精原干细胞是存在于雄性动物睾丸内曲细精管基底膜上的生殖系干细胞。精原干细胞一方面通过自我更新来维持其在整个生命周期中自身群体的数量稳定,另一方面可以在精子发生过程中不断地分化成为各个阶段的生殖细胞并最终形成精子,从而将亲代携带的遗传信息传递给子代。目前在体外条件下可以进行精原干细胞的长期培养,并将其诱导分化为各级生精细胞。虽然对啮齿类动物精原干细胞的研究较为成熟,但是对大动物精原干细胞的研究进展较为缓慢。大动物精原干细胞的研究对了解人类相关生理机制和疾病至关重要,并且猪、牛和羊等农业动物的精原干细胞的研究为优良种畜扩繁和制备具有重要经济价值的基因修饰家畜提供新的手段。本文在介绍精原干细胞的特征基础上,重点综述了大动物精原干细胞的研究进展,探讨了目前研究中面临的主要问题和其未来应用前景,以期为动物新型替代繁殖技术、转基因动物制备、治疗雄性不育以及服务于再生医学提供新思路、新方法。

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are male germline stem cells that reside in the basement membrane of the seminiferous tubule in the testis. SSCs are characterized by their capability of self-renewal to maintain the stem cell pool throughout the lifespan and commitments to germ line after puberty, thus transmitting the genetic information from parents to the SSC-derived progenies. SSCs can be isolated from testis, propagated in vitro, and induced to differentiate into varied germ cells. Although significant progress has been made in the field of rodent SSCs, the SSCs of large animals have advanced slowly. Studies on SSCs of large animal models can offer insights into the physiological and pathological mechanism of human reproduction. Moreover, SSCs of agricultural large animals can be used as an essential tool for multiplication of elite animal individuals, and generation of genetically modified livestock with valuable economic traits. In this review, we summarize the recent progress on SSCs of large animal models for agricultural and medical purposes, and discuss the present problems and future prospects. This review can give an overall view of large animal SSCs as respect to their applications in novel alternative reproductive technologies, generation of transgenic animals, treatment of male infertility and regenerative medicine.