Mardanpour Parisa, Guan Kaomei, Nolte Jessica, Lee Jae Ho, Hasenfuss Gerhard, Engel Wolfgang, Nayernia Karim
Department of Cardiology and Pneumology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.
J Anat. 2008 Jul;213(1):26-9. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7580.2008.00930.x. Epub 2008 Jun 28.
Germline stem cells, which can self-renew and generate gametes, are unique stem cells in that they are solely dedicated to transmit genetic information from generation to generation. The germ cells have a special place in the life cycle because they must be able to retain the ability to recreate the organism, a property known as developmental totipotency. Several lines of evidence have suggested the extensive proliferation activity and pluripotency of prenatal, neonatal and adult germline stem cells. We showed that adult male germline stem cells, spermatogonial stem cells, can be converted into embryonic stem cell-like cells, which can differentiate into the somatic stem cells of three germ layers. Different cell types such as vascular, heart, liver, pancreatic and blood cells could also be obtained from these stem cells. Understanding how spermatogonial stem cells can give rise to pluripotent stem cells and how somatic stem cells differentiate into germ cells could give significant insight into the regulation of developmental totipotency as well as having important implications for male fertility and regenerative medicine.
生殖系干细胞能够自我更新并产生配子，是一类独特的干细胞，因为它们唯一的功能就是将遗传信息代代相传。生殖细胞在生命周期中具有特殊地位，因为它们必须能够保留重建生物体的能力，即发育全能性。多项证据表明，产前、新生儿及成体生殖系干细胞具有广泛的增殖活性和多能性。我们发现，成年雄性生殖系干细胞，即精原干细胞，能够转化为胚胎干细胞样细胞，后者可分化为三个胚层的体干细胞。从这些干细胞中还能获得不同类型的细胞，如血管细胞、心脏细胞、肝细胞、胰腺细胞和血细胞。了解精原干细胞如何产生多能干细胞以及体干细胞如何分化为生殖细胞，能够为发育全能性的调控提供重要见解，同时对男性生育能力和再生医学也具有重要意义。
