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TGF-β superfamily: how does it regulate testis development

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Abstract

Testis development is a highly regulated sequence of developmental process that spans from the establishment of germ cell lineage during embryonic development to the periodic wave of spermatogenesis in adulthood. The normal development of testes and the fertility of male animals require specific cell types to respond correctly at a specific time point, the process of which is precisely regulated by various factors. Several members of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily are shown to be the key mediators. They act as the extracellular ligand of signaling transduction that regulates the proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis and other cell behaviors to help coordinate the physiology of the cells to the overall development of the testis and the organism. This paper reviews the current understanding of some of TGF-βs’ major regulatory roles in the overall process of testis development, analyzes the current studies and their limitations and points out the research areas that need further investigation.

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Acknowledgments

We are indebted to all members of the Sperm Laboratory at Zhejiang University for their enlightening discussion. This project was supported in part by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 31072198 and 81100393).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Sperm Laboratory, Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, 368 Yu Hang Tang Road, Hangzhou, 310058, People’s Republic of China

    Yun-Shu Fan & Wan-Xi Yang

  2. Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, Women’s Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310006, People’s Republic of China

    Yan-Jun Hu

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Correspondence to Wan-Xi Yang.

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Fan, YS., Hu, YJ. & Yang, WX. TGF-β superfamily: how does it regulate testis development. Mol Biol Rep 39, 4727–4741 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-011-1265-5

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  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-011-1265-5

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