日本的研究人員將小鼠的干細胞轉(zhuǎn)化成為能夠在活的小鼠體內(nèi)產(chǎn)生卵子的生殖細胞。這些卵子接著可通過試管受精而產(chǎn)生可存活的后代,。這一研究——與已經(jīng)對精子所做的研究工作相映照——可能會開啟關(guān)于雌性生殖細胞的新的了解的大門并對治療某種形式的人類不孕癥提供新的線索。
Mitinori Saitou及其同事以兩類雌性小鼠干細胞作為開始：胚胎干細胞（ESCs）——它們來自早期的胚胎并有發(fā)育成為任何胚胎組織類型的潛力——及誘發(fā)的多能干細胞（iPSCs）——這些細胞是在成年體細胞被誘導進入多能狀態(tài)時所產(chǎn)生的細胞,。
研究人員對這些細胞中的一些基因進行了修飾,，將它們轉(zhuǎn)變成為與原始生殖細胞非常像的細胞。他們接著將這些細胞與雌性小鼠的性腺細胞共同培養(yǎng),，創(chuàng)造了一個“再造的卵巢”,，該再造卵巢接著被移植到某個小鼠的卵巢或腎臟。這些細胞在那里接著成熟成為充分生長的卵母細胞,。
當研究人員分離出這些成熟的卵母細胞并將其用于小鼠的IVF時,，他們制造出了能夠生育的小鼠，從而證明小鼠的ESCs和iPSCs可用來產(chǎn)生具有完全功能的卵母細胞,。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi: 10.1126/science.1226889
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Offspring from Oocytes Derived from in Vitro Primordial Germ Cell–Like Cells in Mice
Katsuhiko Hayashi, Sugako Ogushi, Kazuki Kurimoto, So Shimamoto, Hiroshi Ohta, Mitinori Saitou
Reconstitution of female germ-cell development in vitro is a key challenge in reproductive biology and medicine. We show here that female (XX) embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells in mice are induced into primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs), which, when aggregated with female gonadal somatic cells as reconstituted ovaries, undergo X-reactivation, imprint erasure, cyst formation, and exhibit meiotic potential. Upon transplantation under mouse ovarian bursa, PGCLCs in the reconstituted ovaries mature into germinal vesicle-stage oocytes, which then contribute to fertile offspring after in vitro maturation and fertilization. Our culture system serves as a robust foundation for the investigation of key properties of female germ cells, including the acquisition of totipotency, and for the reconstitution of whole female germ-cell development in vitro.
