Germline stem cells in human.
Hanhua ChengDantong ShangRongjia ZhouPublished in: Signal transduction and targeted therapy (2022)
The germline cells are essential for the propagation of human beings, thus essential for the survival of mankind. The germline stem cells, as a unique cell type, generate various states of germ stem cells and then differentiate into specialized cells, spermatozoa and ova, for producing offspring, while self-renew to generate more stem cells. Abnormal development of germline stem cells often causes severe diseases in humans, including infertility and cancer. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) first emerge during early embryonic development, migrate into the gentile ridge, and then join in the formation of gonads. In males, they differentiate into spermatogonial stem cells, which give rise to spermatozoa via meiosis from the onset of puberty, while in females, the female germline stem cells (FGSCs) retain stemness in the ovary and initiate meiosis to generate oocytes. Primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) can be induced in vitro from embryonic stem cells or induced pluripotent stem cells. In this review, we focus on current advances in these embryonic and adult germline stem cells, and the induced PGCLCs in humans, provide an overview of molecular mechanisms underlying the development and differentiation of the germline stem cells and outline their physiological functions, pathological implications, and clinical applications.
Keyphrases
- stem cells
- dna repair
- induced apoptosis
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- cell therapy
- germ cell
- endothelial cells
- cell cycle arrest
- palliative care
- adipose tissue
- skeletal muscle
- dna damage
- embryonic stem cells
- drug induced
- oxidative stress
- mesenchymal stem cells
- lymph node metastasis
- single molecule
- pi k akt
- stress induced