Abstract
A detailed study of the death in vitro of mouse primordial germ cell (PGCs) by means of transmission and scanning electron microscopy is reported. The results show that after 4–5 h of culture 15–20% PGCs assume the typical morphological features of apoptotic cells, including chromatin condensation in dense masses under the nuclear membrane, compaction of the cytoplasm, crowding of organelles and surface protuberances. Cells then break up into discrete fragments (apoptotic bodies) which eventually degenerate by “secondary necrosis”. It is possible that apoptosis plays a biologically useful role in avoiding uncontrolled PGC proliferation and in eliminating misplaced germ cells whose survivial might be harmful to the animal.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Allan DJ, Harmon BV, Kerr JFR (1987) Cell death in spermatogenesis. In: Potten CS (ed) Perspectives on mammalian cell death. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 229–258
Arends MJA, Wyllie CC (1991) Apoptosis mechanism and role in pathology. Int Rev Exp Pathol 32:223–254
De Felici M, Dolci S (1991) Leukemia inhibitory factor sustains the survival of mouse primordial germ cells cultured on TM4 feeder layers. Dev Biol 147:281–284
De Felici M, McLaren A (1983) In vitro culture of mouse primordial germ cells. Exp Cell Res 144:417–427
De Felici M, Pesce M (1993) Growth factors in mouse primordial germ cell migration and proliferation. Prog Growth Factor Res (in press)
Gondos B (1978) Oogonia and oocytes in mammals. In: Jones RE (ed) The vertebrate ovary. Comparative biology and evolution. Plenum Press, New York, pp 83–120
Kerr JFR, Harmon BV (1991) Definition and incidence of apoptosis: an historical perspective. In: Tomei LD, Coppe FO (eds) Apoptosis: the molecular basis of cell death. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, New York, pp 5–29
Matsui Y, Zsebo K, Hogan B (1992) Derivation of pluripotential embryonic stem cells from murine primordial germ cells in culture. Cell 70:841–847
Miething A (1992) Germ-cell death during prespermatogenesis in the testis of the golden hamster. Cell Tisuse Res 267:583–590
Pesce M, Farrace MG, Dolci S, Piacentini M, De Felici M (1993) Stem cell factor and leukemia inhibitory factor promote primordial germ cell survival by suppressing programmed cell death (apoptosis). Development 118:1089–1094
Resnick JL, Bixler LS, Cheng L, Donovan PJ (1992) Long-term proliferation of mouse primordial germ cells in culture. Nature 359:550–551
Stevens LC (1967) Origin of testicular teratomas from primordial germ cells in mice. J Natl Cancer Inst 37:859–861
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pesce, M., De Felici, M. Apoptosis in mouse primordial germ cells: a study by transmission and scanning electron microscope. Anat Embryol 189, 435–440 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185438
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00185438