Project description:Pluripotent stem cells provide a platform to interrogate control elements that function to generate all cell types of the body. Despite their utility for modeling development and disease, the relationship of mouse and human pluripotent stem cell states to one another remains largely undefined. We have shown that mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are distinct, pluripotent states isolated from pre- and post-implantation embryos respectively. Human ES cells are different than mouse ES cells and share defining features with EpiSCs, yet are derived from pre-implantation human embryos. Here we show that EpiSCs can be routinely derived from pre-implantation mouse embryos. The pre-implantation-derived EpiSCs exhibit molecular features and functional properties consistent with bona fide EpiSCs. These results provide a simple method for isolating EpiSCs and offer direct insight into the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that regulate the acquisition of distinct pluripotent states.
Project description:Pluripotent stem cells provide a platform to interrogate control elements that function to generate all cell types of the body. Despite their utility for modeling development and disease, the relationship of mouse and human pluripotent stem cell states to one another remains largely undefined. We have shown that mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are distinct, pluripotent states isolated from pre- and post-implantation embryos respectively. Human ES cells are different than mouse ES cells and share defining features with EpiSCs, yet are derived from pre-implantation human embryos. Here we show that EpiSCs can be routinely derived from pre-implantation mouse embryos. The pre-implantation-derived EpiSCs exhibit molecular features and functional properties consistent with bona fide EpiSCs. These results provide a simple method for isolating EpiSCs and offer direct insight into the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms that regulate the acquisition of distinct pluripotent states. 6 total samples were analyzed. Three pluripotent cell types (mES cells, E3.5 EpiSCs, and E5.5 EpiSCs) were compared with and without treatment of SB431542 for 4 days.
Project description:Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) typically exhibit "primed" pluripotency, analogous to stem cells derived from the mouse post-implantation epiblast. This has led to a search for growth conditions that support self-renewal of hESCs akin to hypomethylated naïve epiblast cells in human pre-implantation embryos. We have discovered that reverting primed hESCs to a hypomethylated naïve state or deriving a new hESC line under naïve conditions results in the establishment of Stage Specific Embryonic Antigen 4 (SSEA4) negative hESC lines with a transcriptional program resembling the human pre-implantation epiblast. In contrast, we discovered that the methylome of naïve hESCs in vitro is distinct from the human epiblast in vivo with loss of DNA methylation at primary imprints and a lost "memory" of the methylation state of the human oocyte. This failure to recover the naïve epiblast methylation landscape appears to be a consistent feature of self-renewing hypomethylated naïve hESCs in vitro.
Project description:The TET dioxygenases erase mediate DNA dedemethylation in pre-implantation embryos and in primordial germ cells, yet limited studies address their contribution to the global gain of DNA methylation following implantation. Here, we show that Tet1 is expressed and non-redundantly contributes to 5-hydroxymethylctyosine (5hmC) non-redundantly in the pre-gastrulation mouse epiblast. Ablation of Tet1 in primed epiblast cells results in widespread loss of 5hmC associated with gain of 5-methylcytosine at CpG islands and promoters. Moreover, Tet1 is expressed, albeit at lower levels, in the extra-embryonic ectoderm. Tet1-deficiency in the pre-streak mouse embryos causes dysregulation of early lineage regulators in the epiblast and increased expression of metabolic genes in the extra-embryonic ectoderm. Our studies reveal a distinct role of Tet1 in regulating the methylome landscape of the post-implantation mammalian epiblast and a hitherto unknown gene repressive effect in the extra-embryonic lineage, providing insights into the early developmental origins of epigenetic-based basis of imprinting and developmental disorders.
Project description:Expression profiling of stem cell lines derived from the early embryo representing the trophoblast, primitive endoderm, early epiblast (inner cell mass E3.5) and late post-implantation epiblast (E5.5). Cells were grown without feeders and harvested. Comparisons were made to provide evidence of unique gene expression between the cell lines. Specifically, pre-implantation (ICM, epiblast and primitive endoderm, and trophoblast), as well as pre-implantation and post-implantation epiblasts.
Project description:Functional-assay limitations are an emerging issue in characterizing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). With rodent PSCs, chimera formation, using pre-implantation embryos, is the gold-standard assay of pluripotency. In hPSCs, this can only be monitored via teratoma formation or in vitro differentiation, as ethical concerns preclude generation of human-animal chimera. To circumvent this issue, we established a functional assay utilizing interspecific blastocyst injection and in vitro culture (interspecies in vitro chimera assay). The assay uses mouse pre-implantation embryos and human PSCs to make interspecies chimeras cultured in vitro to the early egg cylinder stage. When hiPSCs, both conventional and naive type, which called M-bM-^@M-^\reset cellM-bM-^@M-^], were injected into mouse embryos and cultured. The cells were never integrated into the epiblast of egg cylinder stage-embryo. These results suggest that hPSCs, including naM-CM-/ve type, are unable to form chimera with mouse embryo. Reset cells were converted from conventional human iPSC line PB004, and then compared their gene expression profile with or without transgene overexpression induced by doxycyclin treatment.
Project description:Functional-assay limitations are an emerging issue in characterizing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). With rodent PSCs, chimera formation, using pre-implantation embryos, is the gold-standard assay of pluripotency. In hPSCs, this can only be monitored via teratoma formation or in vitro differentiation, as ethical concerns preclude generation of human-animal chimera. To circumvent this issue, we established a functional assay utilizing interspecific blastocyst injection and in vitro culture (interspecies in vitro chimera assay). The assay uses mouse pre-implantation embryos and human PSCs to make interspecies chimeras cultured in vitro to the early egg cylinder stage. When hiPSCs, both conventional and naive type, which called “reset cell”, were injected into mouse embryos and cultured. The cells were never integrated into the epiblast of egg cylinder stage-embryo. These results suggest that hPSCs, including naïve type, are unable to form chimera with mouse embryo.