Licensing of Primordial Germ Cells for Gametogenesis Depends on Genital Ridge Signaling

In mouse embryos at mid-gestation, primordial germ cells (PGCs) undergo licensing to become gametogenesis-competent cells (GCCs), gaining the capacity for meiotic initiation and sexual differentiation. GCCs then initiate either oogenesis or spermatogenesis in response to gonadal cues. Germ cell licensing has been considered to be a cell-autonomous and gonad-independent event, based on observations that some PGCs, having migrated not to the gonad but to the adrenal gland, nonetheless enter meiosis in a time frame parallel to ovarian germ cells -- and do so regardless of the sex of the embryo. Here we test the hypothesis that germ cell licensing is cell-autonomous by examining the fate of PGCs in Gata4 conditional mutant (Gata4 cKO) mouse embryos. Gata4, which is expressed only in somatic cells, is known to be required for genital ridge initiation. PGCs in Gata4 cKO mutants migrated to the area where the genital ridge, the precursor of the gonad, would ordinarily be formed. However, these germ cells did not undergo licensing and instead retained characteristics of PGCs. Our results indicate that licensing is not purely cell-autonomous but is induced by the somatic genital ridge.     

从原始生殖细胞分离克隆鸡胚胎生殖细胞的研究

从孵化 5 5天的鸡胚生殖腺中分离得到大量原始生殖细胞 (PGCs)集落 ,这些集落的细胞经多次克隆传代具有胚胎生殖细胞 (EG)的诸多特征 ,如有连续传代的能力 (传至第 9代 ) ,细胞集落有典型鸟巢状结构 ,PAS染色阳性 ,AKP染色阳性 ,在无饲养层无分化抑制因子LIF时可以自发分化成几种细胞类型 ,包括成纤维细胞、神经细胞、自律细胞等 ,悬浮培养时具有形成类胚体的能力。上述发现表明该细胞具EG细胞的诸多特性 ,为类EG细胞     

猪原始生殖细胞生物学特性的研究

胚胎生殖细胞（embryonic germ cell,EGC）是由胎儿原始生殖细胞（primordial germ cell,PGC）经体外驯化培养获得的一种多潜能干细胞。研究猪PGC生物学特性对于建立猪EGC及了解猪生殖细胞发育机制具有重要意义。该研究以原代培养的猪PGC为对象,探讨了其生长行为特征及其重编程过程中多能性、生殖系标志基因的表达模式。结果显示,26 d胚胎生殖嵴分离的PGC呈碱性磷酸酶阳性,细胞体积及核质比较大;体外培养初期呈现出较强的增殖及迁移能力,培养第5 d细胞增殖达到平台期,此时克隆高表达Oct4、Sox2、Nanog、c-Myc、Klf4和Ifi tm3（P〈0.05）,低表达Blimp1（P〈0.05）,Nanos1和Stella的表达水平与猪胎儿成纤维细胞无差异;猪PGC形成的原代克隆已经具有多向分化潜能。     

鸡胚胎原始生殖细胞体外培养

以14-15期鸡胚血液为材料,采用Ficoll密度梯度离心方法,提取鸡胚胎原始生殖细胞(primordial germ cells,PGCs),在无基质细胞和基质细胞上分别进行体外培养。从实验结果可以看出：在含有胎牛血清(fetal bovine serum,FBS)、鸡血清(chicken serum,CS)、碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)、人胰岛素样生长因子(hIGF-1)、小鼠白血病抑制因子(mLIF)和青,链霉素双抗的M199培养液中培养时,鸡PGCs最多能够存活4天：当采用细胞因子和5天鸡胚胎性腺基质细胞共培养时能存活23代且每代细胞增殖可达近10倍。提纯后的PGCs细胞冻存复苏后,经台盼蓝染色鉴定存活率可达80％左右。     

果蝇原生殖细胞特化的分子机制

原生殖细胞在许多有性生殖动物的胚胎发育早期就已特化出来,并进一步分化为生殖细胞以产生新的子代。动物原生殖细胞的特化主要有生殖质决定和诱导两种模式,果蝇原生殖细胞的特化模式属于前者。研究表明,果蝇原生殖细胞特化过程中生殖质组装的关键基因是osk,其调控下游基因转录产物的定位和翻译,如vas和tud。此外,基因转录沉默是原生殖细胞特化过程的一个重要特征,其与生殖质中的成分如基因nos、gcl、pgc的表达产物密切相关。现对果蝇原生殖细胞特化分子机制进行综述。     

Derivation of Intermediate Pluripotent Stem Cells Amenable to Primordial Germ Cell Specification

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Stage-Specific Roles for Tet1 and Tet2 in DNA Demethylation in Primordial Germ Cells

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Highlights? PGCs differentiated from ESCs undergo genome-wide DNA demethylation ? Tet1 and Tet2 do not regulate genome-wide DNA demethylation in PGCs ? Tet1 and Tet2 regulate locus-specific demethylation in PGCs     

原始生殖细胞体外培养及应用研究

原始生殖细胞是来源于胚胎生殖嵴的一类具有多向分化潜能的干细胞,其形态、细胞表面标志、分化潜能均与来源于囊胚内细胞团的干细胞相似.在饲养细胞层和多种生长因子的共同作用下,可保持原生殖细胞在体外不断增殖而不分化,最终建立EG细胞系.本文就原始生殖细胞体外培养,建立EG细胞系及其应用前景作一综述.     

