NCE

During this reporting period we have focused on our approved revised research plan. We continued our efforts to generate embryonic female germ cells from human embryonic stem (hES) cells in vitro using methods reported in the literature at the end of 2009. Our revised plan included the new goal of using in vitro developed female embryonic germ cells (oocytes) as a resource to investigate how mitochondrial genomic DNA containing deleterious mutations is segregated during female germ cell development. As well as providing novel information about the biology of germ cell development, this research may provide important information relevant to development of safe methods for therapeutic cloning. We began by using two different female hES cell lines (HUES-6 and H9) to investigate whether we could use the reported methods to develop female germ cells from hES in our lab. A third female hES cell line (HUES-9) we originally intended to use was found to have a high propensity to gain an extra chromosome (become aneuploid) and was therefore not used. Despite following the reported methods that demonstrated in vitro differentiation of hES cells into female germ cells, we were unable to reproduce the previously reported results in our own lab. The reasons for this are currently unclear but may involve subtle, but important, differences in the methodology or materials we used.