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Updated: Feb 15, 2026

Application of RNAi and Heat-shock-induced Transcription Factor Expression to Reprogram Germ Cells to Neurons in C. elegans
Published on: January 1, 2018
PRDM14 is expressed in germ cell tumors with constitutive overexpression altering human germline differentiation and
Joanna J Gell1, Jasmine Zhao2, Di Chen3
1Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Abstract:
Germ cell tumors (GCTs) are a heterogeneous group of tumors occurring in gonadal and extragonadal locations. GCTs are hypothesized to arise from primordial germ cells (PGCs), which fail to differentiate. One recently identified susceptibility loci for human GCT is PR (PRDI-BF1 and RIZ) domain proteins 14 (PRDM14). PRDM14 is expressed in early primate PGCs and is repressed as PGCs differentiate. To examine PRDM14 in human GCTs we profiled human GCT cell lines and patient samples and discovered that PRDM14 is expressed in embryonal carcinoma cell lines, embryonal carcinomas, seminomas, intracranial germinomas and yolk sac tumors, but is not expressed in teratomas. To model constitutive overexpression in human PGCs, we generated PGC-like cells (PGCLCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) and discovered that elevated expression of PRDM14 does not block early PGC formation. Instead, we show that elevated PRDM14 in PGCLCs causes proliferation and differentiation defects in the germline.
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