Primordial Germ Cells: Current Knowledge and Perspectives

Overview

Journal Stem Cells Int

Publisher Wiley

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2015 Dec 5

PMID 26635880

Citations 38

Authors

Aleksandar Nikolic

Vladislav Volarevic

Lyle Armstrong

Majlinda Lako

Miodrag Stojkovic

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Infertility is a condition that occurs very frequently and understanding what defines normal fertility is crucial to helping patients. Causes of infertility are numerous and the treatment often does not lead to desired pregnancy especially when there is a lack of functional gametes. In humans, the primordial germ cell (PGC) is the primary undifferentiated stem cell type that will differentiate towards gametes: spermatozoa or oocytes. With the development of stem cell biology and differentiation protocols, PGC can be obtained from pluripotent stem cells providing a new therapeutic possibility to treat infertile couples. Recent studies demonstrated that viable mouse pups could be obtained from in vitro differentiated stem cells suggesting that translation of these results to human is closer. Therefore, the aim of this review is to summarize current knowledge about PGC indicating the perspective of their use in both research and medical application for the treatment of infertility.

Citing Articles

Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination in Crocodilians and Climate Challenges.

Maria Schilling-Toth B, Belcher S, Knotz J, Ondrasovicova S, Bartha T, Toth I Animals (Basel). 2024; 14(13).

PMID: 38998126 PMC: 11240705. DOI: 10.3390/ani14132015.

Modeling the SDF-1/CXCR4 protein using advanced artificial intelligence and antagonist screening for Japanese anchovy.

Yahiro I, Barnuevo K, Sato O, Mohapatra S, Toyoda A, Itoh T Front Physiol. 2024; 15:1349119.

PMID: 38370015 PMC: 10869568. DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2024.1349119.

The construction of a testis transcriptional cell atlas from embryo to adult reveals various somatic cells and their molecular roles.

Salehi N, Totonchi M J Transl Med. 2023; 21(1):859.

PMID: 38012716 PMC: 10680190. DOI: 10.1186/s12967-023-04722-2.

Recent advances in developing 3D culture systems of spermatogonial stem cell preservation and differentiation: A narrative review.

Fath-Bayati L, Naserpour L, Khoshandam M, Jannatifar R, Fazaeli H Int J Reprod Biomed. 2023; 21(9):681-696.

PMID: 37969562 PMC: 10643686. DOI: 10.18502/ijrm.v21i9.14397.

Initial Characterization of 3D Culture of Yolk Sac Tissue.

Mattos Pereira V, Pinto P, Motta L, Almeida M, de Andrade A, Pavaneli A Animals (Basel). 2023; 13(9).

PMID: 37174472 PMC: 10177165. DOI: 10.3390/ani13091435.

References

Chen H, Welling M, Bloch D, Munoz J, Mientjes E, Chen X . DAZL limits pluripotency, differentiation, and apoptosis in developing primordial germ cells. Stem Cell Reports. 2014; 3(5):892-904. PMC: 4235140. DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2014.09.003. View

Saitou M . Germ cell specification in mice. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2009; 19(4):386-95. DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2009.06.003. View

Ruggiu M, Speed R, Taggart M, McKay S, Kilanowski F, Saunders P . The mouse Dazla gene encodes a cytoplasmic protein essential for gametogenesis. Nature. 1997; 389(6646):73-7. DOI: 10.1038/37987. View

Tam P, Loebel D . Gene function in mouse embryogenesis: get set for gastrulation. Nat Rev Genet. 2007; 8(5):368-81. DOI: 10.1038/nrg2084. View

Cai H, Xia X, Wang L, Liu Y, He Z, Guo Q . In vitro and in vivo differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells into male germ cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2013; 433(3):286-91. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2013.02.107. View

Saga Y . Mouse germ cell development during embryogenesis. Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2008; 18(4):337-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2008.06.003. View

Boivin J, Bunting L, Collins J, Nygren K . International estimates of infertility prevalence and treatment-seeking: potential need and demand for infertility medical care. Hum Reprod. 2007; 22(6):1506-12. DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dem046. View

Chuma S, Kanatsu-Shinohara M, Inoue K, Ogonuki N, Miki H, Toyokuni S . Spermatogenesis from epiblast and primordial germ cells following transplantation into postnatal mouse testis. Development. 2004; 132(1):117-22. DOI: 10.1242/dev.01555. View

Okita K, Ichisaka T, Yamanaka S . Generation of germline-competent induced pluripotent stem cells. Nature. 2007; 448(7151):313-7. DOI: 10.1038/nature05934. View

10.

Menke D, Koubova J, Page D . Sexual differentiation of germ cells in XX mouse gonads occurs in an anterior-to-posterior wave. Dev Biol. 2003; 262(2):303-12. DOI: 10.1016/s0012-1606(03)00391-9. View

11.

Lasko P, Ashburner M . Posterior localization of vasa protein correlates with, but is not sufficient for, pole cell development. Genes Dev. 1990; 4(6):905-21. DOI: 10.1101/gad.4.6.905. View

12.

Molyneaux K, Stallock J, Schaible K, Wylie C . Time-lapse analysis of living mouse germ cell migration. Dev Biol. 2002; 240(2):488-98. DOI: 10.1006/dbio.2001.0436. View

13.

Saitou M, Payer B, OCarroll D, Ohinata Y, Surani M . Blimp1 and the emergence of the germ line during development in the mouse. Cell Cycle. 2005; 4(12):1736-40. DOI: 10.4161/cc.4.12.2209. View

14.

Yamaji M, Seki Y, Kurimoto K, Yabuta Y, Yuasa M, Shigeta M . Critical function of Prdm14 for the establishment of the germ cell lineage in mice. Nat Genet. 2008; 40(8):1016-22. DOI: 10.1038/ng.186. View

15.

Chen S, Zheng Q, Zhang Y, Gao F, Liu Y . Disruption of genital ridge development causes aberrant primordial germ cell proliferation but does not affect their directional migration. BMC Biol. 2013; 11:22. PMC: 3652777. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-11-22. View

16.

Imamura M, Aoi T, Tokumasu A, Mise N, Abe K, Yamanaka S . Induction of primordial germ cells from mouse induced pluripotent stem cells derived from adult hepatocytes. Mol Reprod Dev. 2010; 77(9):802-11. DOI: 10.1002/mrd.21223. View

17.

Lin Y, Page D . Dazl deficiency leads to embryonic arrest of germ cell development in XY C57BL/6 mice. Dev Biol. 2005; 288(2):309-16. DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2005.06.032. View

18.

McLaren A . Mammalian germ cells: birth, sex, and immortality. Cell Struct Funct. 2001; 26(3):119-22. DOI: 10.1247/csf.26.119. View

19.

Anderson R, Copeland T, Scholer H, Heasman J, Wylie C . The onset of germ cell migration in the mouse embryo. Mech Dev. 2000; 91(1-2):61-8. DOI: 10.1016/s0925-4773(99)00271-3. View

20.

Seydoux G, Dunn M . Transcriptionally repressed germ cells lack a subpopulation of phosphorylated RNA polymerase II in early embryos of Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster. Development. 1997; 124(11):2191-201. DOI: 10.1242/dev.124.11.2191. View