The PI, Dr. Dirk de Rooij, requests three years of support to investigate factors influencing spermatogonial stem cell growth and differentiation in culture. Spermatogonial stem cells will be purified from testes of vitamin A-deficient (VAD) mice.
The first aim i s to develop a culture system for maintaining long-term viability of these highly purified and undifferentiated spermatogonia.
The second aim i s to develop culture conditions that will promote proliferation of spermatogonia.
The third aim i s to establish immortalized cell lines of undifferentiated cells, using transfection with immortalizing genes if necessary.
The fourth aim i s to find the factor(s) that will induce differentiation of the cultured spermatogonia.
The final aim i s to test the developmental competence of these cells by studying the effects of various intervals and conditions of culture on the ability of the spermatogonial stem cells (and stem cell lines) to repopulate germ cell-deficient testes after transplantation.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01HD036476-01
Application #
2607102
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHD1-MRG-C (04))
Project Start
1998-08-01
Project End
2001-07-31
Budget Start
1998-08-01
Budget End
1999-07-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1998
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Utrecht
Department
Type
DUNS #
City
Utrecht
State
Country
Netherlands
Zip Code
3584 -CS