摘要
Infertility has become a serious disease since it affects 10%–15%of couples worldwide,and male infertility contributes to about 50%of the cases.Notably,a significant decrease occurs in the newborn population by 7.82 million in 2020 compared to 2016 in China.As such,it is essential to explore the effective methods of obtaining functional male gametes for restoring male fertility.Stem cells,including embryonic stem cells(ESCs),induced pluripotent stem cells(iPSCs),spermatogonial stem cells(SSCs),and mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs),possess the abilities of both self-renewal and differentiation into germ cells.Significantly,much progress has recently been achieved in the generation of male germ cells in vitro from various kinds of stem cells under the specified conditions,e.g.,the coculturing with Sertoli cells,three-dimensional culture system,the addition of growth factors and cytokines,and/or the overexpression of germ cell-related genes.In this review,we address the current advance in the derivation of male germ cells in vitro from stem cells based on the studies of the peers and us,and we highlight the perspectives and potential application of stem cell-derived male gametes in reproductive medicine.
基金
supported by the grants from the National Nature Science Foundation of China (32170862 and 31872845)
Major Scientific and Technological Projects for Collaborative Prevention and Control of Birth Defect in Hunan Province (2019SK1012)
Key Grant of Research and Development in Hunan Province (2020DK2002)
High-Level Talent Gathering Project in Hunan Province (2018RS3066)
Natural Science Foundation of Hunan Province of China (2020J5380 and 2020JJ5383).