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Cells
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Advances in Reproductive Biology: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms
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Advances in Reproductive Biology: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Reproductive Cells and Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 1978

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rosa Roy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Biology Department, Universidad Autonoma of Madrid, C/Darwin nº 2, 28049 Madrid, Spain
Interests: NHEJ; DBS; sperm; fertility; polymorphism; SNP; oxidative stress
Dr. Clara González-Marín

E-Mail
Guest Editor
Research and Development, STGenetics, Navasota, TX, USA
Interests: sperm; fertility; sex-sorting; flow cytometry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Reproductive biology is undergoing a rapid transformation, with major advancements being made in the cellular and molecular mechanisms that govern fertility, development, and reproductive health. Recent research has unveiled critical insights into gametogenesis, fertilization, embryo implantation, and early embryonic development. Cutting-edge technologies, including single-cell sequencing, CRISPR-based genome editing, and organoid models, are reshaping our understanding of reproductive processes at an unprecedented level. Additionally, the molecular pathways regulating hormonal signaling, epigenetic modifications, and cellular interactions are revealing novel therapeutic targets for infertility and reproductive disorders. This Special Issue will bring together innovative research that explores these fundamental biological processes, bridging basic science and clinical applications in reproductive medicine.

Dr. Rosa Roy
Dr. Clara González-Marín
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gametogenesis
  • fertilization
  • embryo implantation
  • reproductive genetics
  • epigenetics in reproduction
  • hormonal signaling
  • stem cells and reproduction
  • assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs)
  • molecular fertility regulation
  • reproductive health innovations

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4780 KB  
Article
The Generation of a Testicular Peritubular Cell Line from Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
by Xueni You, Yuren Wang, Yuliang Liu, Rong Hou, Yi Zheng and Junhui An
Cells 2025, 14(18), 1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14181426 - 11 Sep 2025
Viewed by 618
Abstract
Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), a flagship endangered species under priority preservation in China, remain poorly understood in terms of their testicular physiology and the mechanisms underlying spermatogenesis. Testicular peritubular cells (TPTCs), a crucial somatic cell type surrounding seminiferous tubules, secrete growth [...] Read more.
Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca), a flagship endangered species under priority preservation in China, remain poorly understood in terms of their testicular physiology and the mechanisms underlying spermatogenesis. Testicular peritubular cells (TPTCs), a crucial somatic cell type surrounding seminiferous tubules, secrete growth factors such as GDNF and CSF1 and release inflammatory factors such as IL-6 and IL-1β, contributing to the testicular niche and immune homeostasis. The contraction of TPTCs also facilitates the transport of sperm towards the epididymis. Nonetheless, TPTCs tend to undergo replicative senescence in vitro, which is a hinderance to their in-depth study. Here, we generated an immortalized monoclonal cell line with TPTC identities from giant pandas via lentiviral transduction of SV40 large T antigen into the cells and the subsequent clonal isolation through limiting dilution. The generated cell line, designated PD-TPTCs, demonstrated unlimited proliferative capacity and has been cultured for over five months and passaged more than 50 times to date. Characterization of PD-TPTCs revealed stable expression of key TPTC markers including ACTA2, MYH11, CNN1, and AR. Moreover, PD-TPTCs could respond to ATP and forskolin (FSK) stimulation with a pro-inflammatory gene expression profile and increased steroidogenic activity, respectively, and they were also amenable to lipofection. As such, the generated PD-TPTC line represents a promising cellular model for future mechanistic studies on the testicular niche, spermatogenesis, and reproductive disorders in giant pandas, laying the foundation for the development of novel assisted reproductive technology (ART) in this endangered species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Reproductive Biology: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms)
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13 pages, 2310 KB  
Article
Protein Kinase A Regulates the Cell Cycle to Affect the Induction Rate in the Parthenogenetic Reproduction of the Silkworm, Bombyx mori
by Fang Xu, Wei Yu, Chenkai Ma, Chengjie Hu, Chunguang Cui, Xin Du, Jine Chen, Linbao Zhu, Shaofang Yu, Xingjian He, Yongqiang Wang and Xia Xu
Cells 2025, 14(11), 793; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14110793 - 28 May 2025
Viewed by 556
Abstract
Protein kinase A (PKA), commonly referred to as cAMP-dependent protein kinase, exists as a heterotetramer composed of two catalytic (C) and regulatory subunits (R). This versatile kinase exhibits regulatory functions in various biological processes including growth, division, and differentiation. Although PKA is well [...] Read more.
Protein kinase A (PKA), commonly referred to as cAMP-dependent protein kinase, exists as a heterotetramer composed of two catalytic (C) and regulatory subunits (R). This versatile kinase exhibits regulatory functions in various biological processes including growth, division, and differentiation. Although PKA is well established as a master regulator of oocyte maturation across species, its functional role in insect parthenogenesis has remained enigmatic. Here, we systematically investigated the regulatory effect of PKA in the induction of parthenogenesis in model lepidopteran Bombyx mori. Our findings demonstrated an inverse correlation between PKA activity and parthenogenetic induction efficiency in silkworms. Notably, PKA activation resulted in delayed embryonic development, whereas PKA-C1 knockdown disrupted normal cell cycle progression. These results indicated that maintaining appropriate PKA activity is essential for ensuring proper cell division process, especially in the successful induction of silkworm parthenogenesis. The evolutionary conservation of PKA across species, coupled with its critical regulatory role in parthenogenesis, positions this kinase as a promising molecular target for breeding design. Our findings establish a foundation for developing silkworm strains with enhanced parthenogenetic capacity through PKA modulation, thereby facilitating the preservation of elite production traits. These results provide novel mechanistic insights into parthenogenesis while demonstrating the potential application of PKA regulation in both genetic studies and breeding programs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Reproductive Biology: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms)
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Review

