Comparing genome-scale DNA methylation and CNV marks between adult human cultured ITGA6+ testicular cells and seminomas to assess in vitro genomic stability.

ABSTRACT: Autologous transplantation of spermatogonial stem cells is a promising new avenue to restore fertility in infertile recipients. Expansion of the initial spermatogonial stem cell pool through cell culturing is a necessary step to obtain enough cells for effective repopulation of the testis after transplantation. Since in vitro propagation can lead to (epi-)genetic mutations and possibly malignant transformation of the starting cell population, we set out to investigate genome-wide DNA methylation status in uncultured and cultured primary testicular ITGA6+ sorted cells and compare them with germ cell tumor samples of the seminoma subtype. Seminomas displayed a severely global hypomethylated profile, including loss of genomic imprinting, which we did not detect in cultured primary testicular

SUBMITTER: Struijk RB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7075560 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature