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Role of stem cell factor in somatic–germ cell interactions during prenatal oogenesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 September 2008

Massimo De Felici*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di sanità pubblica e Biologia Cellulare, Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy.
Anna Di Carlo
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di sanità pubblica e Biologia Cellulare, Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy.
Maurizio Pesce
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di sanità pubblica e Biologia Cellulare, Università di Roma ‘Tor Vergata’, Rome, Italy.
*
Massimo De Felici, Dipartmento di Sanità, Via O. Raimondo, 0173 Rome, Italy.

Extract

During embryogenesis germ cells originate from primordial germ cells (PGCs). The development of mammalian PGCs involves a number of complex events (formation and segregation of PGC precursors, PGC migration and proliferation) which lead to the differentiation of oocytes or prospermatogonia (for a review see De Felici et al., 1992). During recent years developments in methods for isolation, purification and culture of mouse PGCs have led to significant progress in the understanding of molecular mechanisms of migration, proliferation and differentiation of these cells (for reviews see De Felici, 1994; and De Felici & Pesce, 1994a). In this paper we describe the key role played by stem cell factor (SCF) in PGC development and early folliculogenesis.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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