Elucidating the impact of parental age on embryonic germline development
Fertility, health, and the propagation of species depend upon proper development and protection of germline sperm and oocytes. Dr. Barton’s team strives to uncover factors that support and compromise germline development using fruit fly and mouse animal models. Here, Dr. Barton’s team is asking how increased parental age impacts the development of sperm and oocyte precursors called primordial germ cells, which have the potential to give rise to grandchildren. They will also define the parental age at which parental and offspring germline first exhibit signs of cellular aging. The results from this work may lead to better screening for subfertility risk, as well as germ cell-based tumors, and provide a new dimension in the study of reproductive aging.
