cells, odd-numbered clones (not containing 2" cells), and clones of Apr and Aal , in which the composing cells clump together, were observed.