University of Rome TOR Vergata

Laboratory for the study of mouse primordial germ cells

Prof. Massimo De Felici

Publications on PGCs

De Felici, M., and McLaren, A. (1892). Isolation of mouse primordial germ cells. Exp. Cell. Res. 142, 476-482.

De Felici, M., and McLaren, A. (1983). In vitro culture of mouse primordial germ cells. Exp. Cell. Res. 144, 417-427.

De Felici, M. (1984). Binding of fluorescent lectins to the surface of germ cells from fetal and early postnatal mouse gonads. Gamete Res. 10, 423-432.

De Felici, M., Boitani, C., and Cossu, G. (1985). Synthesis of glycoconjugates in mouse primordial germ cells. Dev. Biol. 109, 375-380.

De Felici, M., and Siracusa, G. (1985). Adhesiveness of mouse primordial germ cells to follicular and Sertoli cells monolayers. J. Embryol. Exp. Morph. 87, 87-97.

De Felici, M., Eusebi, F., and Fratamico, G. (1985). Cell-to cell electrical coupling in seminiferous cords of mouse fetal testis. Cell. Biol. Int. Rep. 9, 825-832.

Siracusa, G., De Felici, M., and Salustri, A. (1985). The proliferative and meiotic history of mammalian female germ cells. In: The Biology of Fertilization, vol.1, pp. 253-297, (A. Monroy and C.B. Metz, eds), Academic Press, New York.

De Felici, M., and Dolci, S. (1987). Cellular interactions of mouse fetal germ cells in vitro systems. Curr. Top. Dev. Biol. 23, 147-162.

De Felici, M., Cossu, G., and Siracusa, G. (1987). Functional interactions between mouse primordial germ cells and somatic cells in vitro. In: Development and Function of the Reproductive Organs, Serono Symposia Review Nø 11, pp. 13-22 ( A. Eshkol, B. Eckstein, N. Dekel, H. Peters and A. Tsafriri, eds), Ares-Serono Symposia

De Felici, M., and Dolci, S. (1989). In vitro adhesion of mouse fetal germ cells to extracellular matrix components. Cell. Diff. Dev. 26, 87-96.

De Felici, M., Dolci, S., and Siracusa, G. (1989). Fetal germ cells establish coupling with follicle cells in vitro. Cell. Diff. Dev. 28, 65-70.

Dolci, S., and De Felici, M. (1990). A study of meiosis in chimeric mouse fetal gonads. Development 109, 37-40.

De Felici, M., and Dolci, S. (1991). Leukemia inhibitory factor sustains the survival of mouse primordial germ cells cultured on TM4 feeder layers. Dev. Biol. 147, 281-284.

De Felici, M., Dolci, S., and Pesce, M. (1992).  Cellular and molecular aspects of mouse primordial germ cells migration and proliferation. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 36, 205-213.

De Felici, M., Dolci, S., and Pesce, M. (1993). Proliferation of mouse primordial germ cells in vitro: a key role for cAMP. Dev. Biol. 157, 227-280.

Dolci, S., Pesce, M., and De Felici, M. (1993). Combined action of stem cell factor, leukemia inhibitory factor, and cAMP on in vitro proliferation of mouse primordial germ cells. Mol. Repr.. Dev. 35, 134-139.

Pesce, M., Farace, M.G., Piacentini, M., Dolci, S., and De Felici, M. (1993). Stem cell factor and leukemia inhibitory factor promote primordial germ cell survival by soppressing programmed cell death (apoptosis). Development 118, 1089-1094.

De Felici, M., and Pesce, M. (1994). Growth factors in mouse germ cell migration and proliferation. Progress in Growth Factor Res. 5, 135-143.

Pesce, M., Siracusa, G., Giustiniani Q., and De Felici, M. (1994). Histotypic in vitro reorganization of dissociated cells from mouse fetal gonads. Differentiation 56, 137-142.

