Background: Primordial germ cell (PGC) specification is a universal process across animals, but the molecular mechanisms specifying PGCs are remarkably diverse. In Drosophila, PGCs are specified bymaternally provided, asymmetrically localized cytoplasmic factors (germ plasm). In contrast, historical literature on most other arthropods reports that PGCs arise from mesoderm during midembryogenesi...

Germ cell cancer is the most common malignancy in men aged 15–35 years; 5% of the malignant germ cell tumors are of extragonadal origin [1]. An extragonadal germ cell tumor (EGGCT) is by definition a germ cell neoplasm displaying one of the histologies associated with gonadal origin, but located outside of the gonads. This specific clinical entity was first described in the 19th century [2, 3]....

1. Germline differentiation of embryonic stem cells . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.1. Early germline fate commitment and PGC development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.2. In vitro germ cell differentiation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ....

In the mouse embryo, significant numbers of primordial germ cells (PGCs) fail to migrate correctly to the genital ridges early in organogenesis. These usually die in ectopic locations. In humans, 50% of pediatric germ line tumors arise outside the gonads, and these are thought to arise from PGCs that fail to die in ectopic locations. We show that the pro-apoptotic gene Bax, previously shown to ...

Gap junctions coordinate processes ranging from muscle contraction to ovarian follicle development. Here we show that the gap junction protein Zero population growth (Zpg) is required for germ cell differentiation in the Drosophila ovary. In the absence of Zpg the stem cell daughter destined to differentiate dies. The zpg phenotype is novel, and we used this phenotype to genetically dissect the...

Germ cell development requires timely transition from primordial germ cell (PGC) self-renewal to meiotic differentiation. This is associated with widespread changes in gene expression, including downregulation of stem cell-associated genes, such as OCT4 and KIT, and upregulation of markers of germ cell differentiation and meiosis, such as VASA, STRA8, and SYCP3. The stem cell-expressed RNA-bind...