It is predicted that Japan and European Union will soon experience appreciable decreases
in their populations due to persistently low total fertility rates (TFR) below replacement level …

Human germ cell tumours (GCTs) are derived from stem cells of the early embryo and the
germ line. They occur in the gonads (ovaries and testes) and also in extragonadal sites …

We recently derived mouse expanded potential stem cells (EPSCs) from individual
blastomeres by inhibiting the critical molecular pathways that predispose their differentiation …

Human fetal germ cells (FGCs) are precursors to sperm and eggs and are crucial for
maintenance of the species. However, the developmental trajectories and heterogeneity of …

Specification of primordial germ cells (PGCs) marks the beginning of the totipotent state.
However, without a tractable experimental model, the mechanism of human PGC (hPGC) …

Resetting of the epigenome in human primordial germ cells (hPGCs) is critical for
development. We show that the transcriptional program of hPGCs is distinct from that in …

Primordial germ cells (PGCs), the precursors of sperm and eggs, are established in
perigastrulation-stage embryos in mammals. Signals from extra-embryonic tissues induce a …

Endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) are remnants of ancient retroviral infections, and comprise
nearly 8% of the human genome. The most recently acquired human ERV is HERVK (HML …

Germ cells are vital for transmitting genetic information from one generation to the next and
for maintaining the continuation of species. Here, we analyze the transcriptome of human …

In many organisms, the methylation of cytosine in DNA has a key role in silencing'parasitic'
DNA elements, regulating transcription and establishing cellular identity. The recent …