哺乳动物体外配子发生研究进展

Advances in In Vitro Gametogenesis of Mammals

生殖细胞的全能性保证了遗传信息和表观遗传信息的多样化和持续性。基于人们对生殖细胞发育机制理解的不断深入和干细胞技术在生殖领域中的应用,目前利用多能干细胞(pluripotent stem cells,PSCs)在体外重建生殖细胞发育过程的相关研究已取得显著进展。PSCs包括通过转录因子或化学小分子诱导体细胞重编程产生的诱导性PSCs(induced PSCs,iPSCs)和来自植入前胚胎的胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cells,ESCs)。体外重建生殖细胞发育也称为体外配子发生(in vitro gametogenesis,IVG)。IVG不仅可为进一步探索生殖细胞发育机制奠定基础,还可为创新医学的应用开辟前景。该文主要讨论了哺乳动物IVG的研究现状以及该领域当前面临的挑战。

The totipotency of germ cells ensures the diversification and sustainability of the genetic and epigenetic information.Based on the deep understanding of the mechanisms of germ cell development and the applications of stem cell technology in reproduction,significant progress has been made in the research of using PSCs(pluripotent stem cells)to reconstruct germ cell development in vitro.These PSCs include the iPSCs(induced PSCs)generated by somatic reprogramming induced by transcription factors/chemical small molecules and ESCs(embryonic stem cells)from the preimplantation embryos.The reconstruction of germ cell development in vitro is also known as IVG(in vitro gametogenesis),which is important not only to lay the foundation for further exploration of the mechanisms of germ cell development,but also to open up prospects for innovative medical applications.Here,the current progress of mammalian IVG and its challenges were discussed.