Generation of testicular organoids from pluripotent stem cells

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26713012
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: General medical chemistry
• Research Institution: Yokohama City University
• Principal Investigator: Sato Takuya 横浜市立大学, 生命医科学研究科, 特任助教 (70599505)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 体外精子形成誘導 / 精巣オルガノイド / ゲノム編集 / 精子幹細胞 / 器官培養 / セルトリ細胞

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to generate a testicular organoid by creating a seminiferous tubule which is a site of spermatogenesis in de novo. Therefore, We tried to induce differentiation from pluripotent stem cells to Sertoli cells, the main constituent cells of seminiferous tubules. First, Sox9-EGFP ES cells were established from mice in which EGFP was knocked-in to Sertoli cell-specific gene Sox9. Furthermore, a vector incorporating three transcription factors into a tetracycline induction system was constructed and introduced into Sox9-GFP ES cells. We succeeded in inducing a large number of Sox9-EGFP expressing cells by overexpressing transcription factors at an appropriate timing after inducing differentiation with growth factors.

Free Research Field

生殖再生