The Regulation of Gonadal Somatic Cell Differentiation in Humans

Abstract

In mammals, both male and female gonads are derived from the bipotential gonadal primordium, i.e., the genital ridge. The differentiation of germ cells and gonadal somatic cells during gonad development is regulated by various factors, including transcription factors, epigenetic regulators, and environmental factors. The interactions between germ cells and somatic cells also play critical roles in gonad development and PGC differentiation. The regulation of PGC and gonadal somatic cell development in mouse models has been extensively investigated previously. However, the regulation of gonadal somatic cell differentiation and the interactions between germ cells and gonadal somatic cells in humans still remain incompletely understood. Wang et al. have systematically analyzed the regulation of FGC and gonadal somatic cell development and identified and characterized new types of FGCs and gonadal somatic cells. They have proposed that the DLK1 + cell population is a progenitor population of the steroidogenic cell lineage and the TAC1 + cell population is a progenitor population of granulosa cells. Notably, they have demonstrated the crosstalk between BMP and RA signaling pathways by functional assays. The single-cell omics studies are greatly helping advancing the human developmental biology, filling the gaps between the functional studies in mouse model and cell atlas studies in humans. This study provides a complex but highly ordered development and interaction network for the human FGCs and gonadal cells.