{"title":"Mechanisms of human germ cell development","authors":"Mitinori Saitou, Masahiro Nagano, Ken Mizuta","doi":"10.1038/s41580-025-00893-6","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Human germ cells are the foundation of human reproduction and development, ensuring heredity and contributing to genetic diversity. Accordingly, their anomalies lead to critical diseases, including infertility. Recent advances in genomics and stem cell-based in vitro gametogenesis research have expanded our knowledge of how human germ cells are specified and differentiate during embryonic and fetal development, elucidating evolutionarily distinctive as well as conserved properties of human germ cell development. Here, based on the evidence from both in vivo and in vitro studies, we provide an integrated review of the progress in our understanding of human embryonic and fetal germ cell development, encompassing germ cell specification, epigenetic reprogramming and sex-specific germ cell development. Knowledge of the mechanisms of human germ cell development will enable its in vitro reconstitution, which in turn will serve as a foundation for innovative medical strategies to prevent germ cell-related diseases, including infertility.</p>","PeriodicalId":19051,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology","volume":"16 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":90.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-025-00893-6","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"CELL BIOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Human germ cells are the foundation of human reproduction and development, ensuring heredity and contributing to genetic diversity. Accordingly, their anomalies lead to critical diseases, including infertility. Recent advances in genomics and stem cell-based in vitro gametogenesis research have expanded our knowledge of how human germ cells are specified and differentiate during embryonic and fetal development, elucidating evolutionarily distinctive as well as conserved properties of human germ cell development. Here, based on the evidence from both in vivo and in vitro studies, we provide an integrated review of the progress in our understanding of human embryonic and fetal germ cell development, encompassing germ cell specification, epigenetic reprogramming and sex-specific germ cell development. Knowledge of the mechanisms of human germ cell development will enable its in vitro reconstitution, which in turn will serve as a foundation for innovative medical strategies to prevent germ cell-related diseases, including infertility.
期刊介绍：
Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology is a prestigious journal that aims to be the primary source of reviews and commentaries for the scientific communities it serves. The journal strives to publish articles that are authoritative, accessible, and enriched with easily understandable figures, tables, and other display items. The goal is to provide an unparalleled service to authors, referees, and readers, and the journal works diligently to maximize the usefulness and impact of each article. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology publishes a variety of article types, including Reviews, Perspectives, Comments, and Research Highlights, all of which are relevant to molecular and cell biologists. The journal's broad scope ensures that the articles it publishes reach the widest possible audience.
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