High-throughput discovery of germ-cell-specific genes.

As a specialized cell population that plays the unique role of transmitting genetic information to subsequent generations, germ cells have been intensively studied to unravel their unique physiology from the specification of primordial germ cells to the fateful reunion of gametes during fertilization. For their differential expression, germ-cell-specific genes are the keys to understanding these unique features. In the last decade, the emerging methodologies designed for large-scale and high-throughput analysis have created an ever-increasing amount of data. Among these methodologies, expressed sequence tag libraries, serial analysis of gene expression, and microarrays provide valuable expression data that can be further analyzed. Using the mouse as a model system, we describe a strategy starting from the quick identification of germ-cell-specific genes using public domain expression data to the functional characterization of the identified genes using targeted gene disruption. This strategy should accelerate the process to fill in the missing pieces of the germ cell physiology puzzle and the construction of genetic networks to help us to understand the etiology of infertility. Furthermore, these identified germ-cell-specific genes may lead to the development of new contraceptives targeted specifically to germ cells.