Simple Summary: The sturgeon is among the most ancient of actinopterygian fishes. Most species of sturgeon are listed as critically endangered due to habitat alteration caused by damming of rivers, pollution and overharvesting. Germ cell transplant is a useful tool to save these endangered species. To expand germ cell populations and sustain the supply for long periods for transplant, we established basal culture conditions for sturgeon germ cells. Germ cell mitotic activity has been enhanced by eliminating gonad somatic cells, supplementing with growth factor and using an alternative to fetal bovine serum. The optimal condition identified was purified germ cells cultured in serum-free medium supplemented with leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) at 21 ℃. Cultured sterlet germ cells showed development after transplant into Russian sturgeon. The study provided useful information for sturgeon germ cell culture.

Xie, X.#, Li, P. #, P?eni?ka, M., Ye, H., Steinbach, C., Li, C., Wei, Q*. Optimization of in vitro culture conditions of sturgeon germ cells for purpose of surrogate production. Animals. 2019, 9 (3):106.