Reconstitution of sex determination and the testicular niche using mouse pluripotent stem cells
Summary
Proper differentiation of gonadal somatic cells is crucial for sex determination and the production of sex hormones and gametes, and reconstituting this process in culture would both deepen our understanding of this process and enable the generation of gametes in vitro. Here, we report the reconstitution of testicular somatic cells using mouse pluripotent stem cells. The reconstitution recapitulated the sex-determination process, yielding cell types that formed seminiferous tubules and adj
Content
# Reconstitution of sex determination and the testicular niche using mouse pluripotent stem cells
*Published: 2026 Feb 26*
Proper differentiation of gonadal somatic cells is crucial for sex determination
and the production of sex hormones and gametes, and reconstituting this process
in culture would both deepen our understanding of this process and enable the
generation of gametes in vitro. Here, we report the reconstitution of testicular
somatic cells using mouse pluripotent stem cells. The reconstitution
recapitulated the sex-determination process, yielding cell types that formed
seminiferous tubules and adjacent interstitial tissues. The reconstituted
testicular tissue incorporated pluripotent stem cell-derived primordial germ
cells and supported their differentiation into spermatogonial stem cells. These
spermatogonial stem cells differentiated into functional spermatozoa upon
transplantation into testis. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of
the sex-determination process and to the creation of an alternative source for
the male germ line in culture.
DOI: 10.1126/science.aea0296