McAninch, D.Mäkelä, J.-A.La, H.M.Hughes, J.N.Lovell-Badge, R.Hobbs, R.M.Thomas, P.Q.2020-05-082020-05-082020Scientific Reports, 2020; 10(1):6751-1-6751-132045-23222045-2322http://hdl.handle.net/2440/124627SOX3 is a transcription factor expressed within the developing and adult nervous system where it mostly functions to help maintain neural precursors. Sox3 is also expressed in other locations, notably within the spermatogonial stem/progenitor cell population in postnatal testis. Independent studies have shown that Sox3 null mice exhibit a spermatogenic block as young adults, the mechanism of which remains poorly understood. Using a panel of spermatogonial cell marker genes, we demonstrate that Sox3 is expressed within the committed progenitor fraction of the undifferentiated spermatogonial pool. Additionally, we use a Sox3 null mouse model to define a potential role for this factor in progenitor cell function. We demonstrate that Sox3 expression is required for transition of undifferentiated cells from a GFRα1+ self-renewing state to the NGN3 + transit-amplifying compartment. Critically, using chromatin immunoprecipitation, we demonstrate that SOX3 binds to a highly conserved region in the Ngn3 promoter region in vivo, indicating that Ngn3 is a direct target of SOX3. Together these studies indicate that SOX3 functions as a pro-commitment factor in spermatogonial stem/progenitor cells.en© The Author(s) 2020. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.TestisSpermatogoniaAnimalsMice, KnockoutMiceDNA-Binding ProteinsNerve Tissue ProteinsTranscription FactorsSignal TransductionCell DifferentiationSpermatogenesisGene Expression Regulation, DevelopmentalProtein BindingMaleGlial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ReceptorsBasic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription FactorsPromoter Regions, GeneticSOXB1 Transcription FactorsAdult Germline Stem CellsPromyelocytic Leukemia Zinc Finger ProteinJournal article100001892210.1038/s41598-020-63290-30005597646000242-s2.0-85083797262529193McAninch, D. [0000-0001-9735-6553]Hobbs, R.M. [0000-0002-3853-2614]