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Identification of Stem Cell-Like Cells in the Ovary

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Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Aims and scope

Abstract

Understanding the function of stem cells and cellular microenvironments in in vitro oogenesis, including ovarian folliculogenesis, is crucial for reproductive biology. Because mammalian females cannot generate oocytes after birth, the number of oocyte decreases with the progression of reproductive age. Meanwhile, there is an emerging need for the neogenesis of female germ cells to treat the increasing infertility-related issues in cancer survivors. The concept of oocytes neogenesis came from the promising results of stem cells in reproductive medicine. The stem cells that generate oocytes are defined as stem cell-like cells in the ovary (OSCs). Several recent studies have focused on the origin, isolation, and characteristic of OSCs and the differentiation of OSCs into oocytes, ovarian follicles and granulosa cells. Hence, in this review, we focus on the experimental trends in OSC research and discuss the methods of OSC isolation. We further summarized the characteristics of OSCs and discuss the markers used to identify OSCs differentiated from various cell sources. We believe that this review will be beneficial for advancing the research and clinical applications of OSCs.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Medical Research Mentoring Program of Seoul National University College of Medicine and by a grant from the Ministry of Science, Technology and ICT (2020R1A2C1010293).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Premedicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea

    Myung Hoon Dong

  2. Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Seoul National University Hospital, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea

    Yoon Young Kim & Seung-Yup Ku

  3. Institute of Reproductive Medicine and Population, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, 71 Ihwajang-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Korea

    Yoon Young Kim & Seung-Yup Ku

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  1. Myung Hoon Dong
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Correspondence to Seung-Yup Ku.

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Dong, M.H., Kim, Y.Y. & Ku, SY. Identification of Stem Cell-Like Cells in the Ovary. Tissue Eng Regen Med 19, 675–685 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13770-021-00424-2

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