TY - JOUR
T1 - Oct-4 is highly expressed in stem/ progenitor cells and in primordial follicles of the fetal human ovary
AU - Cau, Flaviana
AU - Fanni, Daniela
AU - Gerosa, Clara
AU - Botta, Maria Carolina
AU - Bardanzellu, Flaminia
AU - Aversa, Sara
AU - Sorrentino, Ester
AU - Ronchi, Francesco
AU - Bellan, Cristiana
AU - Faa, Gavino
AU - Castagnola, Massimo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. All Rights Reserved.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/4
Y1 - 2021/4
N2 - Oct-4 (Octamer-binding transcription factor 4) is a member of the POU (Pit-Oct-Unc) family. During development, Oct-4 is expressed in embryonic stem cells and in germ cell precursors. In this study, we investigated the expression of Oct-4 in the ovaries of human fetuses during gestation. The ovaries of 14 human fetuses and newborns, ranging in gestational age from 12 up to 38 weeks of gestation, were formalin-fixed, routinely processed and paraffin-embedded. Paraffin sections were immunostained with an anti-Oct-4 commercial antibody. Oct-4 expression was demonstrated in all the ovaries analyzed. Immunoreactivity for Oct-4 was detected in multiple stem/progenitor cells, including oogonia. Moreover, Oct-4 was expressed in oocytes, in primordial follicles. In ovarian stem/progenitor cells, Oct-4 was expressed in the nucleus, whereas in oocytes reactivity for Oct-4 was restricted to the cytoplasm. In the initial stages of gestation, the majority of Oct-4-positive precursor cells were detected in the external cortex. These preliminary data indicate Oct-4 as a major player in germ cell differentiation in the human ovary and as a useful marker for ovarian stem/progenitor cells. Given the ability of Oct-4 for the detection of ovarian stem/progenitor cells, further studies are needed in order to verify its ability to detect stem cells in adult ovaries.
AB - Oct-4 (Octamer-binding transcription factor 4) is a member of the POU (Pit-Oct-Unc) family. During development, Oct-4 is expressed in embryonic stem cells and in germ cell precursors. In this study, we investigated the expression of Oct-4 in the ovaries of human fetuses during gestation. The ovaries of 14 human fetuses and newborns, ranging in gestational age from 12 up to 38 weeks of gestation, were formalin-fixed, routinely processed and paraffin-embedded. Paraffin sections were immunostained with an anti-Oct-4 commercial antibody. Oct-4 expression was demonstrated in all the ovaries analyzed. Immunoreactivity for Oct-4 was detected in multiple stem/progenitor cells, including oogonia. Moreover, Oct-4 was expressed in oocytes, in primordial follicles. In ovarian stem/progenitor cells, Oct-4 was expressed in the nucleus, whereas in oocytes reactivity for Oct-4 was restricted to the cytoplasm. In the initial stages of gestation, the majority of Oct-4-positive precursor cells were detected in the external cortex. These preliminary data indicate Oct-4 as a major player in germ cell differentiation in the human ovary and as a useful marker for ovarian stem/progenitor cells. Given the ability of Oct-4 for the detection of ovarian stem/progenitor cells, further studies are needed in order to verify its ability to detect stem cells in adult ovaries.
KW - development
KW - fetal ovary
KW - immunohistochemistry
KW - Oct-4
KW - ovarian stem cells
KW - primordial follicles
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U2 - 10.7363/100118
DO - 10.7363/100118
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85101825789
VL - 10
SP - 1
EP - 7
JO - Journal of Pediatric and Neonatal Individualized Medicine
JF - Journal of Pediatric and Neonatal Individualized Medicine
SN - 2281-0692
IS - 1
ER -