WORLD OF REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY: Stem Cells Yield Oocytes

Mesenchymal Stem Cells: History, Isolation and Biology

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as a kind of adult stem cells possess two properties of long term selfrenewal ability and multilineage differentiation potential into skeletal cell lineages. MSCs were first isolated and described from bone marrow samples. Further investigations have identified several other tissues as alternative sources for these cells. In spite of the clinical importance of MSCs...

Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cells: Implications in Reproductive Biology

The most primitive germ cells in adult mammalian testis are the spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) whereas primordial follicles (PFs) are considered the fundamental functional unit in ovary. However, this central dogma has recently been modified with the identification of a novel population of very small embryonic-like stem cells (VSELs) in the adult mammalian gonads. These stem cells are more pr...

Spermatogonial Stem Cells: Biology, Isolation, Culture, Characterization, and Practical Perspectives

Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) also known as germ stem cells (GSCs) are the basis of spermatogenesis process in the testis. Furthermore, they are also valuable cells with different applications in developmental biology, transgenesis technology, and clinic. Understanding the new findings related to the cell and molecular biology of SSCs and the methods for isolation and maintenance of these ce...

Cranes of the World: 5. Comparative Reproductive Biology

Stem cells in lung biology.

At the cornerstone of contemporary biology are investigations on mechanisms of repair, remodeling, proliferation, and differentiation after injury in complex tissue such as lung. Progress in research in stem cells in lung has been remarkable since an initial National Institutes of Health conference focused on this topic in 1997 (17). Indeed, in addition to well-established paradigms of adult st...