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Updated: Jul 27, 2026

10:41
Germ Cell Transplantation and Testis Tissue Xenografting in Mice
Published on: February 6, 2012
Germline stem cell transplantation and transgenesis
1Department of Animal Biology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3850 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Abstract:
The recently developed testis cell transplantation method provides a powerful approach to studying the biology of the male germline stem cell and its microenvironment, the stem cell niche. The technique also is being used to examine spermatogenic defects, correct male infertility, and generate transgenic animals.
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Forced Transdifferentiation
Transdifferentiation, also known as lineage reprogramming, was first discovered by Selman and Kafatos in 1974 in silkmoths. They observed that the moths’ cuticle-producing cells transformed into salt-producing cells. Many such cases of natural transdifferentiation occur in organisms. In humans, pancreatic alpha cells can become beta cells. In newts, the loss of the eye’s lens causes the pigmented epithelial cells to transdifferentiate into the lens cells.
Artificial transdifferentiation occurs...
Artificial transdifferentiation occurs...
Methods of Nuclear Reprogramming
Nuclear reprogramming is a process of transforming one cell type into an unrelated cell type by epigenetic changes that alter the cell’s original gene expression pattern. Such epigenetic changes force cells to express a different set of genes, which play a significant role in inducing transformation into other cell types. Nuclear reprogramming offers applications in reproductive cloning for livestock propagation and regenerative medicine — developing patient-specific cells for injury repair.

