title: Human adult germline stem cells in question.
abstract: Conrad et al. have generated human adult germline stem cells (haGSCs) from human testicular tissue, which they claim have similar pluripotent properties to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Here we investigate the pluripotency of haGSCs by using global gene-expression analysis based on their gene array data and comparing the expression of pluripotency marker genes in haGSCs and hESCs, and in haGSCs and human fibroblast samples derived from different laboratories, including our own. We find that haGSCs and fibroblasts have a similar gene-expression profile, but that haGSCs and hESCs do not. The pluripotency of Conrad and colleagues' haGSCs is therefore called into question.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster 48149, Germany.
authors.forename: Kinarm
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: Marcos J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Araúzo-Bravo
authors.forename: Natalia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tapia
authors.forename: Julee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Qiong
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Christof
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bernemann
authors.forename: Dong Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gentile
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Reinhardt
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Greber
authors.forename: Rebekka K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Schneider
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kliesch
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zenke
authors.forename: Hans R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Schöler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D001706:Biopsy; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005854:Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013737:Testis / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D012333:RNA, Messenger