Spermatogonia: stem cells with a great perspective

Interest in spermatogonia has grown in recent years as a result of exciting developments in stem cell research in general and the development of new r esearch tools allowing the isolation, culture and transplantation of these cells. This review focuses on the methodological breakthroughs and highligh ts the recent findings that have substantially increased understanding of s permatogonial physiology. The article provides a comprehensive overview of the hormonal regulation of spermatogonia and presents several new approache s to the use of spermatogonia in basic science and medicine. In the near fu ture these techniques will allow the development of novel routes for the ge neration of transgenic lifestock, the treatment of infertility, the targeti ng for male contraception, and an alternative strategy for fertility preser vation of oncological patients.