Biology Reference
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studies in other organisms. Due to the challenging nature of PGC research,
there remains much to learn about murine germline development and epi-
genetic reprogramming, in particular. As transgenic tools become available
in a broader spectrum of mammals, it is possible that mechanistic studies will
extend beyond the mouse. The recent report of the first knockout rat gen-
erated by homologous recombination in ES cells is particularly noteworthy
in this regard (
Tong, Li, Wu, Yan, & Ying, 2010
). However, it is likely that
the mouse will remain the organism of choice for functional studies in the
years to come. Nevertheless, it is crucial that further efforts are made to
broaden and extend our knowledge of PGC development in a wide range
of different mammals. This will be of particular utility in delineating con-
served developmental and epigenetic mechanisms from species-specific
quirks. This in turn will serve as a useful guide to investigators with access
to precious human samples. The development of
in vitro
systems for PGC
culture and EG cell derivation will prove an important tool especially if
recent advances can be extended to domestic animal and human PGCs.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We thank all of the members of Surani lab past and present, and the Wellcome Trust for
funding. W. W. C. T. is supported by a PhD scholarship jointly funded by the Croucher
Foundation (Hong Kong) and the Cambridge Overseas Trust (United Kingdom).
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