Human embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of in vitro fertilized human blastocysts. We examined the potential of eight growth factors [basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1), activin-A, bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP-4), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF), beta nerve growth fact...

The possibility to reprogram somatic human cells will greatly and deeply change genetic approach and allow the development of new tools to study genetics diseases. Indeed, our ability to study human genetic diseases suffers from the lack of valid in vitro models. The latter should (i) be originating from human primary cells, (ii) be able to self-renew for a long time and (iii) be able to differ...

Background: Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells derived from germ cell tumors are valuable tools for investigating differentiation and developmental biology processes in vitro. The advantage of the reproducible and rapid expansion of these cell lines provides a useful alternative to embryos for the study of mammalian cell differentiation. During early stages of cell differentiation, the rate of tran...

background dox is a powerful chemotherapeutic agent used in the treatment of solid tumors and malignant hematological diseases. however, its cardiac toxicity limits the clinical usefulness of this drug. previous reports have shown corticosteroids induce a cytoprotective effect on cardiomyocytes. mouse transgenic embryonic stem cell-derived pure cardiomyocytes may be considered as a model for as...

The in vitro culture conditions allowing survival and initial proliferation of murine primordial germ cells from 10.5 days post coitum embryos, which include the use of a murine embryonal fibroblast (STO) feeder, were applied to 21 human seminomas, composed of tumour cells which are considered as the malignant counterparts of human primordial germ cells. Cells from 18 seminomas attached poorly ...

Human blastocyst-derived, pluripotent cell lines are described that have normal karyotypes, express high levels of telomerase activity, and express cell surface markers that characterize primate embryonic stem cells but do not characterize other early lineages. After undifferentiated proliferation in vitro for 4 to 5 months, these cells still maintained the developmental potential to form troph...

Fate mapping studies have revealed that bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) signaling has a key role in segregation of primordial germ cells from proximal epiblast. Adding BMP4 to the culture media of embryonic stem (ES) cells could induce expression of germ cell markers; however, to provide a desired number of germ cells has remained a challenge. In the current study, we intended to establish ...

Recently, the concept of ‘neo-oogenesis’ has received increasing attention, since it was shown that adult mammals have a renewable source of eggs. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the origin of theseeggsand toconfirmwhetherneo-oogenesis continuesthroughout life in the ovaries of the adultmammal. Adult female pigs were utilized to isolate, identify and characterize, including their pro...

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), namely, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), with their ability of indefinite self-renewal and capability to differentiate into cell types derivatives of all three germ layers, represent a powerful research tool in developmental biology, for drug screening, disease modelling, and potentially cell replacement therapy. Effic...

Infertility affects 13-18% of couples and growing evidence from clinical and epidemiological studies suggests an increasing incidence of male reproductive problems. There is a male factor involved in up to half of all infertile couples. The pathogenesis of male infertility can be reflected by defective spermatogenesis due to failure in germ cell proliferation and differentiation. We report here...