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Updated: Mar 2, 2026

Analysis of Retinoic Acid-induced Neural Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in Two and Three-dimensional Embryoid Bodies
Published on: April 22, 2017
Roles of Retinoic Acid in Germ Cell Differentiation
Marius Teletin1, Nadège Vernet2, Norbert B Ghyselinck2
1Institut de Génétique et de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire (IGBMC), Illkirch, France; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Paris, France; Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Paris, France; Université de Strasbourg (UNISTRA), Strasbourg, France; Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg (HUS), Strasbourg, France.
Abstract:
The modalities of gametogenesis differ markedly between sexes. Female are born with a definitive reserve of oocytes whose size is crucial to ensure fertility. Male fertility, in contrast, relies on a tightly regulated balance between germ cell self-renewal and differentiation, which operates throughout life, according to recurring spatial and temporal patterns. Genetic and pharmacological studies conducted in the mouse and discussed in this review have revealed that all-trans retinoic acid and its nuclear receptors are major players of gametogenesis and are instrumental to fertility in both sexes.
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