Abstract
The conventional view is that female mammals lose their ability to generate new germ cells after birth. However, in recent years, researchers have successfully isolated and cultured a type of germ cell from postnatal ovaries in a variety of mammalian species that have the abilities of self-proliferation and differentiation into oocytes, and this finding indicates that putative germline stem cells maybe exist in the postnatal mammalian ovaries. Herein, we review the research history and discovery of putative female germline stem cells, the concept that putative germline stem cells exist in the postnatal mammalian ovary, and the research progress, challenge, and application of putative germline stem cells in recent years.
Highlights
In most female vertebrates embryo stages, part of the blastula cells can form primordial germ cells (PGCs) by germ cell determination (GCD) under some signal induction
The research by Zou and colleagues provided a key evidence to support the existence of putative female germline stem cells (FGSCs) in postnatal mammalian ovaries, and these findings challenged the prevailing viewpoint that putative germline stem cells (GSCs) do not exist in postnatal mammalian ovaries and may be expected to expand a new field in stem cell research (Figure 1)
The results showed that active meiosis, neo-oogenesis, and GSCs are unlikely to exist in normal adult human ovaries
Summary
In most female vertebrates embryo stages, part of the blastula cells can form primordial germ cells (PGCs) by germ cell determination (GCD) under some signal induction. Oogonia enter meiosis and differentiate into primary oocytes. These primary oocytes are surrounded by a layer of granular cells and form the primitive follicle, but only a fraction of primitive follicles can develop into mature follicles and undergo ovulation. There are no putative germline stem cells (GSCs) existing in the postnatal mammalian ovary which can produce new oocytes to replenish the consumption of ovulation. The primordial follicle will be eventually consumed due to the lack of renewable germ cells This seems to be a valid explanation for the shorter gestational age of mammalian females than males. In recent decades whether germ cell regeneration exists in the postnatal mammalian ovaries has become controversial. The prevailing view that there is no oogenesis in the postnatal mammalian ovaries had not been challenged until recent years, when the putative GSCs were discovered
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