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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

A Seminiferous Tubule Squash Technique for the Cytological Analysis of Spermatogenesis Using the Mouse Model
Published on: February 6, 2018
Germ cell apoptosis control during spermatogenesis
Claudia Giampietri1, Simonetta Petrungaro, Pierpaolo Coluccia
1Department of Histology and Medical Embryology, Istituto Pasteur-Fondazione Cenci Bolognetti, University of Rome La Sapienza, 00161 Rome, Italy. claudia.giampietri@uniromal.it
Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the expression and role of c-Flip long isoform (c-FlipL), a known anti-apoptotic protein. No data are currently available on c-FlipL in male gonad before puberty; therefore, this study was carried out in prepuberal mouse testis. We investigated pachytene spermatocytes and spermatogonia by immunostaining of testis sections and found a strong and specific expression of c-FlipL in pachytene spermatocytes, while spermatogonia expressed very low levels of c-FlipL. This finding inversely correlated with the caspases activity, which was higher in spermatogonia as compared to pachytene spermatocytes. Other experiments carried out in an organ-culture model revealed that Fas-induced apoptosis was higher in spermatogonia as compared to pachytene spermatocytes. These data suggest that c-FlipL may play a role as an anti-apoptotic molecule in the prepuberal mouse testis and open new perspectives in the comprehension of the mechanisms controlling germ cells apoptosis.
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