Modulation of the mouse testis transcriptome during postnatal development and in selected models of male infertility

The aim of this study is to develop an overview of genetic events during spermatogenesis using a novel, specifically targeted gonadal gene set. Two subtracted cDNA libraries enriched for testis specific and germ cell specific genes were constructed, characterized and sequenced. The combined libraries contain >1905 different genes, the vast majority previously uncharacterized in testis. cDNA microarray analysis of the first wave of murine spermatogenesis and of selected germ cell-deficient models was used to correlate the expression of groups of genes with the appearance of defined germ cell types, suggesting their cellular expression patterns within the testis. Real-time RT-PCR and comparison to previously known expression patterns confirmed the array-derived transcription profiles of 65 different genes, thus establishing high confidence in the profiles of the uncharacterized genes investigated in this study. A total of 1748 out of 1905 genes showed significant change during the first spermatogenic wave, demonstrating the successful targeting of the libraries to this process. These findings highlight unknown genes likely to be important in germ cell production, and demonstrate the utility of these libraries in further studies. Transcriptional analysis of well-characterized mouse models of infertility will allow us to address the causes and progression of the pathology in related human infertility phenotypes.