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Updated: Jul 11, 2026

An In Vivo Method to Study Mouse Blood-Testis Barrier Integrity
Published on: December 2, 2018
ETV5 is required for continuous spermatogenesis in adult mice and may mediate blood testes barrier function and
Carla M K Morrow1, Chris E Hostetler, Mike D Griswold
1Department of Veterinary Bioscience, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.
Abstract:
The transcription factor Ets-variant gene 5 (ETV5) is essential for spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) self-renewal, as the targeted deletion of the Etv5 gene in mice (Etv5(-/-)) results in only the first wave of spermatogenesis. Reciprocal transplants of neonatal germ cells from wild-type (WT) and Etv5(-/-) testes were performed to determine the role of ETV5 in Sertoli cells and germ cells. ETV5 appears to be needed in both cell types for normal spermatogenesis. In addition, Etv5(-/-) recipients displayed increased interstitial inflammation and tubular involution after transplantation. Preliminary studies suggest that the blood-testis barrier (Sertoli-Sertoli tight junctional complex) is abnormal in the Etv5(-/-) mouse.
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