Approximately 1 in 10 couples of reproductive age in America are diagnosed with infertility. Infertility does not bias by race, gender or ethnicity. Underlying causes of human infertility are often unknown. However, abnormal formation, or irreversible damage to the lineage responsible for creating egg and sperm can cause infertility as an adult. We propose that one of the best models to understand mechanism of human egg and sperm differentiation (also known as germline differentiation) involve differentiating germline cells from pluripotent stem cells in vitro. Currently, the field of germline differentiation in vito is hindered by a lack of knowledge of human germline development in the embryo, low yield following in vitro differentiation, unknown variability in germline differentiation potential betwen lines, and failure to use the germline xenotransplantation model as a functional assay. To overcome these bottlenecks we propose to develop a comprehensive transcriptome and DNA methylome map of in vivo human germline cells during gestation using RNA- sequencing and whole genome bisulfite-sequencing. This will be used to transcriptionally and epigenetically stage germline cells acquired in vitro. Next, we propose to induce ectopic expression of PRDM14, NANOS3 and DAZL in a panel of nine well-characterized hESC lines by incorporating the genes into a safe harbor locus using genome-editing technology. We will measure germline identity using a next generation single-cell gene expression panel, and demethylation at loci that stably demethylate in early human germline development. Finally, we propose to use the germline xenotransplantation assay to transplant in vitro male germline cells into the testes of mice rendered infertile by chemotherapy. The endpoint of this assay will involve colony formation, proliferation and expression of mature germline markers. Xenotransplantation outcomes will be compared to control xenotransplantation of human spermatogonia and progenitor human germline cells from gestational stage testes. Results from this project will have a long lasting impact on the field of germline differentiation in vitro as it provides a measure of differentiation efficiency across multiple well characterized hESC lines, as well as incorporation of state-of-the art gene editing technology and functional assays to improve and confirm germline identity in vitro.
This project seeks to determine whether progenitor egg and sperm (germ line) differentiation can be achieved from nine well characterized human embryonic stem cell lines, as well as testing germ cell quality in a xenotransplantation assay of male infertility. Results from this work will have a long lasting impact on the field because it wil determine whether our approach for germ line differentiation yields germ line cells that are transcriptionally, epigenetically and functionally equivalent to germ line found in the human embryo.
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