Single-cell exploration of gonadal somatic cell lineage specification during human sex determination.
Lardenois. Aurélie A; Suglia. Antonio A; Moore. Chad Lewis CL; Evrard. Bertrand B; Noël. Laurence L; Rivaud. Paul P; Besson. Aurore A; Toupin. Maryne M; Blévinal. Joséphine J; Dumortier. Corentin C; Léonard. Simon S; Lesné. Laurianne L; Coiffec. Isabelle I; Nef. Serge S; Lavoué. Vincent V; Bretaudeau. Anthony A; Chédotal. Alain A; Mazaud-Guittot. Séverine S; Chalmel. Frédéric F; Rolland. Antoine Dominique AD
Key Findings
- A detailed single‑cell map of human gonads from 5‑12 weeks gestation was created.
- Bipotential progenitor cells can choose a steroidogenic or supporting fate.
- Early supporting cells can also form rete structures, and the ovary can keep feeding supporting cells later on.
- Ex‑vivo experiments suggest GnRH signaling may influence testis differentiation.
Practical Outcomes
- For biohackers, the study mainly adds basic science about how GnRH might affect early testis formation. It doesn’t provide dosage guidance or direct health protocols, so it’s of limited immediate use.
Summary
Scientists mapped tens of thousands of cells in early human testes and ovaries and found a group of early‑stage cells that can become either hormone‑making or support cells. They also saw that the hormone‑releasing factor GnRH (the same pathway that gonadorelin taps) might help steer testis development, but this was only shown in lab dishes.
Abstract
Gonad development is an exciting model to study cell fate commitment. A better understanding of sex determination requires the identification of all involved cell types and their dynamic expression programs. Here, we present an atlas of 128,000 single cells from human gonads between 5 and 12 post-conceptional weeks. A focused analysis of somatic cells uncovered a population of bipotential progenitors derived from the coelomic epithelium of both testes and ovaries, which may have the capacity to commit to either a steroidogenic or a supporting fate. Moreover, our analyses suggest that early supporting cells, prior to differentiation into Sertoli or pre-granulosa cells, also give rise to the rete testis/ovarii and that the ovary retains the capacity to feed the supporting cell pool for an extended period of time, directly from the surface epithelium. Finally, the potential involvement of the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) signaling pathway in regulating testis differentiation was assessed ex vivo.
Study Information
pubmed
2025
2025-10-09T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/j.devcel.2025.09.011
83