Fig. 6: Smed-oc-1 is required for the maintenance of spermatogonial cells. | Nature Communications

Fig. 6: Smed-oc-1 is required for the maintenance of spermatogonial cells.

From: Single-cell analysis of Schistosoma mansoni identifies a conserved genetic program controlling germline stem cell fate

Fig. 6: Smed-oc-1 is required for the maintenance of spermatogonial cells.The alternative text for this image may have been generated using AI.

a Schematic of planarian testes lobules containing spermatogonial cells (GSCs and mitotic spermatogonia) at the periphery and differentiated germ cells (spermatocytes, round spermatids, elongating spermatids, and sperm) distributed in the internal layers. b WISH images showing the expression of Smed-oc-1 in sexually immature (left) and mature (right) planarians. The punctuated signal in the immature planarian corresponds to presumptive testis primordia. In the mature planarian, the signal is specific to testes. c FISH images of Smed-oc-1 showing its expression in testis primordia within sexually immature planarians (top) and in spermatogonial cells (including GSCs and mitotic spermatogonia) in sexually mature planarians (bottom). N: number of samples showing similar results over three independent experiments. d Dorsal view of sexually mature planarians after control and Smed-oc-1 RNAi. Note that testes, which are distributed beneath the dorsal epithelium and visualized by strong DAPI signal, are completely eliminated after Smed-oc-1 RNAi. Animals were fixed after eight feedings of dsRNA. e Testes of control (left) and Smed-oc-1 (right) RNAi planarians after three feedings of dsRNA. In control animals, Smed-germinal histone H4 (gH4) labels the spermatogonial cells at the periphery of testis lobules, which are mostly absent after Smed-oc-1 RNAi, while differentiated germ cells remain at the center of the testis lobules. gH4 expression in individually isolated somatic stem cells maintains after Smed-oc-1 RNAi. f WISH images showing that the expression of Smed-oc-1, Smed-nanos, and Smed-boule-2 are disrupted after three feedings of Smed-oc-1 RNAi. The imaged areas correspond to the dashed box in the schematic on the left. n: number of samples exhibiting the reported phenotype out of the total number of samples analyzed. RNAi experiments were repeated on at least three biological replicates, each containing a group of planarians fed with dsRNA separately.

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