The directional migration of primordial germ cells (PGCs) to the site of gonad formation is an advantageous model system to study cell motility. The embryonic development of PGCs has been investigated in different animal species, including mice, zebrafish, Xenopus and Drosophila. In this study we focus on the physical properties of Xenopus laevis PGCs during their transition from the passive to...

In sexually reproducing animals, primordial germ cells (PGCs) are often set aside early in embryogenesis, a strategy that minimizes the risk of genomic damage associated with replication and mitosis during the cell cycle. Here, we have used germ line markers (piwi, vasa, and nanos) and microinjected cell lineage tracers to show that PGC specification in the leech genus Helobdella follows a diff...

The trafficking of primordial germ cells (PGCs) across multiple embryonic structures to the nascent gonads ensures the transmission of genetic information to the next generation through the gametes, yet our understanding of the mechanisms underlying PGC migration remains incomplete. Here we identify a role for the receptor tyrosine kinase-like protein Ror2 in PGC development. In a Ror2 mouse mu...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the embryonic precursors of the adult gametes. Although restricted in developmental potency, PGCs express many of the same molecular markers as pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells and can give rise to embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells, the stem cells of testicular tumors, in vivo. Likewise, when exposed to specific growth factors in vitro PGCs can be converted in...

A crucial event in animal development is the specification of primordial germ cells (PGCs), which become the stem cells that create sperm and eggs. How PGCs are created provides a valuable paradigm for understanding stem cells in general. We find that the PGCs of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus exhibit broad transcriptional repression, yet enrichment for a set of inherited mRNAs. E...

The development of germ cells has been intensively studied in Medaka (Oryzias latipes). We have undertaken a large-scale screen to identify mutations affecting the development of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in Medaka. Embryos derived from mutagenized founder fish were screened for an abnormal distribution or number of PGCs at embryonic stage 27 by RNA in situ hybridization for the Medaka vasa ...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) of Xenopus laevis have been isolated from early embryos and kept alive in vitro, in order to study the structural basis of their motility, using the transmission and scanning electron microscope. The culture conditions used mimicked as closely as possible the in vivo environment of migrating PGCs, in that isolated PGCs were seeded onto monolayers of amphibian mesent...

The adhesiveness of female and male mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) to somatic cell monolayers of various origin has been studied in the definite conditions of an in vitro system. PGCs were isolated from the gonads of embryos of various post coital ages according to the method of De Felici & McLaren (1982), and seeded on the cell monolayers. PGCs from 12.5 to 15.5 days post coitum (dpc) embr...

To deal with the issue of climate change by moving towards sustainable development, electric mobility is one most beneficial approaches, offering users relatively low-carbon transport means. Based on a life cycle assessment, this paper investigates calculation methodology carbon impact and global cost for photovoltaic-powered charging station (PVCS) vehicles (EVs). The PVCS equipped PV system, ...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) sequentially induce specific genes required for their development. We focused on epigenetic changes that regulate PGC-specific gene expression. mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella are preferentially expressed in PGCs, and their expression is upregulated during PGC differentiation. Here, we first determined DNA methylation status of mil-1, Blimp1, and Stella regulatory regions...