On the origin of the human germline.
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Publication Date
2018-07-23Journal Title
Development (Cambridge, England)
ISSN
0950-1991
Volume
145
Issue
16
Language
eng
Type
Article
This Version
NA
Physical Medium
Electronic
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Kobayashi, T., & Surani, A. (2018). On the origin of the human germline.. Development (Cambridge, England), 145 (16)https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.150433
Abstract
In mice, primordial germ cells (PGCs), the precursors of eggs and sperm, originate from pre-gastrulation post-implantation embryos. By contrast, the origin of human PGCs (hPGCs) has been less clear and has been difficult to study due to the technical and ethical constraints that limit direct studies on human embryos. In recent years, however, in vitro simulation models using human pluripotent stem cells, together with surrogate non-rodent mammalian embryos, have provided insights and experimental approaches to address this question. Here, we review these studies, which suggest that the posterior epiblast and/or the nascent amnion in pre-gastrulation human embryos is a likely source of hPGCs, and that a different gene regulatory network controls PGCs in humans compared to the mouse. Such studies on the origins and mechanisms of hPGC specification prompt further consideration of the somatic cell fate decisions that occur during early human development.
Keywords
Germ Cells, Pluripotent Stem Cells, Germ Layers, Animals, Humans, Mice, Cell Differentiation, Epigenesis, Genetic, Embryonic Development, Embryonic Stem Cells, Gene Regulatory Networks, Embryo, Mammalian, Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Sponsorship
Wellcome Trust (096738/Z/11/Z)
MRC (MR/P009948/1)
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1242/dev.150433
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/284494
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