en Stem Cell Stem Cell Original Article Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><em>In vitro</em> derivation of germ cells from different stem cells sources has been challenging in the treatment of male infertility. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have an essential role in gene expression at post-transcriptional level. The aim of this research was to find more about miRNA-17 and miRNA-146 expression during differentiation of spermatogonial stem cell like cells (SSC like cells) from mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) through bone morphogenic protein 4 (BMP4) and retinoic acid (RA) induction. BMSCs were treated with BMP4 to produce primordial germ cell like cells (PGC like cells). The cells were differentiated into SSC like cells by an inducer cocktail including RA, leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF). The PGC like cells and SSC like cells were evaluated for pluripotency (<em>Nanog</em>, <em>Oct-4</em>) and germ cell specific gene (<em>Piwil2</em>, <em>Plzf</em>, <em>Dazl</em>, and <em>Stra8</em>) expression, protein expression (Plzf, Stra8), and miRNA-17 and miRNA-146 mRNA expression. Our results showed that BMP4 lead to <em>Dazl</em> up-regulation and <em>Nanog</em> down-regulation expression in PGC like cells. RA up-regulated <em>Stra8</em> and <em>Piwil2</em>, and down-regulated <em>Nanog</em> and <em>Oct-4</em>. MiRNA-17 and miRNA-146 expression decreased significantly in SSC like cells after RA treatment. This research indicated the aberrant miRNA-17 and miRNA-146 expression in SSC like cells in comparison with SSCs. Down-regulation of the two miRNAs by using RA in the stimulated undifferentiated state could be probably one of the key factors of SSC like cells arrest.</div> Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, spermatogonial stem like cells, differentiation, miRNA-17, miRNA-146 14 23 http://ijmcmed.org/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1809-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Saba Behzadi Fard sababehzadi8@gmail.com 100319475328460015983 100319475328460015983 No Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Zohreh Mazaheri mazaherizoh@gmail.com 100319475328460015984 100319475328460015984 Yes Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Nasim Ghorbanmehr nasim.ghorbanmehr@gmail.com 100319475328460015985 100319475328460015985 No Biotechnology Department, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran. Mansoureh Movahedin movahed.m@modares.ac.ir 100319475328460015986 100319475328460015986 No Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. Mahin Behzadi Fard mahinbehzadi2020@gmail.com 100319475328460015987 100319475328460015987 No Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran. Mohammad Ali Gholampour gholampour.m@modares.ac.ir 100319475328460015988 100319475328460015988 No Hematology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.