Genome-wide analysis of chromatin state in extended pluripotent stem cells, primed pluripotent stem cells, and naïve pluripotent stem cells
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Among all known cultured stem cell types, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) sit atop the landscape of developmental potency and are characterized by their unrestricted developmental potential, able to generate all cell types of an adult organism. However, PSCs show limited contribution to the extraembryonic (ExEm) tissues, in particular, those giving rise to the placenta in vivo. To date, it remains unknown whether stem cells with both embryonic and extraembryonic developmental potency can be captured and maintained in vitro. Here, we identify a new chemical cocktail that allows for the generation of stem cells with extended developmental potency from mouse and human, designated as extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells, which is capable of chimerizing both embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. Importantly, a single mouse EPS (mEPS) cell shows widespread contribution to both embryonic and extraembryonic lineages in chimeric mouse conceptuses at late-gestation stages, and permits generation of high-grade germline competent chimeras as well as single EPS-derived viable mice by tetraploid complementation. Furthermore, human EPS (hEPS) cells contribute to embryonic and extraembryonic tissues in interspecies chimeric mouse conceptuses. Compared to known PSCs, EPS cells show unique gene modules that upregulate in embryonic cells from early preimplantation development. Further analysis shows that PARP1 inhibition is required for maintaining EPS potency. Our findings constitute a first step towards capturing pluripotent stem cells with extraembryonic developmental potentials in culture, and open new avenues for generating mammalian PSCs with robust chimeric competency for basic and translational research.
Project description:All mammals develop from embryonic founder cells with the ability to generate all of the differentiated cells that constitute the organism. Capture of stem cells with such developmental potential in vitro has been a major challenge in stem cell biology. Here, we show that a chemical cocktail enables the derivation of a new stem cell type from both mice and humans, designated as extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells. A single human or mouse EPS cell is able to contribute to both embryonic and extraembryonic lineages in inter- and intra-species chimeric mouse conceptuses respectively. Compared to known pluripotent stem cells, EPS cells show upregulation of gene modules marking embryonic cells from early preimplantation development. Further analysis shows that PARP1 inhibition is required for maintaining EPS potency. Our findings constitute a first step towards capturing authentic mammalian totipotency in vitro, and open new avenues for basic and translational research.
Project description:Extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells have shown great applicative potentials in generating synthetic embryos, directed differentiation and disease modeling. However, the lack of a xenofree culture condition has significantly limited their wide applications. We developed a chemically defined and xeno-free culture condition for culturing and deriving human EPS cells, which can be long-term stably propagated in vitro, as well as preserve their embryonic and extraembryonic developmental potentials.
Project description:Extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells have shown great applicative potentials in generating synthetic embryos, directed differentiation and disease modeling. However, the lack of a xenofree culture condition has significantly limited their wide applications. We developed a chemically defined and xeno-free culture condition for culturing and deriving human EPS cells, which can be long-term stably propagated in vitro, as well as preserve their embryonic and extraembryonic developmental potentials.
Project description:Extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells have shown great applicative potentials in generating synthetic embryos, directed differentiation and disease modeling. However, the lack of a xenofree culture condition has significantly limited their wide applications. We developed a chemically defined and xeno-free culture condition for culturing and deriving human EPS cells, which can be long-term stably propagated in vitro, as well as preserve their embryonic and extraembryonic developmental potentials.
Project description:Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) represent the earliest stages of organismal development, and have the potential to differentiate into cell types from all three primary germ layers. To date, however, chimeric competency of human EPS cells has not been determined in other animal hosts. Leveraging on a recently developed in vitro culture system that enabled the development of monkey embryos up to 20 days in vitro, in this study, we injected human PSCs (hPSCs) cells into cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) morula embryos and examined their contribution to different lineages at different timepoints during in vitro culture.
Project description:Stem cell models that replicate the gastrulation process in human embryos have been created, but they lack the essential extraembryonic cells needed for early embryonic development and patterning. Here, we introduce a robust and efficient method that prompts human extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells to self-organize into embryo-like structures, called peri-gastruloids, which encompass both embryonic (epiblast) and extraembryonic (hypoblast) tissues. These peri-gastruloids simulate critical stages of human peri-gastrulation development, such as forming amniotic and yolk sac cavities, developing bilaminar and trilaminar embryonic discs, specifying primordial germ cells, initiating gastrulation, and early neurulation. Single-cell RNA sequencing unveiled transcriptomic characteristics of these human peri-gastruloids, which closely resemble the primary peri-gastrulation cell types found in human and non-human primates. Our results emphasize the remarkable self-organizing ability of EPS cells to generate advanced human embryo-like structures. This peri-gastruloid platform allows for further exploration beyond gastrulation and may potentially aid in the development of human fetal tissues for use in regenerative medicine.
