Regulation of the spermatogonial stem cell niche

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) reside within specialized microenvironments called 'niches', which are essential for their maintenance and self-renewal. In the mammalian testis, the main components of the niche include the Sertoli cell, the growth factors that this nursing cell produces, the basement membrane, and stimuli from the vascular network between the seminiferous tubules. This review focuses on signalling pathways maintaining SSCs self-renewal and differentiation and describes potential mechanisms of regulation of the spermatogonial stem cell niche.