Pesce, M., and De Felici, M. (1994). Apoptosis in mouse primordial germ cells: a study by transmission and scanning electron microscope. Anat. Embryol. 189, 435-440.

De Felici, M., and Pesce, M. (1994). Interactions between migratory primordial germ cells and cellular substrates. In: Germline Development. Ciba Foundation Symposium No. 182. (Goodie J. ed.), pp- 140-153.

De Felici, M. (1994). Isolation and culture of germ cells from mouse embryo. In: Cell Biology: A Laboratory Handbook. (Celis JC, ed), pp. 68-80.

De Felici, M., and Pesce. M. (1995). Immunoaffinity purification of migratory mouse primordial germ cells. Exp. Cell. Res. 216, 277-279.

Pesce, M., and De Felici, M. (1995). Purification of mouse primordial germ cells by MiniMACS magnetic separation system. Dev. Biol. 170, 722-725.

Pesce, M., Canipari, R., Ferri, G.L., Siracusa, G., and De Felici, M. (1996). Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating-polypeptide (PACAP) stimulates adenylate cyclase and promotes proliferation of mouse primordial germ cells. Development 122, 215-221.

De Felici, M., Di Carlo, A., Pesce, M. (1996). Role of Stem Cell Factor in somatic-germ cell interactions during prenatal oogenesis. Zygote 4, 349-351.

Pesce, M., Di Carlo, A. and De Felici, M. (1997). The c-kit receptor is involved in the adhesion of mouse primordial germ cells to somatic cells in culture. Mech. Dev. 69, 37-47.

Pesce, M., Farrace MG., Amendola A., Piacentini M., and De Felici M. (1997). Steel factor regulation of apoptosis in mouse pimordial germ cells. In: Cell Death in Reproductive Physiology (Tilly J, ed), Serono Symposia .

De Felici, M. (1998). Isolation and culture of germ cells from mouse embryo. In: Cell Biology: A Laboratory Handbook. (Celis JC, ed), Second Edition.

De Felici., M., Di Carlo, A., Dolci S., and Pesce M. (1998). Experimental in vitro approaches to the study of mouse primordial germ cells.  In : Testicular function : from gene expression to genetic manipulation. (Stefanini et al., eds). Spinger, pp.23-39.

De Felici, M., Pesce M., Giustiniani Q., and Di Carlo, A. (1998). In vitro adhesiveness of mouse primordial germ cells to cellular and extracellular matrix component substrata. Micr. Res. Techn. 43, 258-264.

De Felici, M. (1998). In vitro culture systems for germ cells from mouse embryo: primordial germ cells and oocytes.  In : In vitro germ cell developmental toxicology: from science to social and industrial demand. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 444, 41-49.

De Felici, M., Di Carlo A., Pesce, M., Iona S., Farrace, MG, Piacentini, M. (1999). Bcl-2 and Bax regulation of apoptosis in germ cells during prenatal oogenesis in the mouse embryo. Cell Death Diff. 6, 908-915.

Di Carlo, A., Travia, G., De Felici, M. (2000).  The meiotic specific synaptonemal complex protein SCP3 is expressed by female and male primordial germ cells of the mouse embryo. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 44, 241-244.

De Felici, M. Regulation of primordial germ cell development in the mouse (2000). Int. J. Dev. Biol. 44, 575-580.

Di Carlo, A. and De Felici, M. A role for E-Cadherin in mouse primordial germ cell development (2000). Dev. Biol. 226, 209-219.

De Felici, M. Twenty years of researches on primordial germ cells. (2001). Int. J. Dev. Biol. 45: 519-522.

Pesce, M., Klinger, F.,G.  and De Felici, M. (2002). Derivation in culture of primordial germ cells from the mouse epiblast: phenotipic induction and growth control by Bmp4 signalling. Mech. Dev. 112, 15-24.

