Endocrines, Volume 3, Issue 1

PBX1 is required for the differentiation of early progenitor cells into fetal Leydig cells in the mouse testis. From embryonic life to puberty, PBX1 is present in peritubular myoid cells (PMC, green line) and in interstitial cells, which includes progenitor and immature Leydig cells from the fetal (FLC, purple line) and adult (ALC, blue line) populations. PBX1 is absent from terminally differentiated FLC and ALC. In adults, PBX1 is found almost exclusively in Sertoli cells (SC, red line). The presence of PBX1 in different somatic cell populations during testicular development further supports a direct role for this transcription factor in testis cell differentiation and in male reproductive function. The yellow and blue areas represent fetal and post-natal life, respectively. View this paper