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Chapter 37 - From pluripotent stem cells to germ cells

from Section 9 - Future technologies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 February 2011

By
Rosita Bergström  and
Outi Hovatta
Edited by
Jacques Donnez  and
S. Samuel Kim
Jacques Donnez
Affiliation:
Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium
S. Samuel Kim
Affiliation:
University of Kansas
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Summary

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent, meaning that they have the ability to give rise to a wide range of cells belonging to all three germ layers (ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm) as well as into germline lineage. The DNA code is more or less the same in all the cells of the human body. What differs is the way this code is utilized or, in other words, which combinations of genes that are active in a specific cell at a given time. The development of germ cells is a highly ordered process that begins during fetal growth and is completed in the adult. Due to their plasticity and potentially unlimited capacity for self-renewal, hESCs have been popular candidates for various cell therapies, including regenerative medicine and tissue replacement. The use of stem cells has provided a research tool to study development and disease in details never before possible.

Keywords

clinical oocyte cryostoragecryopreserve oocytescryoprotectantvitrificationhuman assisted reproductionhuman embryo cryopreservation protocols
Type
Chapter
Information
Principles and Practice of Fertility Preservation , pp. 440 - 447
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

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