This productivity comes, in part, from a special cell type called the spermatogonial stem cell. Yet spermatogonial stem cells have not been well studied in humans, and attempts to grow them in the lab for clinical purposes have had limited success. They also found cells with the characteristics of spermatogonial stem cells in human newborns. These biomarkers, which they detected with specific antibodies, allowed the researchers to efficiently capture human spermatogonial stem cells. Wilkinson’s team also identified the genes active in other cells that support spermatogonial stem cells.

Source: The Guardian February 13, 2019 05:03 UTC