Distinct roles of retinoic acid and BMP4 pathways in the formation of chicken primordial germ cells and spermatogonial stem cells

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 7152-7163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qisheng Zuo ◽  
Jing Jin ◽  
Kai Jin ◽  
Changhua Sun ◽  
Jiuzhou Song ◽  
...  

This study demonstrated different effects of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and retinoic acid (RA) signaling on the induction of germ cell formation in chickens.

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1850
Author(s):  
Wen Gao ◽  
Chen Zhang ◽  
Kai Jin ◽  
Yani Zhang ◽  
Qisheng Zuo ◽  
...  

Germ cells have an irreplaceable role in transmitting genetic information from one generation to the next, and also play an important role in sex differentiation in poultry, while little is known about epigenetic factors that regulate germ cell differentiation. In this study, RNA-seq was used to detect the expression profiles of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) during the differentiation of chicken embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). The results showed that a total of 296, 280 and 357 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were screened in ESCs vs. PGCs, ESCs vs. SSCs and PGCs vs. SSCs, respectively. Gene Ontology (GO) and KEGG enrichment analysis showed that DELs in the three cell groups were mainly enriched in autophagy, Wnt/β-catenin, TGF-β, Notch and ErbB and signaling pathways. The co-expression network of 37 candidate DELs and their target genes enriched in the biological function of germ cell development showed that XLOC_612026, XLOC_612029, XLOC_240662, XLOC_362463, XLOC_023952, XLOC_674549, XLOC_160716, ALDBGALG0000001810, ALDBGALG0000002986, XLOC_657380674549, XLOC_022100 and XLOC_657380 were the key lncRNAs in the process of male germ cell formation and, moreover, the function of these DELs may be related to the interaction of their target genes. Our findings preliminarily excavated the key lncRNAs and signaling pathways in the process of male chicken germ cell formation, which could be helpful to construct the gene regulatory network of germ cell development, and also provide new ideas for further optimizing the induction efficiency of germ cells in vitro.


2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 5
Author(s):  
R. A. ReijoPiera

Human embryo development begins with the fusion of egg and sperm, followed by reprogramming of the DNA, a series of cell divisions and activation of the embryo’s genome. As development continues, the germ cells (egg and sperm) must be set aside from other cell types. A major cause of infertility in men and women is quantitative and qualitative defects in human germ cell (oocyte and sperm) development. Yet, it has been difficult to study human germ cell development, especially features that are unique relative to model organisms. We have developed a system to differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to germ cells and to quantitate and isolate primordial germ cells (PGCs) derived from both XX- and XY-bearing hESCs and iPSCs. This allowed silencing and overexpression of genes that encode germ cell-specific cytoplasmic RNA-binding proteins (not transcription factors) and resulted in the modulation of human male and female germ cell formation and developmental progression. We observed that human DAZL (Deleted in AZoospermia-Like) functions in female and male PGC formation and maintenance, whereas closely-related family members, BOULE and DAZ, promote entry into meiosis and development of haploid gametes with sperm-specific methylation patterns at imprinted loci in the male. We also conducted critical proof-of-concept studies in mice that showed that phenotypes observed in germ cell development in vitro from wildtype, heterozygous, and Dazl–/– mutation-carrying mouse ESCs (mESCs) mirrored the phenotypes that were observed in vivo. Furthermore, transplantation of XX mESC-derived oocytes resulted in recruitment of somatic cells to form follicles. These studies comprised the first direct experimental analysis of the genetics of human germ cell development and set the stage for extensive exploration of complex genetic variants linked to infertility. Results are significant to the generation of gametes for developmental genetic studies and potential clinical applications.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonia A. Dominguez ◽  
H. Rosaria Chiang ◽  
Meena Sukhwani ◽  
Kyle E. Orwig ◽  
Renee A. Reijo Pera

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