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Stemming Sperm
16 October 2016

Stemming Sperm

Male mammals, including humans and mice, are always producing sperm. These swimming sex cells are made from continually dividing stem cells, found in small tubes in the testes. Many genes and molecules need to work together to keep stem cells functioning properly, maintaining their immortality so they can constantly make new sperm. These images show cells from the testis of two different adult male mice, seen down a microscope. The DNA of the cells is stained with a fluorescent blue dye, while sperm stem cells are highlighted red. The mouse on the left is normal, but the one on the right has a fault in a gene called Dmrt1. There are hardly any stem cells, so it can’t make sperm and is infertile. Some men also suffer from this kind of infertility, so figuring out the molecular processes at work could provide new solutions to enable them to become fathers.

Written by Kat Arney

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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