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24 pages, 456 KB  
Review
Noninvasive Preimplantation Genetic Testing in Recurrent Pregnancy Loss and Implantation Failure: Breakthrough or Overpromise?
by Grzegorz Mrugacz, Aleksandra Mospinek, Joanna Głowacka, Oskar Sprawski, Lidia Kawałek, Wiktoria Gąsior, Julita Machałowska, Yekaterina Sidorova, Patrycja Borecka, Aleksandra Bojanowska and Weronika Szczepańska
Cells 2025, 14(20), 1591; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14201591 - 14 Oct 2025
Viewed by 290
Abstract
Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF) are significant challenges in reproductive medicine. For both, embryonic aneuploidy is the leading etiological factor. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) via trophectoderm biopsy is the current standard for embryo selection. However, [...] Read more.
Background: Recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) and recurrent implantation failure (RIF) are significant challenges in reproductive medicine. For both, embryonic aneuploidy is the leading etiological factor. Preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) via trophectoderm biopsy is the current standard for embryo selection. However, it is limited by its invasiveness, potential for embryo damage, and diagnostic errors due to mosaicism. Rationale/Objectives: This review critically evaluates the emerging role of noninvasive PGT (niPGT). NiPGT analyzes cell-free DNA from spent blastocyst culture media, thus, it is a potential alternative for managing RPL and RIF. Hence, the primary objective is to determine whether current evidence supports niPGT as a reliable replacement for conventional biopsy-based PGT-A in these high-risk populations. Outcomes: The analysis reveals that niPGT offers significant theoretical advantages. These include complete non-invasiveness, enhanced embryo preservation, and high patient acceptability. However, its clinical application is hampered by substantial limitations. Key amongst them is the inconsistent and often suboptimal diagnostic accuracy (sensitivity 70–85%, specificity 88–92%) compared to biopsy. Other significant factors include the high rates of amplification failure (10–50%), vulnerability to maternal DNA contamination, as well as low DNA yield. Crucially, there is a definitive lack of robust, prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) data demonstrating improved live birth rates or reduced miscarriage rates specifically in RPL and RIF cohorts. As such, niPGT is not yet ready to be a standalone clinical adoption in RPL and RIF cases. However, it may serve as a valuable adjunct for rescue scenarios following biopsy failure or for ethical reasons. Wider Implications: The integration of niPGT with artificial intelligence, time-lapse imaging, and multi-omics profiling underlies a promising future. However, its transition from a predominantly research tool to a clinical standard necessitates various critical undertakings. These include rigorous multicenter RCTs, standardizing international protocol, and tailoring validation for the RPL and RIF subgroups. This review highlights the need for cautious optimism, positing that evidence-based integration, rather than premature adoption, is essential to realizing niPGT’s full potential without compromising patient care in these complex fertility scenarios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Reproductive Biology: Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms)
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