Project description:We analyzed scRNA-seq data in human pluripotent stem cells derived peri-gastrulation trilaminar embryonic disc (PTED) human embryo models with trilaminar embryonic disc-, amnion- and yolk sac-like structures.
Project description:Transcriptome at the single-cell level of a human embryoid model, which recapitulates aspects of lineage diversification and three-dimensional tissue architecture of the human embryo from the implantation to the onset of gastrulation, was profiled at different time points. Similarly, chimpanzee embryoids were generated and profiled to reveal transcriptome dynamics during the early post-implantation chimpanzee development. Our comparative transcriptome analyses reveal a critical role of NODAL signaling in human mesoderm specification, which is functionally validated by generating embryoids with NODAL-knockout (KO) hPSCs.
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:Our understanding of human early development is severely hampered by limited access to embryonic tissues. Due to their close evolutionary relationship with humans, non-human primates (NHPs) are often used as surrogates to understand human development but currently suffer from a lack of in vivo datasets, especially from gastrulation to early organogenesis during which the major embryonic cell types are dynamically specified. To fill this gap, we have collected six Carnegie stage (CS) 8-CS11 cynomolgus monkey embryos and performed in-depth transcriptome analyses of 56,636 single cells. Our analyses reveal transcriptomic features of major peri-gastrulation cell types, which help shed light on morphogenetic events including primitive streak (PS) development, somitogenesis, gut tube formation, neural tube patterning, and neural crest regionalization in primates. In addition, comparative analyses with mouse embryos and human embryoids uncover conserved and divergent features of peri-gastrulation development across species, e.g. species-specific dependency on Hippo signaling during presomitic mesoderm differentiation, and provide an initial assessment of relevant stem cell models of human early organogenesis. This comprehensive single-cell transcriptome atlas not only fills the knowledge gap in the NHP research field but also serves as an invaluable resource for understanding human embryogenesis and developmental disorders.
Project description:Single-cell RNA sequencing data of stem cell-derived microfluidic human embryoids, NODAL-KO human embryoids and chimpanzee embryoids
Project description:Generating properly organized and differentiated embryonic structures in vitro from aggregates of pluripotent cells remains a major challenge to overcome. In the living embryo, the interplay between morphogens and their antagonists set up gradients of activity that instruct cells about their fate, leading to patterning and morphogenesis. Here we show that experimentally engineering a morphogen signaling center within an aggregate of mouse pluripotent stem cells is sufficient to mimic in vitro the function of an embryo organizer and to trigger embryonic development. The resulting embryoids are extensively patterned along their anterior-posterior and dorsal-ventral axes, with formation of three germ layers through a process of gastrulation and differentiation of germ layer derivatives similar to those of a neurula-stage mouse embryo.
Project description:Here, we report a bioengineering-inspired approach to simultaneously coax mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into hundreds of uniform epiblast-like (EPI) aggregates in a solid matrix-free manner. When co-cultured with mouse trophoblast stem cell (TSC) aggregates, the resulting hybrid structures initiate gastrulation-like events and undergo axial morphogenesis to yield structures, termed EpiTS embryoids, with a pronounced anterior development, including brain-like regions.
Project description:Here, we report a bioengineering-inspired approach to simultaneously coax mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into hundreds of uniform epiblast-like (EPI) aggregates in a solid matrix-free manner. When co-cultured with mouse trophoblast stem cell (TSC) aggregates, the resulting hybrid structures initiate gastrulation-like events and undergo axial morphogenesis to yield structures, termed EpiTS embryoids, with a pronounced anterior development, including brain-like regions.
Project description:The murine embryonic–trophoblast–extra-embryonic endoderm (ETX) model is an integrated stem cell–based model to study early postimplantation development. It is based on the self-assembly potential of embryonic, trophoblast, and hypoblast/primitive/visceral endoderm-type stem cell lines (ESC, TSC, and XEN, respectively) to arrange into postimplantation egg cylinder–like embryoids. Here, we provide an optimized method for reliable and efficient generation of ETX embryoids that develop into late gastrulation in static culture conditions. It is based on transgenic Gata6-overproducing ESCs and modified assembly and culture conditions. Using this method, up to 43% of assembled ETX embryoids exhibited a correct spatial distribution of the three stem cell derivatives at day 4 of culture. Of those, 40% progressed into ETX embryoids that both transcriptionally and morphologically faithfully mimicked in vivo postimplantation mouse development between E5.5 and E7.5. The ETX model system offers the opportunity to study the murine postimplantation egg cylinder stages and could serve as a source of various cell lineage precursors.