Role of BMP4 in male mitotic germ cells

Here we identify a novel signal transduction system in mouse prepuberal testis regulating this developmental event, involving bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and its transduction machinery. BMP4 is produced by Sertoli cells very early in the postnatal life and is successively down regulated in peri-puberal Sertoli cells. Its receptor Alk3 and the R-Smad Smad5 are specifically expressed both in proliferating primordial germ cells and in postnatal spermatogonia. BMP4 stimulation of cultured spermatogonia induces Smad4/5 nuclear translocation and the formation of a DNA-binding complex with the transcriptional coactivator p300/CBP.