Review
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Gul Zaib, Kai Jin, Qisheng Zuo, Maham Habib, Yani Zhang, Bichun Li
Summary: This review emphasizes the significance of chicken primordial germ cells in understanding early-stage development and developing more productive and superior species to meet food and pharmaceutical demands. It provides insights into the importance of chicken primordial germ cells and their applications in transgenesis. The propagation of chicken primordial germ cells into embryonic germ cells that contribute to somatic tissues in vitro offers great potential in the field of developmental biology, genetic modification, and infertility treatment.
Article
Fisheries
Surintorn Boonanuntanasarn, Somkiat Sreebun, Kunlanan Booncherd, Pongsawan Khaosa-art, Treerat Sooksawat, Kensuke Ichida, Nopadon Pirarat, Ryosuke Yazawa
Summary: This study aimed to develop a cryopreservation method for spermatogonia by freezing the testicular tissue of striped catfish and testing whether cryopreserved spermatogonia exhibit transplantability. The results showed that cryoinjury of spermatogonia during cryopreservation could lead to apoptosis. Furthermore, cryopreserved spermatogonia were transplanted into allogeniec recipient larvae and compared with fresh spermatogonia, demonstrating the transplantability of cryopreserved spermatogonia.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Deivendran Rengaraj, Dong Gon Cha, Hong Jo Lee, Kyung Youn Lee, Yoon Ha Choi, Kyung Min Jung, Young Min Kim, Hee Jung Choi, Hyeon Jeong Choi, Eunhui Yoo, Seung Je Woo, Jin Se Park, Kyung Je Park, Jong Kyoung Kim, Jae Yong Han
Summary: This study used a novel method to trace and isolate chicken germ cells at different stages of development, and revealed the dynamic transcriptional landscape of avian germ cells through single-cell RNA sequencing. The study identified sex-specific developmental stages and trajectories of chicken germ cells, as well as the gradual acquisition of stage-specific transcription factor activities. Additionally, the study discovered evolutionary conserved and species-specific gene expression programs during both chicken and human germ-cell development.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Christina L. Hansen, Francisco Pelegri
Summary: This review article discusses the differentiation of primordial germ cells in early embryonic development in sexually reproducing species. It reviews two main mechanisms of PGC specification, shared molecular characteristics, and the distribution of germ cell determination systems across different animal species. Ongoing investigations and potential lines of inquiry into the evolutionary relationships between different modes of specification are also briefly highlighted.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qisheng Zuo, Jin Jing, Jing Zhou, Yani Zhang, Wanhong Wei, Guohong Chen, Bichun Li
Summary: The study identifies a long noncoding RNA called LncBMP4 that promotes BMP4 expression in chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) formation through various mechanisms, thereby facilitating PGC formation and migration.
Review
Biology
Bernard A. J. Roelen, Susana M. Chuva de Sousa Lopes
Summary: The founder cells of gametes, known as primordial germ cells (PGCs), are specified early during embryonic development in mammals. Despite morphological similarities and shared regulatory mechanisms, male and female PGCs differentiate into distinct cell types later in development. This article compares different modes and mechanisms of PGC formation and discusses the importance of PGC migration and its potential links to tumorigenesis.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Do Gyeung Byeun, Byoung-San Moon, Seungki Lee, Jung Kyu Choi
Summary: This study focused on isolating and freezing germ cells from superior brown mealworm. Various methods were used to observe the reproductive organs and cellular characteristics of the mealworms. The findings provide fundamental data for reproductive studies of other useful insects and fertility preservation of endangered insects.
Article
Fisheries
Akrapon Saleedang, Wilaiwan Chotigeat, Poramet Musikarun, Chanida Sakunrang, Monwadee Wonglapsuwan
Summary: Germ cell transplantation is a powerful technique that allows for the production of gametes from commercially important or endangered fish species. In this study, researchers successfully cryopreserved and transplanted germ cells from semah mahseer into Nile tilapia, resulting in the production of donor-derived offspring. Genetic analysis confirmed that these offspring carried identical genotypes to the donor individuals.
