title: bFGF signaling-mediated reprogramming of porcine primordial germ cells.
abstract: Primordial germ cells (PGCs) have the ability to be reprogrammed into embryonic germ cells (EGCs) in vitro and are an alternative source of embryonic stem cells. Other than for the mouse, the systematic characterization of mammalian PGCs is still lacking, especially the process by which PGCs convert to pluripotency. This hampers the understanding of germ cell development and the derivation of authenticated EGCs from other species. We observed the morphological development of the genital ridge from Bama miniature pigs and found primary sexual differentiation in the E28 porcine embryo, coinciding with Blimp1 nuclear exclusion in PGCs. To explore molecular events involved in porcine PGC reprogramming, transcriptome data of porcine EGCs and fetal fibroblasts (FFs) were assembled and 1169 differentially expressed genes were used for Gene Ontology analysis. These genes were significantly enriched in cell-surface receptor-linked signal transduction, in agreement with the activation of LIF/Stat3 signaling and FGF signaling during the derivation of porcine EG-like cells. Using a growth-factor-defined culture system, we explored the effects of bFGF on the process and found that bFGF not only functioned at the very beginning of PGC dedifferentiation by impeding Blimp1 nuclear expression via a PI3K/AKT-dependent pathway but also maintained the viability of cultured PGCs thereafter. These results provide further insights into the development of germ cells from livestock and the mechanism of porcine PGC reprogramming.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, 150001, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiawei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Renyue
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.|College of Veterinary Medicine, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yimei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Cong
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, 150030, People's Republic of China. liu086@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Zhonghua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming / Q000502:physiology*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D000066473:Embryonic Germ Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D058751:Livestock / Q000196:embryology; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D013552:Swine / Q000196:embryology; D013556:Swine, Miniature / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D053605:Leukemia Inhibitory Factor; D019869:Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D051057:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; D050796:STAT3 Transcription Factor
keywords: Bama miniature pig; Differentiation; Embryonic germ cells; Primordial germ cells; bFGF