Cell Resource Center for Biomedical Research, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer (IDAC), Tohoku University, Miyagi 980-8575, Japan.
Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Miyagi 980-8577, Japan.
J Reprod Dev. 2022 Apr 1;68(2):96-103. doi: 10.1262/jrd.2021-137. Epub 2021 Dec 25.
Metabolism is an important cellular process necessary not only for producing energy and building blocks for cells, but also for regulating various cell functions, including intracellular signaling, epigenomic effects, and transcription. The regulatory roles of metabolism have been extensively studied in somatic cells, including stem cells and cancer cells, but data regarding germ cells are limited. Because germ cells produce individuals of subsequent generations, understanding the role of metabolism and its regulatory functions in germ cells is important. Although limited information concerning the specific role of metabolism in germ cells is available, recent advances in related research have revealed specific metabolic states of undifferentiated germ cells in embryos as well as in germ cells undergoing oogenesis and spermatogenesis. Studies have also elucidated the functions of some metabolic pathways associated with germ cell development and the non-genomic heritable machinery of germ cells. In this review, we summarized all the available knowledge on the characteristic metabolic pathways in germ cells, focusing on their regulatory functions, while discussing the issues that need to be addressed to enhance the understanding of germ cell metabolism.
代谢是一种重要的细胞过程，不仅为细胞产生能量和构建块所必需，而且还为调节各种细胞功能（包括细胞内信号转导、表观基因组效应和转录）所必需。代谢的调节作用已在体细胞（包括干细胞和癌细胞）中得到广泛研究，但有关生殖细胞的数据有限。由于生殖细胞产生后代个体，因此了解代谢及其在生殖细胞中的调节功能非常重要。尽管有关代谢在生殖细胞中的特定作用的信息有限，但相关研究的最新进展揭示了胚胎中未分化生殖细胞以及卵母细胞发生和精子发生过程中生殖细胞的特定代谢状态。研究还阐明了一些与生殖细胞发育和生殖细胞非基因组可遗传机制相关的代谢途径的功能。在这篇综述中，我们总结了生殖细胞中特征性代谢途径的所有现有知识，重点讨论了它们的调节功能，同时讨论了需要解决的问题，以增强对生殖细胞代谢的理解。
