Identification of the transcriptional network orchestrating oocyte growth

Katsuhiko Hayashi

Department of Stem Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University.

Oocytes are the sole cell type that can confer totipotency to any other cell type; this potential is the basis of the creation of new individuals, and thereby the perpetuation of species. The ability of oocytes to confer totipotency is supported by unique characteristics of the oocyte status, such as large cytoplasmic volume and the capacity for fertilization. Because of the biological importance of oocytes, the processes involved in establishing the oocyte status must be controlled under a strict and robust system, of which mechanisms remain elusive. By using in vitro culture system that recapitulates oogenesis using pluripotent stem cells, we identified the transcription network that orchestrates acquisition of the unique oocyte status. In this seminar, I will introduce this current topic with some backgrounds of the culture system.