title: Differentiation of human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells into germ-like cells in vitro.
abstract: Recent studies have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells could differentiate into germ cells under appropriate conditions. We sought to determine whether human umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stem cells (HUMSCs) could form germ cells in vitro. HUMSCs were induced to differentiate into germ cells in all-trans retinoic acid, testosterone and testicular-cell-conditioned medium prepared from newborn male mouse testes. HUMSCs formed "tadpole-like" cells after induction with different reagents and showed both mRNA and protein expression of germ-cell-specific markers Oct4 (POUF5), Ckit, CD49(f) (alpha6), Stella (DDPA3), and Vasa (DDX4). Our results may provide a new route for reproductive therapy involving HUMSCs and a novel in vitro model to investigate the molecular mechanisms that regulate the development of the mammalian germ lineage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Second Affiliated Hospital of Shantou University Medical College (SUMC), Shantou, PR China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Li Min
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiao Ying
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Qiu Ling
authors.initials: QL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Xue Yong
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Guang Yu
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Xiaobo
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hong Wu
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Tian Hua
authors.initials: TH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned / Q000494:pharmacology; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000494:pharmacology; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014470:Umbilical Cord
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D017077:Culture Media, Conditioned; D013739:Testosterone; D014212:Tretinoin