PREPARATION OF SPERMATOGONIA, SPERMATOCYTES, AND ROUND SPERMATIDS FORANALYSIS OF GENE-EXPRESSION USING FLUORESCENCE-ACTIVATED CELL SORTING

A new method is described for the purification of spermatogenic cell p opulations from mouse testis. Through use of this method, it is possib le to purify leptotene, zygotene, and pachytene primary spermatocytes as well as round spermatids from adult mouse testis. in addition, sper matogonial populations can be purified from mice at 9 days postpartum. The leptotene and zygotene primary spermatocytes that can be prepared by this method are impossible to separate successfully by the unit gr avity method. The cells were used to prepare RNA for reverse transcrip tase-polymerase chain reactions.