Fig. 2.

RNase H1 deletion in pre-meiotic germ cells causes spermatogenic defects. A: RNase H1 immunofluorescence staining on spermatocyte spreads from WT mice. DNA was counterstained with DAPI. Scale bar: 10 µm. B: Western blot of ribonuclease H1 (RNase H1) in spermatogenic cells isolated from WT mice. L/Z, leptotene/zygotene; P, pachytene; D, diplotene; M, meiotic metaphase; RS, round spermatids. C: S9.6 immunofluorescence staining on WT mice spermatocyte spreads. Scale bar: 10 µm. D: Western blot of RNase H1 in germ cells from WT and Rnaseh1^fl/−;Stra8-Cre mice. E-F: Left tri-color panel, Immunofluorescent co-staining of SYCP3 and RNase H1 in testes of 6-week-old WT (A) and Rnaseh1^fl/−;Stra8-Cre (B) mice. DNA was counterstained with DAPI. Scale bar: 50 µm. The right three panels show enlarged images of each channel. Meiotic cells of the lumen are divided out from spermatogonia and Sertoli cells with a white dotted line. G: Gross morphology of testes from Rnaseh1^fl/−;Stra8-Cre and WT littermate mice. Scale bar: 1 mm. H: Weights of testis from 6-week-old Rnaseh1^fl/−;Stra8-Cre and WT littermate mice. Error bars, s.e.m. ***P < 0.001 (two-tailed Student’s t-test). I-J: H&E staining results showing testis (F) and epididymis (G) histology of 6-week-old WT and Rnaseh1^fl/−;Stra8-Cre mice. Scale bar: 50 µm. K: MVH immunofluorescence staining in the testes of 6-week-old WT and Rnaseh1^fl/−;Stra8-Cre mice. DNA was counterstained with DAPI. Scale bar: 50 µm.