title: Basic fibroblast growth factor is critical to reprogramming buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) primordial germ cells into embryonic germ stem cell-like cells.
abstract: Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are destined to form gametes in vivo, and they can be reprogrammed into pluripotent embryonic germ (EG) cells in vitro. Buffalo PGC have been reported to be reprogrammed into EG-like cells, but the identities of the major signaling pathways and culture media involved in this derivation remain unclear. Here, the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and downstream signaling pathways on the reprogramming of buffalo PGCs into EG-like cells were investigated. Results showed bFGF to be critical to buffalo PGCs to dedifferentiate into EG-like cells (20 ng/mL is optimal) with many characteristics of pluripotent stem cells, including alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity, expression of pluripotency marker genes such as OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, SSEA-1, CDH1, and TRA-1-81, and the capacity to differentiate into all three embryonic germ layers. After chemically inhibiting pathways or components downstream of bFGF, data showed that inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway led to significantly lower EG cell derivation, while inhibition of P53 activity resulted in an efficiency of EG cell derivation comparable to that in the presence of bFGF. These results suggest that the role of bFGF in PGC-derived EG-like cell generation is mainly due to the activation of the PI3K/AKT/P53 pathway, in particular, the inhibition of P53 function.
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China; Reproductive Medicine Center, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Caizhu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Yanfei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Peng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Jingwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Chan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China.
authors.forename: Fenghua
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China. Electronic address: ysfang@gxu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Sufang
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Animal Reproduction Institute, State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Subtropical Agro-Bioresources, Guangxi University, Nanning, China. Electronic address: ardsshi@gxu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Deshun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002020:Buffaloes / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D019070:Cell Lineage; D065150:Cellular Reprogramming; D000066473:Embryonic Germ Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors
keywords: Basic fibroblast growth factor; Embryonic germ stem cell; Primordial germ cell; Reprogramming