Abstract
The survival, proliferation, and differentiation of primordial germ cells in the mammalian embryo is regulated by a complex cocktail of growth factors and interactions with surrounding somatic cells, which together form a microenvironment known as the germ cell niche. Extensive insight into the signalling pathways that regulate PGC behaviour has been provided by the study of these cells in rodent models, however little is known about the factors that regulate these processes in human PGCs. In this review, we outline experimental approaches to the culture and manipulation of the first trimester human fetal ovary, and discuss immunohistochemical and stereological approaches to detect changes in human PGC numbers and proliferation in response to treatment with exogenous growth factors.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to Hazel Kinnell, Dr Rosemary Bayne, Sharon Eddie, and the staff of the Medical Research Council Human Reproductive Sciences Unit Histology Core Facility for technical assistance in developing these protocols, and to Anne Saunderson, Joan Creiger, and the staff of the Bruntsfield Suite of the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for assistance with patient recruitment and specimen collection. This work is supported by Medical Research Council core funding to RAA (U.1276.00.002.00001.01) and a Medical Research Scotland grant (354 FRG) to AJC.
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Childs, A.J., Anderson, R.A. (2012). Experimental Approaches to the Study of Human Primordial Germ Cells. In: Chan, WY., Blomberg, L. (eds) Germline Development. Methods in Molecular Biology, vol 825. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-436-0_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-61779-436-0_15
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