Expression pattern of acetylated alpha-tubulin in porcine spermatogonia

Mammalian spermatogonial stem cells reside on the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubules. The mechanisms responsible for maintenance of spermatogonia at the basement membrane are unclear. Since acetylated alpha-tubulin (Ac-alpha-Tu) is a component of long-lived, stable microtubules and deacetylation of alpha-tubulin enhances cell motility, we hypothesized that acetylation of alpha-tubulin might be associated with positioning of spermatogonia at the basement membrane. The expression pattern of Ac-alpha-Tu at different stages of testis development was characterized by immunohistochemistry for Ac-alpha-Tu and spermatogonia-specific proteins (PGP 9.5, DAZL). In immature pig testes, Ac-alpha-Tu was present exclusively in gonocytes at 1 week of age, and in a subset of spermatogonia at 10 weeks of age. At this age, spermatogonia are migrating toward the tubule periphery and Ac-alpha-Tu appeared polarized toward the basement membrane. In adult pig testes, Ac-alpha-Tu was detected in few single or paired spermatogonia at the basement membrane as well as in spermatids and spermatozoa. Only undifferentiated (DAZL-), proliferating (determined by BrdU incorporation) spermatogonia expressed high levels of Ac-alpha-Tu. Comparison with the expression pattern of beta-tubulin and tyrosinated alpha-tubulin confirmed that only Ac-alpha-Tu is specific to germ cells. The unique pattern of Ac-alpha-Tu in undifferentiated germ cells during postnatal development suggests that posttranslational modifications of microtubules may play an important role in recruiting and anchoring spermatogonia at the basement membrane. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 77: 348-352, 2010. (c) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.