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Lara NLM, Goldsmith T, Rodriguez-Villamil P, Ongaratto F, Solin S, Webster D, Ganbaatar U, Hodgson S, Corbière SMAS, Bondareva A, Carlson DF, Dobrinski I. DAZL Knockout Pigs as Recipients for Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation. Cells 2023; 12:2582. [PMID: 37947660 PMCID: PMC10649044 DOI: 10.3390/cells12212582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) transplantation into the testis of a germ cell (GC)-depleted surrogate allows transmission of donor genotype via donor-derived sperm produced by the recipient. Transplantation of gene-edited SSCs provides an approach to propagate gene-edited large animal models. DAZL is a conserved RNA-binding protein important for GC development, and DAZL knockout (KO) causes defects in GC commitment and differentiation. We characterized DAZL-KO pigs as SSC transplantation recipients. While there were GCs in 1-week-old (wko) KO, complete GC depletion was observed by 10 wko. Donor GCs were transplanted into 18 DAZL-KO recipients at 10-13 wko. At sexual maturity, semen and testes were evaluated for transplantation efficiency and spermatogenesis. Approximately 22% of recipient seminiferous tubules contained GCs, including elongated spermatids and proliferating spermatogonia. The ejaculate of 89% of recipients contained sperm, exclusively from donor origin. However, sperm concentration was lower than the wild-type range. Testicular protein expression and serum hormonal levels were comparable between DAZL-KO and wild-type. Intratesticular testosterone and Leydig cell volume were increased, and Leydig cell number decreased in transplanted DAZL-KO testis compared to wild-type. In summary, DAZL-KO pigs support donor-derived spermatogenesis following SSC transplantation, but low spermatogenic efficiency currently limits their use for the production of offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathalia L. M. Lara
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada; (N.L.M.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Taylor Goldsmith
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | | | - Felipe Ongaratto
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | - Staci Solin
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | - Dennis Webster
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | - Uyanga Ganbaatar
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | - Shane Hodgson
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | | | - Alla Bondareva
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada; (N.L.M.L.); (A.B.)
| | - Daniel F. Carlson
- Recombinetics, Inc., St. Paul, MN 55121, USA; (T.G.); (D.W.); (S.H.); (S.M.A.S.C.); (D.F.C.)
| | - Ina Dobrinski
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N4N1, Canada; (N.L.M.L.); (A.B.)
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