| dc.description.abstract | One of the most significant finding in stem cell area is the establishment of female germline stem cells (FGSCs) in the early 21st century. The purpose of this study was to establish, characterize the FGSCs from adult porcine ovary and then investigated the regulation of their differentiation ability. The ovarian cells containing FGSCs were isolated from porcine ovary and cultured in vitro in DMEM/F-12 medium supplemented with B27 and stem cell factor (SCF). The result revealed the success in establishing porcine FGSCs from ovarian tissue. Immunofluorescent analysis of FGSCs showed that these cells expressed germ cell and stem cell marker (Oct4, Vasa, Fragilis etc.). After several weeks in in vitro culture, FGSCs increased in number and size, without the loss of proliferative potential. Furthermore, FGSCs could differentiate into oocyte-like cells, with similar properties as primordial oocytes collected from ovary. Our results suggested that FGSCs isolated from adult mammalian ovary, with appropriate conditions, could undergo proliferation and differentiation into oocyte-like cells (OLCs). Establishment of FGSCs allowed new possibilities for the use of FGSCs in biotechnology and medicine.
Keywords— Female germline stem cells, oogenesis, oocytes, oocyte-like cells, differentiation. | en_US |
