Project 9

Overcoming male sterility: Embryonic stem cell-derived spermatogenesis in bovine and mice

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Host Institution:

Univ. Gent (Gent, Belgium)

Supervisors: Dr. Björn Heindryckx

Co-supervisors: Dr. Pablo Ross | Dr. Sebastian Canovas

Institution of enrolment:

Other institutions involved/secondments:

Enrolment in Doctoral degrees: UGENT (Life Sciences)-UMU (Biology and Technology of Reproductive Health)

OBJECTIVES

To establish and characterise bovine and mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) in different states of pluripotency (naïve and formative state) for efficient germ cell differentiation.
To induce primordial germ cell formation from these ESC, comparing the naïve and formative state of pluripotency in suitable culture conditions, respectively for mice and bovine.
Promote differentiation progression of the primordial germ cells using a 3D matrix and testicular tissue for co-culture.
Characterize the different stages of spermatogenesis using specific markers and determining the ploidy, global methylation pattern and DNA methylation levels of several imprinted genes.
Functional testing of in vitro derived sperm cells by intracytoplasmic sperm injection (for bovine sperm in combination with assisted oocyte activation) to assess fertilization and embryonic developmental potential.