Germ stem cell derivation from male rats: relationship between the germ cell developmental stage and their potential to generate stem cells in vitro

• Grant number: 12/08951-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: December 01, 2012
• End date: November 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Embryology
• Principal Investigator: Taiza Stumpp Teixeira
• Grantee: Taiza Stumpp Teixeira
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Male germ cells (GC) show peculiar characteristics, such as the ability to produce stem cells in vitro. This characteristic has been well described in mice, but not in rats. The derivation of stem cells from the GC is very useful for studies about GC development, for the production of transgenic animals and for tissue regeneration. There are very little information about the derivation of stem cell from rat GC. This can be attributed to the problems to keep these cells in vitro. Our group showed that the development of the rat GC is considerably different from the mouse GC and show some similarities with the human GC, showing that the rat is an important model to study germ cell development. Thus, the aim of this study is to derive stem cells from the male rat GC at different stages of their development and to determine the stage in which the GC are prone to generate stem cells. The capacity of GC to derive stem cells will be related with : a) the expression of pluripotency markers by the primordial germ cells and by the gonocytes; b) the quiescence period and mitosis resumption by the germ cells and c) spermatogonia differentiation from gonocytes. Embryos at 11 and 12dpc and testes of 1, 8 and 11dpp rats will be submitted the investigation of markers for proliferation, pluripotency, quiescence markers and gonocyte distribution. The derivation of stem cells from the germ cells will also investigated at these ages. (AU)