Project description:The pluripotency of mammalian early and late epiblast could be recapitulated by naïve embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and primed epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), respectively. However, these two states of pluripotency may not be sufficient to reflect the full complexity and developmental potency of the epiblast during mammalian early development. Here we report the establishment of self-renewing formative pluripotent stem cells (fPSCs) which manifest features of epiblast cells poised for gastrulation. fPSCs can be established from different mouse ESCs, pre-/early-gastrula epiblasts and induced PSCs. Similar to pre-/early-gastrula epiblasts, fPSCs show the transcriptomic features of formative pluripotency, which are distinct from naïve ESCs and primed EpiSCs. fPSCs show the unique epigenetic states of E6.5 epiblast, including the super-bivalency of a large set of developmental genes. Just like epiblast cells immediately before gastrulation, fPSCs can efficiently differentiate into three germ layers and primordial germ cells (PGCs) in vitro. Thus, fPSCs highlight the feasibility of using PSCs to explore the development of mammalian epiblast.
Project description:Since the establishment of the first embryonic stem cells (ESCs), in vitro culture of totipotent cells functionally and molecularly comparable to in vivo blastomeres with embryonic and extraembryonic developmental potency is unviable. Spliceosomes are responsible for mRNA splicing and maturation. Here, we report that spliceosomal repression in mouse ESCs drives pluripotent-to-totipotent state transition. Using the splicing inhibitor Pladienolide B, we realize in vitro culturing of totipotent ESCs comparable to 2- and 4-cell blastomeres at molecular levels for long-time passages, which are therefore termed as totipotent blastomere-like cells (TBLCs). Mouse chimeric assays combined with single-cell RNA-seq technology demonstrate that TBLCs own a robust bidirectional development capability to generate multiple embryonic and extraembryonic cell lineages. Mechanically, spliceosomal repression causes widespread splicing inhibition of pluripotent genes, whereas the totipotent genes featured with few short introns are efficiently spliced and transcriptionally activated. Our study provides a principle for capturing and maintenance of totipotent stem cells.
Project description:Embryonic (ES) and epiblast (EpiSC) stem cells are pluripotent but committed to an embryonic lineage fate. Conversely, trophoblast (TS) a nd extraembryonic endoderm (XEN) stem cells contribute predominantly to tissues of the placenta and yolk sac, respectively. Here we show that each of these four stem cell types is defined by a unique DNA methylation profile. Despite their distinct developmental origin, TS and XEN cells share key epigenomic hallmarks, chiefly characterized by robust DNA methylation of embryo-specific developmental regulators, as well as a subordinate role of 5-hydroxymethylation. We also observe a substantial methylation reinforcement of pre-existing epigenetic repressive marks that specifically occurs in extraembryonic stem cells compared to in vivo tissue, presumably due to continued high Dnmt3b expression levels. These differences establish a major epigenetic barrier between the embryonic and extraembryonic stem cell types. In addition, epigenetic lineage boundaries also separate the two extraembryonic stem cell types by mutual repression of key lineage-specific transcription factors. Thus, global DNA methylation patterns are a defining feature of each stem cell type that underpin lineage commitment and differentiative potency of early embryo-derived stem cells. Our detailed methylation profiles identify a cohort of developmentally regulated sequence elements, such as orphan CpG islands, that will be most valuable to uncover novel transcriptional regulators and pivotal M-^QM-^QgatekeeperM-^RM-^R genes in pluripotency and lineage differentiation.
Project description:Faithful embryogenesis requires the precise coordination between embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. Although embryonic and extraembryonic stem cells have been derived from several mammalian species including humans, they are cultured in different conditions, which makes it difficult to study their intercommunication. Here, by simultaneously activating FGF, TGF-β and WNT pathways, we derived stable pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), trophoblast stem cells (TSCs) and extraembryonic endoderm stem cells (XENs) from mouse blastocysts under the same condition (FTW). Co-culture of PSCs and XENs in the same environment uncovered, among other interactions, a previously unrecognized control of proliferation of epiblast cells by extraembryonic endoderm cells. FTW condition also supported de novo derivation of XENs from cynomolgus monkey and human blastocysts, and enabled setting up co-culture of human iPSCs and XENs. Crosspieces comparison revealed conserved and divergent processes and genes regulating XENs and ligand-receptor interactions between pluripotent and extraembryonic endoderm cells. Our study establishes a unique stem cell co-culture strategy to examine embryonic and extraembryonic lineage crosstalk during early mammalian development, and opens the door for developing more faithful in vitro models and differentiation protocols.