Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are segregated and specified from somatic cells during early development. These cells arise elsewhere and have to migrate across the embryo to reach developing gonadal precursors. Several molecules associated with PGC migration (i.e. dead-end, nanos1, and cxcr4) are highly conserved across phylum boundaries. However, since cell migration is a complicated process tha...

Mouse primordial germ cells (PGCs) migrate from the base of the allantois to the genital ridge. They proliferate both during migration and after their arrival, until initiation of the sex-differentiation of fetal gonads. Then, PGCs enter into the prophase of the first meiotic division in the ovary to become oocytes, while those in the testis become mitotically arrested to become prospermatogoni...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) arise elsewhere in the embryo and migrate into developing gonadal ridges during embryonic development. In several model animals, formation and migration patterns of PGCs have been studied, and it is known that these patterns vary. Sturgeons (genus Acipenser) have great potential for comparative and evolutionary studies of development. Sturgeons belong to the super c...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are lineage-restricted unipotent cells that can dedifferentiate into pluripotent embryonic germ cells (EGCs). Here we performed whole-transcriptome analysis during the conversion of PGCs into EGCs, a process by which cells acquire pluripotency. To examine the molecular mechanism underlying this conversion, we focused on Blimp-1 and Akt, which are involved in PGC spe...

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are fate restricted to differentiate into gametes in vivo. However, when removed from their embryonic niche, PGCs undergo reversion to pluripotent embryonic germ cells (EGCs) in vitro. One of the major differences between EGCs and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is variable methylation at imprinting control centers (ICCs), a phenomenon that is poorly understood. Here we...

Transforming growth factor beta (TGFbeta) inhibits proliferation and promotes the migration of primordial germ cells (PGCs) towards explants of gonadal ridges in vitro. However, its effects in vivo are still unclear. Here, we analyzed the behavior of PGCs in embryos lacking TGFbeta signaling via the type I receptor ALK5. TGFbeta in vivo was neither a chemoattractant for PGCs, nor did it affect ...

The role of the germline is to transmit genetic and epigenetic information from one generation to the next. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the pioneering germ cell population in mammals and exist for a relatively short period of time during gestation. PGCs are induced from the epiblast by bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) signaling. These definitive PGCs then migrate from their site of orig...

BACKGROUND Avian primordial germ cells (PGCs) have significant potential to be used as a cell-based system for the study and preservation of avian germplasm, and the genetic modification of the avian genome. It was previously reported that PGCs from chicken embryos can be propagated in culture and contribute to the germ cell lineage of host birds. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We confirm these results b...

Haem oxygenases produce carbon monoxide, which, like nitric oxide, is a gaseous messenger molecule that is one of several important survival factors in ovarian follicles. However, little is known about the expression and possible functions of these enzymes in granulosa cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and possible role of haem oxygenases in porcine granulosa ce...

Background: In avian species, the germ line stem cell population arises outside of the embryonic gonad and proceeds on a circuitous migration to the germinal epithelium. Specifically, in the avian embryo, the process of germ line stem cell migration proceeds through a series of active and passive migratory phases. The germline stem cells or primordial germ cells (PGCs) located in the epiblast o...