Article
Developmental Biology
Yi-Chen Chen, Daisuke Saito, Takayuki Suzuki, Tatsuya Takemoto
Summary: Chicken embryos are commonly used animal models in developmental biology studies. Researchers have developed gene-edited chickens by transferring modified primordial germ cells (PGCs) into recipients. However, low inheritance due to competition between host germ cells and transferred cells is a common issue. To address this, researchers have created "gSAMURAI" chickens, where germ cells can be eliminated in a drug-dependent manner, providing an ideal recipient for gene-edited PGC transfer.
Article
Reproductive Biology
C. M. Picazo, C. Castano, P. Boveda, A. Toledano-Diaz, R. Velazquez, B. Pequeno, M. C. Esteso, J. Gadea, S. Villaverde-Morcillo, J. Cerdeira, J. Santiago-Moreno
Summary: This study compared the effects of slow freezing and vitrification on different cell types in canine and wild boar testicular tissue. The results showed that vitrification had higher cell viability and DNA integrity in dogs, while either method could be used in wild boars.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jonathan Ribeiro, Gerry P. Crossan
Summary: Recycling and de-novo deposition of histones during DNA replication is coordinated by histone chaperones. Here, we demonstrate the role of a germ cell specific histone chaperone, GCNA, in the maintenance of undifferentiated spermatogonia (USGs) in mice. Our findings provide a mechanistic basis for male infertility caused by GCNA mutations.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Sylwia M. Czukiewska, Susana M. Chuva de Sousa Lopes
Summary: This review summarizes knowledge obtained from various mammalian models (mouse, monkey, pig), discusses the main events during human fetal (female) early gametogenesis, and explores how dysregulation of this process can lead to infertility later in life.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Chen Zhang, Qisheng Zuo, Man Wang, Hao Chen, Nana He, Jing Jin, Tingting Li, Jingyi Jiang, Xia Yuan, Jiancheng Li, Xiang Shi, Ming Zhang, Hao Bai, Yang Zhang, Qi Xu, Hengmi Cui, Guobin Chang, Jiuzhou Song, Hongyan Sun, Yani Zhang, Guohong Chen, Bichun Li
Summary: This study reveals the crucial role of H3K4me2 in the formation of PGCs, by controlling the abundance in the gene promoter region, activating genes and signaling pathways related to PGCs, and promoting PGC development. In addition, modulation of H3K4me2 levels in vitro and in vivo can affect PGC formation, providing a theoretical basis and practical guidance for bird gene editing and the rescue of endangered bird species.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Agronomy
Yunhe Zong, Yunlei Li, Yanyan Sun, Gamal M. K. Mehaisen, Tianxiao Ma, Jilan Chen
Summary: Ex situ preservation is an important method for preserving chickens, and currently cryopreservation of semen is the only method available for gamete preservation. This review article summarizes the main factors affecting chicken sperm cryopreservation, the key points for optimizing the cryopreservation technology, as well as the mechanism underlying freezing damage and freezability. It is hoped that this review will serve as a reference for future investigations on poultry semen cryopreservation technology.
Article
Biology
Andras Ecker, Bence Lazar, Roland Imre Toth, Martin Urban, Nikolett Tokodyne Szabadi, Maria Teresa Salinas Aponte, Mohd Adnan, Eszter Varkonyi, Elen Gocza
Summary: Recently, in vitro gene preservation has been popular due to its cost-effectiveness and stability. The method of primordial germ cell (PGC) freezing can preserve female-specific W chromosome-linked genes. In this study, we compared two freezing media and found that the FAM2 medium resulted in higher cell numbers immediately after thawing. Although the difference was insignificant on Day 1 and Day 7, most cell lines frozen with FAM2 showed higher cell numbers and viability. Freezing also affected the expression of the chicken vasa homologue gene in male cell lines.
