Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026
09:47
Differentiation of Newborn Mouse Skin Derived Stem Cells into Germ-like Cells In vitro
Published on: July 16, 2013
Instructing an embryonic stem cell-derived oocyte fate: lessons from endogenous oogenesis
Cory R Nicholas1, Shawn L Chavez, Valerie L Baker
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California 94304, USA. cory2007@stanford.edu
Endocrine Reviews
|April 16, 2009
Summary
Generating functional human oocytes from stem cells could overcome oocyte depletion, aiding fertility restoration. This research reviews stem cell-derived oocyte development, exploring its potential and challenges.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive biology
- Stem cell research
- Developmental biology
Background:
- Female fertility is limited by oocyte depletion.
- Functional human oocytes are scarce and difficult to access.
- Stem cell differentiation offers a potential solution.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review endogenous and stem cell-derived oocyte development.
- To discuss the potential and challenges of differentiating functional oocytes from stem cells.
- To explore applications in reproductive medicine and research.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on oocyte development.
- Analysis of stem cell differentiation protocols.
- Discussion of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors.
Main Results:
- Stem cell differentiation holds promise for generating oocytes.
- Challenges include efficiency, functionality, and safety.
- Potential applications include fertility restoration and disease modeling.
Conclusions:
- Stem cell-derived oocytes could revolutionize reproductive medicine.
- Further research is needed to overcome current limitations.
- This approach may enable patient-specific stem cell therapies.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
02:07Oogenesis
In human women, oogenesis produces one mature egg cell or ovum for every precursor cell that enters meiosis. This process differs in two unique ways from the equivalent procedure of spermatogenesis in males. First, meiotic divisions during oogenesis are asymmetric, meaning that a large oocyte (containing most of the cytoplasm) and minor polar body are produced as a result of meiosis I, and again following meiosis II. Since only oocytes will go on to form embryos if fertilized, this unequal...
01:22Oogenesis
Oogenesis, the process of developing egg cells (female gametes), occurs within the ovaries and is fundamental to female fertility. This sequence begins during fetal development when diploid oogonia in the developing ovaries undergo mitotic divisions to produce primary oocytes. By birth, these primary oocytes enter prophase I of meiosis but become arrested in this stage, remaining suspended until puberty.
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
01:14Maintenance of the ES Cell State
The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...
01:57Meiosis II
Meiosis II is the second and final stage of meiosis. It relies on the haploid cells produced during meiosis I, each of which contain only 23 chromosomes—one from each homologous initial pair. Importantly, each chromosome in these cells is composed of two joined copies, and when these cells enter meiosis II, the goal is to separate such sister chromatids using the same microtubule-based network employed in other division processes. The result of meiosis II is two haploid cells, each containing...
01:24Methods 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.
01:10Zygotic Development And Stem Cell Formation
The development of all multicellular organisms starts with the fusion of haploid cells called sperm and egg to form a diploid zygote. A zygote is a totipotent cell that can develop into a complete organism. The zygote undergoes cell division or cleavage to form an 8-cell mass. Until this stage, the cells are spherical, loosely attached, and remain totipotent. Totipotent cells are capable of developing both the embryonic and the extraembryonic tissues. However, as they continue to divide, they...