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The dogma that mammals are born with finite numbers of oocytes has been questioned recently. Accordingly, Chinese investigators attempted to determine whether germline stem cells exist within the ovaries of neonatal and adult mice.
Putative ovarian female germline stem cells (FGSCs) were immunohistochemically identified, isolated, and grown in culture. The resulting cell lines retained their original morphology in culture for more than 6 months and expressed protein markers characteristic of germ-cell precursors, but did not express proteins characteristic of oocytes. These presumed FGSCs were injected into the ovaries of adult female mice that had been rendered devoid of germ cells with high doses of alkylating agents. Within 2 months, ovar…