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Updated: Aug 23, 2026

Ex vivo Culture of Drosophila Pupal Testis and Single Male Germ-line Cysts: Dissection, Imaging, and Pharmacological Treatment
Published on: September 11, 2014
Molecular mechanisms in male determination and germ cell differentiation
1San Raffaele Scientific Institute and San Raffaele University, via Olgettina 58, 20132, Milan, Italy.
Abstract:
Sex determination and gametogenesis are key processes in human reproduction, and any defect can lead to infertility. We describe here the molecular mechanisms of male sex determination and testis formation; defects in sex determination lead to a female phenotype despite the presence of a Y chromosome, more rarely to a male phenotype with XX chromosomes, or to intersex phenotypes. Interestingly, these phenotypes are often associated with other developmental malformations. In testis, spermatozoa are produced from renewable stem cells in a complex differentiation process called spermatogenesis. Gene expression during spermatogenesis differs to a surprising degree from gene expression in somatic cells, and we discuss here mechanistic differences and their effect on the differentiation process and male fertility.
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