Navin B Ramakrishna, João Pedro Alves-Lopes, Wolfram H Gruhn
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
In humans, primordial germ cells (hPGCs) are the earliest precursors committed to forming sperm or egg. During the first trimester of embryonic development, hPGCs undergo extensive epigenetic reprogramming and are subject to fitness selection, laying the foundation for future gametogenesis and normal embryonic development. During these processes, hPGCs interact with dynamic microenvironments that remain incompletely understood. Recent advances in transcriptomic and epigenetic profiling have revealed signalling cues and regulatory mechanisms governing hPGC development in human embryos, complemented by insights from non-human primate models. In parallel, pluripotent stem cell-based systems that model hPGC differentiation have emerged in the past decade as valuable platforms for mechanistic studies and form the basis of ongoing efforts to establish human in vitro gametogenesis. In this Review, we discuss the microenvironmental and epigenetic changes accompanying hPGC specification, migration and gonadal development up to week 10 of embryogenesis. Building on these insights, we examine current model systems for recapitulating hPGC development, and highlight the mechanistic understandings they have enabled.
期刊介绍：
Development’s scope covers all aspects of plant and animal development, including stem cell biology and regeneration. The single most important criterion for acceptance in Development is scientific excellence. Research papers (articles and reports) should therefore pose and test a significant hypothesis or address a significant question, and should provide novel perspectives that advance our understanding of development. We also encourage submission of papers that use computational methods or mathematical models to obtain significant new insights into developmental biology topics. Manuscripts that are descriptive in nature will be considered only when they lay important groundwork for a field and/or provide novel resources for understanding developmental processes of broad interest to the community.
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To aid navigability, Development has dedicated sections of the journal to stem cells & regeneration and to human development. The criteria for acceptance into these sections is identical to those outlined above. Authors and editors are encouraged to nominate appropriate manuscripts for inclusion in one of these sections.
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