Transdifferentiation of mouse adult spermatogonial stem cells into functional myocardium

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Stem cell-based therapy is a promising approach for the treatment of heart failure. The ideal stem cell for myocardial regeneration has not yet to be defined. We recently identified a pluripotent spermatogonial stem cell from adult mouse testis. This cell shows pluripotency like embryonic stem cells and is able to differentiate into functional cardiomyocytes under in vitro conditions. It is the goal of the present project to isolate cardiac-committed cells from cultures of mouse spermatogonial cells, transplant those cells in mouse hearts with myocardial infarction and track the fate of donor cardiomyocytes. This will be done by making use of a selectable transgene to generate pure cultures of cardiomyocytes and transgenic reporters to track the fate of donor cardiomyocyte in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesise that transdifferentiated cardiomyocytes from spermatogonial stem cells with typical calcium transients contribute to cardiac performance. In the future we may be able to isolate pluripotent cells from human testicular biopsies, the present study may help to develop treatment strategies in human beings.