Some of our work focuses on human males or females who are infertile because of genetic defects disrupting germ cell development. Other studies are carried out in a more experimentally manipulable mammal, the mouse. We are particularly interested in the roles that X and Y-encoded proteins play in germ cell development, and we are constructing comprehensive maps and gene catalogs of the human Y chromosome that will provide a foundation for future explorations. Our work also sheds light on the evolution of the mammalian sex chromosomes. 1996-97 Submission . .
Germ cells occupy a central position in animal development, heredity, and evolution.
They are the first cell type to be allocated in the mammal embryo proper. They are first recognizable outside the portion of the embryo that will form the body. These primordial germ cells invade the developing body and migrate to the gonads, which at that stage are indistinguishable in males and females. The gonads differentiate into ovaries or testes. In parallel, the primordial germ cells become committed to give rise to oocytes or sperm.