Activin in Testicular Development and Disease

男性的生殖健康和生育能力受到早在成年前就发生的过程的影响。睾丸和精子前体细胞首先在胎儿中形成，然后生长到青春期，那时精子产生的上限已经设定。这个项目研究了一个关键的信号分子激活素如何帮助建立正常的睾丸结构和推动精子前体细胞的成熟，以及它如何导致男性睾丸癌患者的异常功能。

A man's reproductive health and fertility is affected by processes that occur long before adulthood. The testis and sperm precursor cells first form in the fetus and then grow until the time of puberty, when the upper limit for sperm production is set. This project studies how one key signaling molecule, activin, helps establish normal testicular architecture and drives maturation of sperm precursor cells, and how it contributes to aberrent function in men with testicular cancer.