Cellular and molecular basis for the action of retinoic acid in spermatogenesis

Spermatogenesis is a highly organized and regulated process that requires the constant production of millions of gametes over the reproductive lifetime of the mammalian male. This is possible because of an active stem cell pool and an ordered entry into the germ cell developmental sequence. The ordered entry is a result of the synthesis and action of retinoic acid allowing for the onset of spermatogonial differentiation and an irreversible commitment to spermatogenesis. The periodic appearance and actions of retinoic acid along the seminiferous tubules is a result of the interactions between germ cells and Sertoli cells that result in the generation and maintenance of the cycle of the seminiferous epithelium and is the subject of this review.