Origin, migration and markers for rat primordial germ cell

• Grant number: 12/15640-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: November 01, 2012
• End date: October 31, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Embryology
• Principal Investigator: Taiza Stumpp Teixeira
• Grantee: Verena Julia Flaiz Flister
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Germ cells are unique because they are responsible for the transmission of genetic information through generations. They have been gaining more attention due to their similarities with embryonic stem cells. Therefore, the germ cells started to be considered a possible source of stem cells for gene and cell therapy. The origin, migration, and differentiation of germ cells have been described in mice. However, studies about rat germ cell development are very rare. In mice, germ cells emerge in the embryo around 7 days-post-coitum (DPC) in the posterior region of the epiblast. After their specification they migrate to the basis of the allatois, pass to the primitive gut and reach the gonads. Our group has shown that rat gonad colonization by germ cells starts around 13dpc and finishes around 15-16dpc. However, their origin has not been demonstrated so far. Our group has also shown that rat germ cell development is considerably different from mouse and shows similarities with humans. This indicates that the study of rat PGC development is important to understand germ cell development in mammals and can provide significant information about their ability to generate stem cells. The aim of this study is to describe the origin of rat PGC and markers of these cells during their specification and migration. Rat embryos will be collected at 10 and 11dpc. The origin of PGC and its migration will be investigated by the labeling of galactosyltransferase (GalTase) by the Dolichus biflorus agglutinin (DBA). The expression of traditional germ cell markers Blimp1, Stella, OCT4, and SSEA1.(AU)