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. 2015 Oct 1;11(10):e1005501. doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1005501

Fig 2. RXRA and RXRB are both instrumental to spermatogonia differentiation.

Fig 2

Mean percentages of tubule sections showing normal cellular associations (white bars), abnormal associations resembling the VAD situation with either one or two generations of germ cells lacking (grey bars), and degenerated epithelium containing only spermatogonia and Sertoli cells (black bars) in testes of 12 month-old mice (n = 5) with the indicated genotype. Mice lacking Rxrg and either Rxra (Rxra;g Sgp–/– mutants) or Rxrb (Rxrb;g Sgp–/– mutants) are marginally affected. In contrast, mice simultaneously lacking Rxra and Rxrb (Rxra;b Sgp–/– mutant) displayed a high proportion of affected tubule sections. Additional ablation of Rxrg does not worsen the pathological phenotype (Rxra;b Sgp–/– mutant). This indicates that RXRG is dispensable, whereas RXRA and RXRB are both required and exert redundant functions in spermatogonia.