Functional primordial germ cell-like cells from pluripotent stem cells in rats

Area of Science:

• Reproductive biology
• Stem cell research
• Developmental biology

Background:

• In vitro gametogenesis from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) holds promise for reproductive medicine and animal breeding.
• While established in mice, inducing primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) for gamete production has not been achieved in other species.
• This study focuses on achieving this milestone in rats.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the induction of functional PGCLCs from rat PSCs.
• To investigate the role of gonadal somatic cells in PGCLC maturation and reprogramming.
• To assess the potential of rat PGCLCs to generate viable offspring.

Main Methods:

• Induction of PGCLCs from rat PSCs using floating aggregates of epiblast-like cells.
• Co-culture of PGCLCs with gonadal somatic cells for maturation.
• Transplantation of PGCLCs into seminiferous tubules of germline-less rats.

Main Results:

• Successfully induced functional PGCLCs from rat PSCs.
• Demonstrated that gonadal somatic cells support PGCLC maturation and epigenetic reprogramming.
• Achieved the generation of functional spermatids capable of siring viable offspring after transplantation.

Conclusions:

• Rat PGCLCs can be functionally induced from PSCs.
• Gonadal somatic cells are crucial for PGCLC development and reprogramming.
• This rat model provides insights into conserved and divergent mechanisms of in vitro gametogenesis, paving the way for broader applications.