Messer, Fiona; White-Cooper, Helen; Amoyel, Marc; (2025) Spermatogenesis. In: Miguel-Aliaga, Irene, (ed.) Comprehensive Molecular Insect Science. Elsevier

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Abstract

Spermatogenesis is an extraordinarily complex cellular reorganization producing distinctive elongated haploid gametes. Successful spermatogenesis is critical to reproduction and species survival, and sperm, and the genes expressed in them, evolve rapidly. Across insects, sperm display a huge variety of forms. In this chapter, we explore current knowledge of insect spermatogenesis, with a primary focus on Drosophila melanogaster where genetic tools have provided insight into the molecular underpinning of the many cellular processes involved. We discuss the mechanisms by which germline stem cells and early germ cells (spermatogonia) interact with somatic cells to sustain lifelong spermatogenesis, then how spermatocytes acquire a unique transcriptome and undergo meiosis, eventually undergoing the characteristic morphogenetic events of spermiogenesis to produce mature sperm, and finally, we describe the diversity of sperm forms and mechanisms that produce such variety. New technologies will undoubtedly lead to profound new insights into this most important of cell transformations, with implications on understanding evolution and influencing fertility.

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