Primordial germ cells were produced by scientists through the use of embryonic stem cells of human. These primordial germ cells will become egg and sperm in a University of Cambridge's major breakthrough.
Primordial germ cells, in nature, are created in the pre-embryonic phase that happens after fertilization. Blastocyst is a 'ball of cells' created when the cells are divided during the pre-embryonic phase.
These cells, having no legs and arms, yet know how the development of the being will take place and are already equipped to transfer the information of its genetic to the offspring that it will create in the future.
Asim Surani of Gurdon Institute Professor adds, "Germ cells are 'immortal' in the sense that they provide an enduring link between all generations, carrying genetic information from one generation to the next."
Professor Surani, together with his team, demonstrated that using skin cells of adults could produce primordial germ cells.
Even though the scientists have made rodent's primordial stem cells in the past using rodent's embryonic stem cells, the present study is the first time that scientists managed to create it for humans.
The implications of the findings of the study are not only limited to the "field of infertility," but also useful in epigenetic inheritance study that might lead to the treatments of diseases that are age-related.
Epigenetic inheritance means the effects on human genes which were produced by the environment. Examples are humans' diets or effects of smoking which can be inherited by the offspring.
Professor Surani together with his colleagues explained that during the stage of specification, the consequences of environment on human genes are generally neutralized with the exemption of a small part which is not yet understood fully.
Professor Surani states that, "The comprehensive erasure of epigenetic information ensures that most, if not all, epigenetic mutations are erased, which promotes 'rejuvenation' of the lineage and allows it to give rise to endless generations. These mechanisms are of wider interest towards understanding age-related diseases, which in part might be due to cumulative epigenetic mutations."