ABSTRACT
Background: In vitro spermatogenesis has a long research history beginning in the early 20th century. This organ culture method was therefore abandoned, and alternative cell culture methods were chosen by many researchers. Here, whether Tnp1, Tekt1, and Plzf, which play a crucial role in spermatogenesis, can be expressed during testis organ culture was assessed
Methods: Testes of 10 mouse pups were first removed, and the testis tissue was then separated into smaller pieces of seminiferous tubules. The size of the pieces was arbitrary; approximately 1 mg in weight or 1 mm3 in size when compacted. Afterwards, the testis tissue fragments [1-3] were transferred to the hexahedrons, incubated in a culture incubator and cultured for 12 weeks. Histological assessment and molecular evaluation were carried out at the end of the study
Results: The results showed that the expression of Tekt1 as a mitotic gene in mouse pups decreased significantly [p /= 0.05]. Based on histological study, different types of spermatocytes and postmeiotic stages of germ cells could not be detected
Conclusion: This kind of three-dimensional culture can induce expression of post-meiotic gene, Tnp1, but only at the molecular level and not beyond meiosis