Table 1.

Experimental evidence for the gametogenesis-related hypothesis.

Core evidence	Details	Reference
Tumorigenicity of embryonic/germ cells	Preimplantation embryo, EC cells, ES cells, early PGCs, EGCs, iPS cells, Parthenogenetic oocytes	19, 24–58, 85, 86
Extensive expression of embryonic antigens, CT antigens and germ cell antigens in tumors	About 40 CT antigens, Embryonic/germ cell proteins: Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, SCYP1, SCYP3, DMC1, SSEA1, IFITM3, Stellar, CD117	10, 11, 67–74
Isolation of cancer stem cells with embryonic/germ cell markers	SSEA1, CD117	72, 74
Crucial role of embryonic/germ cell- related genes in tumor malignant traits	Oct4, Sox2, Nanog, DDX4, PRDM14, IFITM3, DAZL	70–75, 78–84, 100
Role of tumor suppressors/oncogenes in reprogramming and germ cell development.	P53, Rb, PTEN, C-MYc	1, 66, 85–90, 158–170
Existence of germ cell-like tumor cells in somatic tumor cells	From PGC-like cells to oocyte-like cells.	94–100
Existence of blastomere-like tumor cells in somatic tumor cells	preimplantation embryo-like cells at the different developmental stage	95–100, 119