Molecular regulation of pluripotency in the mammalian germline

雄性生殖细胞产生精子，雌性生殖细胞产生卵母细胞。在男性中，生殖细胞数量在胚胎中受到严格控制，生殖细胞过少会导致不育，而生殖细胞数量不受限制会导致睾丸癌。我们已经发现了一种调节胚胎生殖细胞的分子机制，并建议在小鼠中研究这种调节是如何完成的，以及调节缺陷的后果，以便更多地了解不孕症和睾丸癌是如何发生的。

Germ cells generate sperm in males or oocytes in females. In males, germ cell numbers are tightly controlled in the embryo, with too few germ cells causing infertility, and unrestrained germ cell numbers leading to testicular cancer. We have discovered a molecular mechanism that regulates germ cells in the embryo, and propose to study in mice how this regulation is accomplished and the consequences of defective regulation, in order to learn more about how infertility and testis cancer arise.