Expression Profile of Germ Cell-Associated Genes in Rat Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Treated with All-Trans Retinoic Acid

Cells that morphologically and functionally resemble male germ cells can be derived from bone marrow stem cells. However, autologous bone marrow procurement has potential limitations. Thus, in the present study, germ cell-associated genes including Oct4, Dazl, Nobox, Piwil and Rnf17 were examined in differentiating ADSCs in the presence of 10(-5) RA for 14 days, 21 days and 10(-6) RA for 14 days, 21 days and 28 days. The effect of all-trans retinoic acid (RA) which is a known inducer of primordial germ cell (PGC) proliferation/survival in vitro was also determined. Oct4, Dazl and Nobox showed the highest expression in the presence of 10(-6) mol/L AR after 21 days RA treatment, the three genes showed the same expression pattern. While Piwil showed the highest expression in the presence of 10(-6) mol/L AR after 28 days RA treatment, Rnf17 showed no expression at any time point. Our findings establish a comprehensive profile of male germ cell gene expression during differentiation of rat ADSCs and describe the capacity of RA to stimulate the expression of these genes. Furthermore, these data represent an important first step in designing a plausible directed differentiation protocol for male germ cells.