چکیده (انگلیسی):

Objective: To examine whether functional spermatozoa can be obtained when a whole
male gonadal tissue (testes, epididymides, and fat) isolated from neonatal mice is grafted
underneath adult mouse testes.
Methods: Neonatal (1-day-old) male gonadal tissue, isolated from enhanced green
fluorescent protein (EGFP)-transgenic (Tg) mice (C57BL/6-Tg(ACTB-EGFP)1Osb/J),
was inserted deep in the testis of a non-Tg recipient mouse through a tunica albuginea
incision. Two months after transplantation, the fluorescent grafted tissues were retrieved
from recipient mice.
Results: Histological analysis demonstrated that epididymal architecture was well
developed and that spermatogenesis in the testis occurred in 30–60% of each seminiferous
tubule of all the grafted tissues examined. Interestingly, motile spermatozoa could
be successfully retrieved from the portion corresponding to the cauda epididymis in 1 of
the 7 transplants obtained. These obtained spermatozoa had transgenes and could support
embryonic development when intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed using
frozen-thawed spermatozoa.
Conclusion: This present technique will be useful for study in various biological fields
including the rescue of Tg lines with lethal postnatal phenotypes and cloned animals that
die immediately after birth.