Iona S., Klinger F.G., Sisti R., Ciccalese R., Nunziata A., and De Felici M. (2002). A comparative study of cytotoxicity effect of N-ethyl-N-nitrosurea, adriamicyn and mono-(2-ethyl-exyl-L) phthalate on mouse primordial germ cells. Cell Biol Toxicol 18, 131-45.

Klinger F.G., Scaldaferri M.L., Di Carlo A., Baiocco, M., Coletta, M., Cossu, G. and De Felici M. (2003). Myogenic potential of mouse primordial germ cells. Int. I. Dev. Biol. 47, 3003-305.

Lees-Murdock, D, J., De Felici M., and Walsh, C. P. (2003).  Methylation dynamics of repetitive DNA elements in the mouse germ lineage. Genomics 82: 230-237.

Moe-Behrens G, Klinger FG, Eskild W, Grotmol T, Haugen TB and De Felici M. (2003). Akt/PTEN signaling mediates estrogen-dependent proliferation of primordial germ cells in vitro. Mol. Endocrinol. 17, 2630-2638.

De Felici M, Scaldaferri ML, Lobascio M, Iona S, Klinger FG and Farini D (2004). In vitro approaches to the study of primordial germ cell lineage and proliferation. Human Repr. Update 10, 197-206.

Murdock, D,J,L., Shovlin T.C., Gardiner T., De Felici, M. and Walsh C.P. (2005). DNA methyltransferases expression in the mouse germ cell line during periods of de novo methylation. Dev. Dynamics 232, 992-1092.

De Felici, M., Klinger F., Farini, D., Scaldaferri, M.L., Iona S., and Lobascio, M. (2005). Establishment of the oocyte population in the fetal ovary: primordial germ cell proliferation and oocyte programmed cell death. RBD 10, 182-191.

De Felici , M., Scaldaferri ML, and Farini D. (2005). Adhesion molecules for mouse primordial germ cells. FBS 10, 542-551.

Farini , D., M.L. Scaldaferri, S. Iona, La Sala G. and De Felici, M. (2005). Growth factors sustain primordial germ cell survival, proliferation and entering into meiosis in the absence of somatic cells. Dev. Biol. 285, 49-56.

Rossi, P., Dolci, S., Farini, D. and De Felici, M. (2006) Germ Cells. In:- Cell Signaling and Growth Factors in Development, Vol. 1, pp. 39-72, (Unsicker, K. and Krieglstein, eds), Wilie-VCH Verlag GmBH.

Sorrentino E., Nazzicone V., Farini D., Campagnolo L., and De Felici, M. (2007). Comparative transcript profiles of cell cycle-related genes in mouse primordial germ cells, embryonic stem cells and embryonic germ cells. Gene Expression Patterns 7, 714-721.

Donatella Farini, Gina La Sala, Marianna Tedesco and Massimo De Felici (2007), Chemoattractant action and molecular signaling pathways of Kit Ligand on mouse primordial germ cells. Dev. Biol 306, 572-583.

Cristina Eguizabal, María D. Boyano, Alejandro Díez-Torre, Unai Silván, Noelia Andollo, Ricardo Andrade, Jon Arlucea , Massimo De Felici and Juan Aréchaga (2007). Interleukin-2 induces the proliferation of mouse primordial germ cell I J Dev Biol 51:731-738.

La Sala G., Farini D., and De Felici M. (2009). Pro-apoptoc effect of lindane on mouse primordial germ cells. Tox. Sci. (in press).

De Felici, M., Farini D., and Dolci, S. (2009). In or out stemness:comapring growth factor signals in mouse embryonic stem cells and primordial germ cells. Current Stem Cell Research and Therapy ( in press).

De Felici, M., Sorrentino E., Klinger F. and Farini D. (2009). Regulators of proliferation in mouse primordial germ cells. Reproduction (in press).

De Felici M. Primordial germ cell biology at the beginning of the new century (A tribute to Anne McLaren) (2009). IJDB (in press).

Home page