The pluripotency factor LIN28 marks undifferentiated spermatogonia in mouse

Life-long production of spermatozoa depends on spermatogonial stem cells. Spermatogonial stem cells exist among the most primitive population of germ cells - undifferentiated spermatogonia. Transplantation experiments have demonstrated the functional heterogeneity of undifferentiated spermatogonia. Although the undifferentiated spermatogonia can be topographically divided into As (single), Apr (paired), and Aal (aligned) spermatogonia, subdivision of this primitive cell population using cytological markers would greatly facilitate characterization of their functions.

In the present study, we show that LIN28, a pluripotency factor, is specifically expressed in undifferentiated spermatogonia (As, Apr, and Aal) in mouse. Ngn3 also specifically labels undifferentiated spermatogonia. We used Ngn3-GFP knockin mice, in which GFP expression is under the control of all Ngn3 transcription regulatory elements. Remarkably, Ngn3-GFP is only expressed in approximately 40% of LIN28-positive As (single) cells. The percentage of Ngn3-GFP-positive clusters increases dramatically with the chain length of interconnected spermatogonia.

Our study demonstrates that LIN28 specifically marks undifferentiated spermatogonia in mice. These data, together with previous studies, suggest that the LIN28-expressing undifferentiated spermatogonia exist as two subpopulations: Ngn3-GFP-negative (high stem cell potential) and Ngn3-GFP-positive (high differentiation commitment). Furthermore, Ngn3-GFP-negative cells are found in chains of Ngn3-GFP-positive spermatogonia, suggesting that cells in the Aal spermatogonia could revert to a more primitive state.