Mouse Primordial Germ Cell Migration and Neoplasia
Chris Runyan, Ying Gu, Amanda Shoemaker, Chris Wylie
Figure 1
Ventral image of the dorsal body wall from Day 17.5 embryo showing the persistence of ectopic germ cells within the midline. Germ cells are labeled with Oct4-EGP transgene
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the cells that give rise to the gametes. They are essential for the continuance of generations. They are also essential for evolution, since genetic events in the developing gametes give rise to all biological variation on this planet. Defects of gamete differentiation lead either to infertility or cancer.
Primordial germ cells are remarkable cells. They form outside the gonads in mammalian embryos, and migrate to the sites where the gonads will form, where they combine with somatic cells to differentiate into functional gonads. We study the molecular mechanism of migration of the PGCs. Migration is quite inefficient, and many of the PGCs get lost. These normally die, and we are studying the mechanism of this death. If ectopic germ cells do not die, they are the source of a major pediatric form of cancer, extragonadal germ cell tumors. We are studying the mechanism whereby the ectopic germ cells develop into these cancers.
Relevant Publications:
Takeuchi, Y., Molyneaux, K., Runyan, C., Schaible, K., Wylie, C. The roles of FGF signaling in germ cell migration in the mouse. 2005. Development, 132(24):5399-409.
Runyan, C., Schaible, K., Molyneaux, K., Wang, Z., Levin, L, and C. Wylie. Steel factor controls midline cell death of primordial germ cells and is essential for their proliferation and migration. 2006. Development, 133(24):4861-9.
Dudley, B.M., Runyan, C., Takeuchi, Y., Schaible, K., and K. Molyneaux. BMP signaling regulates PGC numbers and motility in organ culture. 2007. Mechanisms of Development, 124(1):68-77.
