Transcriptome analysis of mouse male germline stem cells reveals characteristics of mature spermatogonial stem cells

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are adult stem cells in the testis of male animals and have the ability in self-renewal and differentiation. SSCs are derived from primordial germ cells (PGCs) that are mitotically arrested in the embryo before birth. Following the birth of the animal, PGCs resume mitosis and migrate from the centre of the seminiferous tubules to the basement membrane. The descendent of PGCs (also called gonocytes) establish stable SSC colonies in about a week postnatally in order to support the life-long spermatogenesis. Whether SSCs at different developmental stages differ in their molecular and cellular characteristics is currently unclear. In the presented study, we conducted bioinformatics analyses using transcriptomics data established previously in the laboratory on OCT4 (encoded by the pluripotent gene Pou5f1) expressing SSCs from the neonatal (3 days-post-partum, 3-dpp), juvenile (7-dpp) and adult (2~3-month) mice, including screen of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis of DEGs and clustering of sub-networks from PPI. GO (Gene Ontology) and KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes) analyses were also performed on clustered sub-networks of the PPI. In addition, all genes were analyzed using GSEA (gene set enrichment analysis) based on GO, KEGG and HALLMARK gene sets. The results showed that SSCs have a large number of DEGs among OCT4-positive SSCs from neonatal, juvenile and adult mice. The distinguishable biological functions encoded by these DEGs include biosynthesis and energy metabolism, immune response, cell junction and expression of migration and cell differentiation-related genes. Significant changes in the cell membrane composition of OCT4-positive SSCs may not only cause hypersensitive immune reactions but also affect the cell-cell contact and responses to secreted cytokines in the extracellular environment. The results also suggest that OCT4-positive SSCs may shift metabolic state from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis and significantly reduce the transcription of genes related to ribosome formation during aging. These results provide new clues for future research on the regulatory mechanisms of male germline stem cell development, growth and aging.