ne of the most significant findings in recent stem cell research is the establishment of the induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, because they could have critical implications in both regenerative and reproductive medicine. Male gametes play a crucial role in transmitting genetic information to subsequent generations, and notably there are more and more patients with azoospermia, due to geneti...

In mammals, the biological activity of the stem/progenitor compartment sustains production of mature gametes through spermatogenesis. Spermatogonial stem cells and their progeny belong to the class of undifferentiated spermatogonia, a germ cell population found on the basal membrane of the seminiferous tubules. A large body of evidence has demonstrated that glial cell line-derived neurotrophic ...

background: the anticancer agent imatinib (im) is a small molecular analog ofatp that inhibits tyrosine kinase activity of platelet derived growth factors (pdgfs)and stem cell factor (scf) receptor in cancer cells. however these factors have a keyrole in regulating growth and development of normal sertoli, leydig and germcells.objective: the aim of this study was to determine cell viability, pd...

Understanding the mechanisms that regulate germ-cell development is crucial to reproductive medicine and animal production. Animal gametes originally derive from sexually undifferentiated primordial germ cells (PGCs), which develop into mitotic germ cells (oogonia or spermatogonia) before proceeding to meiosis [Wylie, C. (1999) Cell 96, 165-174]. Spermatogonia are thought to include a populatio...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are embryonic precursors of the gametes of adult animals and are considered stem cells of the germline. Since their proliferation in vitro correlates well with the schedule of developmental changes in vivo, they might be interesting research tools for genomic imprinting, germ-cell tumors and fertility. Furthermore, once primordial germ cells are separated and placed...

Sperm and eggs are essential cells for reproduction and fertility in mammals. Lack of sperm production is one of the leading causes of infertility, a major and growing problem in the developed world affecting 13 to 18% of reproductive-age couples. The birth of the first test tube baby by in vitro fertilization marked an advance in infertility treatment. Later on, several important new technique...

The regulatory factor Differentiation Inhibiting Activity/Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor (DIA/LIF) suppresses the differentiation of cultured embryonic stem (ES) cells. In the present study, it is shown that ES cell lines can be derived and maintained in the absence of feeder layers using medium supplemented with purified DIA/LIF. These cells can differentiate normally in vitro and in vivo and the...

background: the aim of this study was optimization of the polyfect gene delivery method of pcdna3.1 expression vector transfected with the mouse pdx-1 gene in three different kinds of mesenchymal stem cells and hepa cells as well as comparison of transfection efficiency leading to expression of the mentioned gene in the cell types used. materials and methods: rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal...

Human germ cell tumors are often metastatic, presumably due to distal site tumor growth by cancer stem cells. To determine whether cancer stem cells can be identified in a transplantation model of testicular germ cell tumor we transplanted murine embryonic germ cells (EGCs) into the testis of adult severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. Transplantation resulted in a locally invasive solid...