Skip to main content
Download PDF

Clinical applications and limitations of current ovarian stem cell research: a review

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Assisted Reproduction volume 3, Article number: 6 (2006) Cite this article

Abstract

The publication of a report in Nature in 2004 by the Tilly group suggesting that mouse ovaries are capable of generating oocytes de novo post-natally, has sparked interest in a problem long thought to have been resolved from classical studies in a variety of mammalian species. Within a nearly two year time period, laboratories around the world have taken up the challenge to dogma raised by this initial report, either to test this concept in an experimental basic science setting or give direction to clinical applications that could result, were the original premises of this work in the mouse valid for extrapolation to humans. This review provides a status report for this promising area of research, (1) to summarize recent findings in the literature with respect to the validity of the original hypothesis proffered by the Tilly group, and, (2) to gauge the potential utility of ovarian stem cells as a treatment for certain forms of human infertility.

References

  1. Johnson J, Canning J, Kaneko T, Pru JK, Tilly JL: Germline stem cells and follicular renewal in the postnatal mammalian ovary. Nature. 2004, 428: 145-150. 10.1038/nature02316.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Johnson J, Bagley J, Skaznik-Wikiel M, Lee HJ, Adams GB, Niikura Y, Tschudy KS, Tilly JC, Cortes ML, Forkert R, Spitzer T, Iacomini J, Scadden DT, Tilly JL: Oocyte generation in adult mammalian ovaries by putative germ cells in bone marrow and peripheral blood. Cell. 2005, 122: 303-315. 10.1016/j.cell.2005.06.031.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Kerr JB, Duckett R, Myers M, Britt KL, Mladenovska T, Findlay JK: Quantification of healthy follicles in the neonatal and adult mouse ovary: evidence for maintenance of primordial follicle supply. Reproduction. 2006, 132: 97-111. 10.1530/rep.1.01128.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Byskov AG, Faddy MJ, Lemmen JG, Andersen CY: Eggs forever?. Differentiation. 2005, 73: 438-446. 10.1111/j.1432-0436.2005.00045.x.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Bristol-Gould SK, Kreeger PK, Selkirk CG, Kilen SM, Mayo KE, Shea LD, Woodruff TK: Fate of the initial follicle pool: Empirical and mathematical evidence supporting its sufficiency for adult fertility. Developmental Biology. 2006, doi: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2006.06.023

    Google Scholar 

  6. Peters H: The development of the mouse ovary from birth to maturity. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh). 1969, 62: 98-116.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Eggan K, Jurga S, Gosden R, Min IM, Wagers AJ: Ovulated oocytes in adult mice derive from non-circulating germ cells. Nature. 2006, 441: 1109-1114. 10.1038/nature04929.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Telfer EE: Germline stem cells in the postnatal mammalian ovary: a phenomenon of prosimian primates and mice?. Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2004, 2: 24-10.1186/1477-7827-2-24.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Telfer EE, Gosden RG, Byskov AG, Spears N, Albertini D, Andersen CY, Anderson R, Braw-Tal R, Clarke H, Gougeon A, McLaughlin E, McLaren A, McNatty K, Schatten G, Silber S, Tsafriri A: On regenerating the ovary and generating controversy. Cell. 2005, 122: 821-822. 10.1016/j.cell.2005.09.004.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Sanders JE, Buckner CD, Amos D, Levy W, Appelbaum FR, Doney K, Storb R, Sullivan KM, Witherspoon RP, Thomas ED: Ovarian function following marrow transplantation for aplastic anemia or leukemia. J Clin Oncol. 1988, 6: 813-818.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Sanders JE, Hawley J, Levy W, Gooley T, Buckner CD, Deeg HJ, Doney K, Storb R, Sullivan K, Witherspoon R, Appelbaum FR: Pregnancies following high-dose cyclophosphamide with or without high-dose busulfan or total-body irradiation and bone marrow transplantation. Blood. 1996, 87: 3045-3052.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Hershlag A, Schuster MW: Return of fertility after autologous stem cell transplantation. Fertil Steril. 2002, 77: 419-421. 10.1016/S0015-0282(01)02987-9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Oktay K: Spontaneous conceptions and live birth after heterotopic ovarian transplantation: is there a germline stem cell connection?. Hum Reprod. 2006, 21: 1345-1348. 10.1093/humrep/del007.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Oktay K, Oktem O: Sustained endocrine function and spontaneous pregancies after subcutaneous transplantation of cryopreserved ovarian tissue in stem cell transplant recipients. Fertil Steril. 2005, 84 (Supl 1): S68-10.1016/j.fertnstert.2005.07.162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank members of the Albertini lab for their encouragement and support and the funding provided from the Hall Family Foundation.

Author information

Author notes

    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Center for Reproductive Sciences, Department of Molecular and Integrative Sciences, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA

      Karla J Hutt & David F Albertini

    2. Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, 02543, MA, USA

      David F Albertini

    Authors
    1. Karla J Hutt
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    2. David F Albertini
      View author publications

      You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

    Corresponding author

    Correspondence to Karla J Hutt.

    Additional information

    Competing interests

    The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.

    Authors' contributions

    Karla Hutt and David Albertini contributed equally to the writing of this manuscript.

    Karla J Hutt and David F Albertini contributed equally to this work.

    Rights and permissions

    This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

    Reprints and permissions

    About this article

    Cite this article

    Hutt, K.J., Albertini, D.F. Clinical applications and limitations of current ovarian stem cell research: a review . J Exp Clin Assist Reprod 3, 6 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-1050-3-6

    Download citation

    • Received:

    • Accepted:

    • Published:

    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1743-1050-3-6

    Journal of Experimental & Clinical Assisted Reproduction

    ISSN: 1743-1050