Stem-cell-based regenerative therapies in patients, e.g., for a failing heart or Parkinson's disease, are within reach. However, studies in appropriate animal models are required to make the final step to the clinic. In this context, the baboon may represent a valuable animal model for specific purposes. Here, we generated five so-called induced pluripotent stem cell lines from the baboon, which may be useful for preclinical testing of the respective therapeutic approaches.

In some patients with blood cell cancer, the protein c-CBL was found to be mutated. c-CBL has also been shown to be expressed by human testicular stem cells, which produce the spermatozoa. Based on these finding, we asked whether c-CBL may be a protein generally involved in the functioning of stem cells. While we could not detect c-CBL in stem cells of the gut, strong expression was found in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) of the marmoset monkey, suggesting a role of c-CBL in primate PSCs.

We propose for this special issue an exhaustive review of past and most recent advances on the topic of cell replacement in Parkinson’s disease, describing the different procedures using transplantation of various cell sources as a therapeutic approach and linked therapeutic behavioral and/or functional outcomes. We conclude by opening perspectives on future promising developments for the use of cell-replacement therapy in research and its translation to the clinic.

This review provides an introduction to the in vivo and in vitro germline stem cell terminology and physiology in non-human male primates. Primordial germ cell specification, migration and expansion are compared among species, and the usefulness of pluripotency markers is discussed taking immunohistochemical and molecular evidence during postnatal developmental stages into consideration. The concept of germline plasticity is critically reviewed and might present a primate-specific feature.