Gene expression of bovine spermatogonia selected by the GFRa1 marker

• Grant number: 14/16344-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2014
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Animal Reproduction
• Principal Investigator: José Antonio Visintin
• Grantee: Bruna Tiemy Miagawa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Stemcells are undifferentiated and non-specialized cells that have the ability to self-renewand to differentiate in one or more specific tissues. Spermatogonial stem-cells (SSCs) are present in the testis and are responsible for the continuous production of spermatozoa during the reproductive life of an animal. SSCs may reconstruct damaged testicular parenchyma after transplantationand also have potential for application in the production of transgenic animals. Despite the great potential in bovine veterinary medicine, molecular markers used for SSCs isolation are not specific, marking different cellular types other than SSCs. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the GFR±1 gene is a marker of bovine undifferentiated SSCs using Magnectic Active Cellular Separation (MACS) followed by quantitative RT-PCR. It is expected to identify GFR±1 as a more accurate marker of bovine undifferentiated SSCs, aiming towards an efficient cellular isolation and consequently better testicular colonization after transplantation.