“Complete in Vitro Generation of Fertile Oocytes from Mouse Primordial Germ Cells”, 2016-07-25 ():
Throughout the life of female mammals, only a small number of viable oocytes are produced. The mechanisms underlying the creation and selection of competent oocytes remain unclear.
Here, we propose a novel approach for elucidating these unsolved questions, involving the use of an in vitro system established in the present study, which can fully reproduce mammalian oogenesis from mouse fetal primordial germ cells.
Reconstitution of the entire oogenesis process has not been previously accomplished. Our system will assist in understanding the mechanisms of oogenesis and also create a new gamete resource in mammals.
Reconstituting gametogenesis in vitro is a key goal for reproductive biology and regenerative medicine. Successful in vitro reconstitution of primordial germ cells and spermatogenesis has recently had a large effect in the field. However, recapitulation of oogenesis in vitro remains unachieved. Here we demonstrate the first reconstitution, to our knowledge, of the entire process of mammalian oogenesis in vitro from primordial germ cells, using an estrogen-receptor antagonist that promotes normal follicle formation, which in turn is crucial for supporting oocyte growth. The fundamental events in oogenesis (ie. meiosis, oocyte growth, and genomic imprinting) were reproduced in the culture system. The most rigorous evidence of the recapitulation of oogenesis was the birth of fertile offspring, with a maximum of 7 pups obtained from a cultured gonad. Moreover, cryopreserved gonads yielded functional oocytes and offspring in this culture system. Thus, our in vitro system will enable both innovative approaches for a deeper understanding of oogenesis and a new avenue to create and preserve female germ cells.