Purification of Primordial Germ Cells from TNAPMouse Embryos Using FACS-gal

Tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), the product of theAkp2locus, is expressed in mouse primordial germ cells (PGC) for an extensive period during embryogenesis. Mice with theAkp2^tm1Sormutant allele of TNAP expresslacZ(β-galactosidase; β-gal) under control of theAkp2locus. PGCs were purified fromAkp2^tm1Sorembryos using fluorescence activated cell sorting of β-gal expressing cells (FACS-gal). Analysis of the purified cells by alkaline phosphatase staining and immunocytochemistry with anti-c-kitantibody demonstrated that highly (98%) purified PGCs can be isolated using this method. This technique will facilitate experiments that require highly purified preparations of PGCs including cell culture and gene expression analyses.     

Purification of Mouse Primordial Germ Cells by MiniMACS Magnetic Separation System

During migration toward gonadal ridges, primordial germ cells (PGCs; the earliest identifiable germ cells in the embryo) are very few in number, move along different tissues, and are not identifiable by morphological criteria alone. Here we report the use of the magnetic cell sorter MiniMACS as a tool for the isolation of such rare cells from 10.5- to 13.5-days post coitum mouse embryos. Cells stained sequentially by TG-1 (a monoclonal IgM antibody known to bind to the surface of PGCs) and superparamagnetic microbeads coated with secondary anti-mouse IgM antibody were separated on a magnetic column. Unlabeled cells (somatic cells) pass through the column, while labeled cells (germ cells) are retained. The retained cells can be eventually easily eluted and immediately used for biochemical studies or grown in suitable in vitro culture systems.     

蒙古绵羊原始生殖细胞用于胚胎干细胞培养的研究

原始生殖细胞是用做分离和克隆胚胎干细胞的一种新的细胞资源。本研究将30-45日龄的蒙古绵羊胚胎生殖嵴及其临近组织用机械剪碎和胰蛋白酶+EDTA消化处理,添加DMEM（低糖）+10%FBS（犊牛血清）、38.0℃、5%CO2和饱和湿度条件下进行培养。其结果：未加任何细胞生长因子的情况下与其胎儿成纤维细胞共培养的方式也能分离得到类胚胎干细胞集落。这些集落细胞经多次克隆传代具有胚胎干细胞的诸多特征,如：具有连续传代的能力,细胞集落有典型鸟巢状结构,AKP染色呈阳性,核型分析结果染色体正常等。这些表明该细胞具有多能性,是绵羊类ES细胞。     

On the Origin of Primordial Germ Cells in the Chick Embryo

An attempt was made to re-examine the location of the primordial germ cells (PGCs) in very young chick embryos. Freshly laid blastoderms, prior to hypoblast formation, of a known anterio-posterior axis, were transversely bisected and each half was separately grown in vitro. Both anterior and posterior halves were shown to be fertile and each was shown to contain roughly the same amount of PGCs as a normal control embryo. It has been concluded that in the chick as well as in the duck there is no concentration of cells containing germinal plasm in the posterior part of the blastoderm.
Two other possibilities should be investigated:
1. A concentric arrangement of cells containing germinal plasm. 2. The absence of a germinal plasm and a relatively late appearance of PGCs as a result of induction.     

Exposure to Endocrine Disruptor Induces Transgenerational Epigenetic Deregulation of MicroRNAs in Primordial Germ Cells

In mammals, germ cell differentiation is initiated in the Primordial Germ Cells (PGCs) during fetal development. Prenatal exposure to environmental toxicants such as endocrine disruptors may alter PGC differentiation, development of the male germline and induce transgenerational epigenetic disorders. The anti-androgenic compound vinclozolin represents a paradigmatic example of molecule causing transgenerational effects on germ cells. We performed prenatal exposure to vinclozolin in mice and analyzed the phenotypic and molecular changes in three successive generations. A reduction in the number of embryonic PGCs and increased rate of apoptotic cells along with decrease of fertility rate in adult males were observed in F1 to F3 generations. Blimp1 is a crucial regulator of PGC differentiation. We show that prenatal exposure to vinclozolin deregulates specific microRNAs in PGCs, such as miR-23b and miR-21, inducing disequilibrium in the Lin28/let-7/Blimp1 pathway in three successive generations of males. As determined by global maps of cytosine methylation, we found no evidence for prominent changes in DNA methylation in PGCs or mature sperm. Our data suggest that embryonic exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors induces transgenerational epigenetic deregulation of expression of microRNAs affecting key regulatory pathways of germ cells differentiation.     

Implication of DNA Demethylation and Bivalent Histone Modification for Selective Gene Regulation in Mouse Primordial Germ Cells

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 in epiblast and in PGCs, and found that they were hypomethylated in differentiating PGCs after E9.0, in which those genes were highly expressed. We used siRNA to inhibit a maintenance DNA methyltransferase, Dnmt1, in embryonic stem (ES) cells and found that the flanking regions of all three genes became hypomethylated and that expression of each gene increased 1.5- to 3-fold. In addition, we also found 1.5- to 5-fold increase of the PGC genes in the PGCLCs (PGC-like cells) induced form ES cells by knockdown of Dnmt1. We also obtained evidence showing that methylation of the regulatory region of mil-1 resulted in 2.5-fold decrease in expression in a reporter assay. Together, these results suggested that DNA demethylation does not play a major role on initial activation of the PGC genes in the nascent PGCs but contributed to enhancement of their expression in PGCs after E9.0. However, we also found that repression of representative somatic genes, Hoxa1 and Hoxb1, and a tissue-specific gene, Gfap, in PGCs was not dependent on DNA methylation; their flanking regions were hypomethylated, but their expression was not observed in PGCs at E13.5. Their promoter regions showed the bivalent histone modification in PGCs, that may be involved in repression of their expression. Our results indicated that epigenetic status of PGC genes and of somatic genes in PGCs were distinct, and suggested contribution of epigenetic mechanisms in regulation of the expression of a specific gene set in PGCs.