Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have taught monkey blood cells to gain the flexibility of stem cells from which they later form sperm precursors. The results of the study were published in the journal. magazine elite.
Different types of cells have properties that help them do their unique job in the body. It is impossible to change the function of most cells – only stem cells have such a feature.
Induced pluripotent stem cells derived from cellular structures such as embryonic stem cells and blood can give rise to key cells such as spermatogonial stem cells that serve as the basis for the formation of spermatocytes.
Prior to reduction division, spermatocytes contain a pair of chromosome sets, after which they develop into a pair of second-order spermatocytes. The next division leads to the formation of two more pairs of haploid cells – spermatids, which are the precursors of spermatozoa.
According to the study’s authors, their work is important for the development of methods to produce germ cells — sperm and eggs — in the laboratory and, as a result, new approaches to the treatment of infertility.