Human primordial germ cell heterogeneity in vitro is associated with distinctive biological states

Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters

卷:31

Brief Report

Young Sun Hwang¹  Qiu Ya Wu¹  Sissy E. Wamaitha¹  Amander T. Clark¹ 

[1] Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, Eli and Edyth Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Center for Reproductive Science, Health and Education, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 90095, Los Angeles, CA, USA

关键词: Human in vitro germ cells;    Heterogeneity;    Extended culture;    Dead end 1;    Cell cycle exit;    Post-transcriptional regulation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s11658-026-00986-w

 received in 2026-01-21, accepted in 2026-06-15,  发布年份 2026

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundPrimordial germ cells (PGCs) exhibit molecular heterogeneity during development, yet whether this reflects functionally distinct states remains unclear.MethodsWe investigated the functional significance of DND1 translation heterogeneity in human PGC-like cell (hPGCLC) extended culture, using dual fluorescent reporters, transcriptomic analysis and functional assays.ResultsSingle-cell RNA-sequencing revealed that DND1 + hPGCLCs are enriched in RNA regulatory genes including those associated with P-bodies and translational control. DND1 + cells exhibit reduced proliferation, cell cycle exit, and elevated nuclear expression P27 (CDKN1B). These cells also maintained stable expression of genes essential for germ cell differentiation. Notably, BMP2 supplementation stabilized DND1 translation without altering mRNA levels or proliferation rates.ConclusionsTogether, these findings demonstrate that post-transcriptional regulation by DND1 coordinates cell cycle dynamics with distinct cellular state in human germ cells, highlighting critical translational control mechanisms in germline development.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2026

【 图 表 】

Figure 1. Recruitment phenotypes detected using the CRISPR-PITA assay.

Fig. 4

Video 1. Blood flow in the trunk region of an anesthetized killifish (4 days post-hatching) during light-sheet microscopy.

Fig. 15