Fig. 5: Ppp6c cKO mice arrest spermatogenesis at step 7-8 spermatids.

A Determination of stages (I–XII) and identification of cell types using a combination of IHC and PNA-lectin histochemistry. Three-μm-thick sections were double-immunostained for PLZF (red) and SOX9 (white), then stained with PNA-lectin histochemistry (green) and DAPI (blue). Scale bar: 10 μm. B Determination of stages (I–XII) and identification of cell types using a combination of IHC and PNA-lectin histochemistry. Three-μm-thick sections were double-immunostained for SYCP3 (red) and SOX9 (white), then stained with PNA-lectin histochemistry (green) and DAPI (blue). Scale bar: 10 μm. C Quantification of spermatogenic cell types in Ppp6c^WT and Ppp6c^cKO mice based on the images shown in A-B. For each cell type, at least 150 tubules from three mice were counted. The average numbers of cells per tubule were converted to ratios and compared between Ppp6c^WT and Ppp6c^cKO mice. SG-A, type A spermatogonia; SG-In, type In spermatogonia; SG-B, type B spermatogonia; lepSC/zygSC leptotene spermatocytes/zygotene spermatocytes, pacSC/dipSC pachytene spermatocytes/diplotene spermatocytes, rST round spermatids, eST elongating spermatids, Se Sertoli cells.