Repression of Primordial Germ Cell Differentiation Parallels Germ Line Stem Cell Maintenance

Repression of Primordial Germ Cell Differentiation Parallels Germ Line Stem Cell Maintenance

In Drosophila, primordial germ cells (PGCs) are set aside from somatic cells and subsequently migrate through the embryo and associate with somatic gonadal cells to form the embryonic gonad. During larval stages, PGCs proliferate in the female gonad, and a subset of PGCs are selected at late larval stages to become germ line stem cells (GSCs), the source of continuous egg production throughout ...

The effect of BMP4 on mouse embryonic stem cell proliferation and differentiation into primordial germ cells

Background and Aim: Artificial gamete production from stem cells is a novel strategy for treatment of infertility. Among various stem cell sources, embryonic stem cells (ESC) can be considered as an appropriate source for in vitro formation of germ cells. In this study we evaluated the effect of BMP4 on proliferation and differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into primordial germ cells (...

Primordial germ cell migration.

Mutational and antisense screens in Drosophila and zebrafish, and transcriptional profiling and time-lapse analysis in the mouse, have contributed greatly to our understanding of PGC development. In all three systems, the behavior of PGCs is controlled by growth factors which signal through G-protein coupled receptors and/or tyrosine kinase receptors. Additionally, regulated cell-cell and cell-...

Functional Concentrations of BMP4 on Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells to Primordial Germ Cells

Regulation of germ line stem cell homeostasis.

Mammalian spermatogenesis is a complex process in which spermatogonial stem cells of the testis (SSCs) develop to ultimately form spermatozoa. In the seminiferous epithelium, SSCs self-renew to maintain the pool of stem cells throughout life, or they differentiate to generate a large number of germ cells. A balance between SSC self-renewal and differentiation is therefore essential to maintain ...