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Updated: Feb 22, 2026

Isolation and Derivation of Mouse Embryonic Germinal Cells
Published on: October 22, 2009
Stay Connected: A Germ Cell Strategy
Kevin Lu1, Lindy Jensen2, Lei Lei3
1Cellular and Molecular Biology Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Life Sciences Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Abstract:
Germ cells develop as a cyst of interconnected sibling cells in a broad range of organisms in both sexes. A well-established function of intercellular connectivity is to transport cytoplasmic materials from 'nurse' cells to oocytes, a critical process for developing functional oocytes in ovaries of many species. However, there are situations where connectivity exists without a nursing mechanism, and the biological meaning of such connectivity remains obscure. In this review, we summarize current knowledge on the formation of intercellular connectivity, and discuss its meaning by visiting multiple examples of germ cell connectivity observed in evolutionarily distant species.
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