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The role of microRNAs in embryonic stem cell and induced pluripotent stem cell differentiation in male germ cells
Author(s) -
Mahabadi Javad Amini,
Sabzalipoor Hamed,
Nikzad Hossein,
Seyedhosseini Elahe,
Enderami Seyed Ehsan,
Gheibi Hayat Seyed Mohammad,
Sahebkar Amirhosein
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of cellular physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.529
H-Index - 174
eISSN - 1097-4652
pISSN - 0021-9541
DOI - 10.1002/jcp.27990
Subject(s) - reprogramming , induced pluripotent stem cell , embryonic stem cell , biology , stem cell , cell potency , microbiology and biotechnology , cellular differentiation , regenerative medicine , microrna , epigenetics , induced stem cells , germ cell , rex1 , cell , genetics , gene
New perspectives have been opened by advances in stem cell research for reproductive and regenerative medicine. Several different cell types can be differentiated from stem cells (SCs) under suitable in vitro and in vivo conditions. The differentiation of SCs into male germ cells has been reported by many groups. Due to their unlimited pluripotency and self‐renewal, embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be used as valuable tools for drug delivery, disease modeling, developmental studies, and cell‐based therapies in regenerative medicine. The unique features of SCs are controlled by a dynamic interplay between extrinsic signaling pathways, and regulations at epigenetic, transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. In recent years, significant progress has been made toward better understanding of the functions and expression of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) in the maintenance of SC pluripotency. miRNAs are short noncoding molecules, which play a functional role in the regulation of gene expression. In addition, the important regulatory role of miRNAs in differentiation and dedifferentiation has been recently demonstrated. A balance between differentiation and pluripotency is maintained by miRNAs in the embryo and stem cells. This review summarizes the recent findings about the role of miRNAs in the regulation of self‐renewal and pluripotency of iPSCs and ESCs, as well as their impact on cellular reprogramming and stem cell differentiation into male germ cells.