TCF21+ mesenchymal cells contribute to testis somatic cell development, homeostasis, and regeneration in mice

Year: 2021

Type: article

Abstract: Testicular development and function rely on interactions between somatic cells and the germline, but similar to other organs, regenerative capacity declines in aging and disease. Whether the adult testis maintains a reserve progenitor population remains uncertain. Here, we characterize a recently identified mouse testis interstitial population expressing the transcription factor Tcf21. We found that TCF21 lin cells are bipotential somatic progenitors present in fetal testis and ovary, maintain adult testis homeostasis during aging, and act as potential reserve somatic progenitors following injury. In vitro, TCF21 lin cells are multipotent mesenchymal progenitors which form multiple somatic lineages including Leydig and myoid cells. Additionally, TCF21 + cells resemble resident fibroblast populations reported in other organs having roles in tissue homeostasis, fibrosis, and regeneration. Our findings reveal that the testis, like other organs, maintains multipotent mesenchymal progenitors that can be potentially leveraged in development of future therapies for hypoandrogenism and/or infertility.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24130-8

Authors: Yu-chi Shen, Adrienne Niederriter Shami, Lindsay Moritz, Hailey Larose, Gabriel L. Manske, Qianyi Ma, Xianing Zheng, Meena Sukhwani, Michael Czerwinski, Caleb Sultan, Haolin Chen, Stephen J. Gurczynski, Jason R. Spence, Kyle E. Orwig, Michelle Tallquist, Jun Z. Li, Saher Sue Hammoud

Institutions: University of Michigan, University of Pittsburgh, Magee-Womens Research Institute, Johns Hopkins University, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, University of Hawaii System, Michigan Medicine

Language: English

Topic: Sperm and Testicular Function

Subfield: Reproductive Medicine

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,560

Funders: National Science Foundation, Open Philanthropy Project, National Institutes of Health, Michigan Institute for Data Science, University of Michigan, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institute of General Medical Sciences, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

OpenAlex ID: W3175966620