Rat bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells differentiate to germ cell like cells

Germ cells undergo distinctive male or female pathways to produce spermatozoa or oocyte respectively essential for sexual reproduction. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the capacity of trans-differentiation to form the multiple lineages of cells of mesoderm, endoderm, and ectoderm origin. Herein, MSCs were isolated from rat bone marrow and characterized by their morphological features, expression of surface markers by immunophenotyping and molecular biology tools as well as self renewal and differentiation capability. Thereafter, by inducing these cells with retinoic acid we could able to show that bone marrow derived MSCs are able to trans-differentiate into male germ cell-like cells which were further characterized by the expressions of germ cell specific markers. This in vitro study for the generation of germ-like cells suggests that bone marrow MSCs can be a potential source of germ cells that could be a sustainable source of sperm / oocyte production for potential therapeutic applications in future. Moreover, this technique can be applied in different domestic animal species for propagation of elite germ plasm.