Effect of extracellular matrix on bovine spermatogonial stem cells and gene expression of niche factors regulating their development in vitro

•Extracellular matrix (ECM) potentiated bovine SSCs differentiation.•Possible role of KITLG in differentiation of bovine SSCs in response to ECM.•Conventional culture enhances bovine SSCs self-renewal.•Potential contribution of GDNF to SSCs self-renewal during conventional culture. Extracellular matrix (ECM) could influence cells function through providing structural and functional networks facilitating the cellular interactions. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of culture on ECM versus plastic on bovine spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) and growth factors regulating their development. Following isolation, bovine testicular cells were cultured on ECM-coated or uncoated (control) plates for 12 days. The colonization of SSCs was assessed by inverted microscope and the gene expression was evaluated using quantitative real-time PCR. The colonization rate was greater in ECM than the control group (P