Establishment of efficient induction system for primordial germ cells from ES cells in vitro

• Project/Area Number: 15K14365
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Laboratory animal science
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Ohta Hiroshi 京都大学, 医学研究科, 助教 (50391892)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥3,770,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥870,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,950,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥450,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
• Keywords: 始原生殖細胞 / ES細胞 / EpiLC / 分化誘導 / 増殖 / 分化

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have succeeded in inducing functional PGCLCs (primordial germ cell-like cells) from ESCs in vitro. In this research, we analyzed the procedure of PGCLC formation to enhance the induction rate of PGCLCs. We identified heterogeneity in EpiLCs (epiblast-like cells), a precursor of PGCLCs, and found that the induction rate of PGCLCs was affected by mouse genetic background. Our findings will provide an improved procedure for inducing PGCLCs from ESCs in vitro.