Characterization of putative pluripotency-regulating genes and defining the role of germ cell-specific genes during reprogramming

在第一个资助期内，我们的目标是通过与其他多能干细胞进行几项比较分析，进一步证实我们体外从精原干细胞（SSC）衍生的多能成体生殖系干细胞（maGSC）的多能性。我们可以检测到所有分析的多能细胞类型之间没有显著差异，因此毫无疑问maGSC确实是多能的，并且具有与胚胎干细胞（ESC）相同的潜力，胚胎干细胞是多能性的金标准。我们发现了几个用于调节和/或维持多能状态的候选基因。在第二个资助期内，我们希望在体外和体内广泛分析两个候选基因的功能。此外，我们计划研究两个生殖细胞特异性基因在体细胞重编程为诱导多能干细胞（iPSC）中的功能。

During the first funding period our aim was to further substantiate the pluripotency of our multipotent adult Germline Stem Cells (maGSCs) derived in vitro from Spermatogonial Stem Cells (SSCs) by performing several comparative analyses to other pluripotent stem cells. We could detect no significant differences between all the analysed pluripotent cell types so that there is no doubt left that maGSCs are indeed pluripotent and have the same potential as Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs), the gold standard of pluripotency.As a consequence from all our studies, and especially from the comparative analysis of the transcriptomes of undifferentiated and differentiated maGSCs and ESCs, we found several candidate genes for the regulation and/or maintenance of the pluripotent state. Within the second funding period we want to analyse the function of two candidate genes extensively in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, we plan to investigate the function of two germ cell-specific genes in reprogramming of somatic cells to induced Pluripotent Stem cells (iPSCs).