Embryonic stem (ES) cells and embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells: opposite sides of the same coin

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 1526-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.W. Andrews ◽  
M.M. Matin ◽  
A.R. Bahrami ◽  
I. Damjanov ◽  
P. Gokhale ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonal Carcinoma ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Tumour Progression ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Ec Cells

Embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells are the stem cells of teratocarcinomas, and the malignant counterparts of embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from the inner cell mass of blastocyst-stage embryos, whether human or mouse. On prolonged culture in vitro, human ES cells acquire karyotypic changes that are also seen in human EC cells. They also ‘adapt’, proliferating faster and becoming easier to maintain with time in culture. Furthermore, when cells from such an ‘adapted’ culture were inoculated into a SCID (severe combined immunodeficient) mouse, we obtained a teratocarcinoma containing histologically recognizable stem cells, which grew out when the tumour was explanted into culture and exhibited properties of the starting ES cells. In these features, the ‘adapted’ ES cells resembled malignant EC cells. The results suggest that ES cells may develop in culture in ways that mimic changes occurring in EC cells during tumour progression.

The responsiveness of embryonic stem cells to alpha and beta interferons provides the basis of an inducible expression system for analysis of developmental control genes

1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 7971-7976
Author(s):  
L M Whyatt ◽  
A Düwel ◽  
A G Smith ◽  
P D Rathjen
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Expression System ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Expression Vectors ◽  
Developmental Control ◽  
Developmental Potential

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, derived from the inner cell mass of the preimplantation mouse embryo, are used increasingly as an experimental tool for the investigation of early mammalian development. The differentiation of these cells in vitro can be used as an assay for factors that regulate early developmental decisions in the embryo, while the effects of altered gene expression during early embryogenesis can be analyzed in chimeric mice generated from modified ES cells. The experimental versatility of ES cells would be significantly increased by the development of systems which allow precise control of heterologous gene expression. In this paper, we report that ES cells are responsive to alpha and beta interferons (IFNs). This property has been exploited for the development of inducible ES cell expression vectors, using the promoter of the human IFN-inducible gene, 6-16. The properties of these vectors have been analyzed in both transiently and stably transfected ES cells. Expression was minimal or absent in unstimulated ES cells, could be stimulated up to 100-fold by treatment of the cells with IFN, and increased in linear fashion with increasing levels of IFN. High levels of induced expression were maintained for extended periods of time in the continuous presence of the inducing signal or following a 12-h pulse with IFN. Treatment of ES cells with IFN did not affect their growth or differentiation in vitro or compromise their developmental potential. This combination of features makes the 6-16-based expression vectors suitable for the functional analysis of developmental control control genes in ES cells.

2. Embryonic stem cells

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-37
Author(s):  
Jonathan Slack
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Human Embryos ◽  
Mouse Es Cells ◽  
Stage Embryo

‘Embryonic stem cells’ focuses on embryonic stem (ES) cells, which are grown in tissue culture from the inner cell mass of a mammalian blastocyst-stage embryo. Human ES cells offer a potential route to making the kinds of cells needed for cell therapy. ES cells were originally prepared from mouse embryos. Although somewhat different, cells grown from inner cell masses of human embryos share many properties with mouse ES cells, such as being able to grow without limit and to generate differentiated cell types. Mouse ES cells have so far been of greater practical importance than those of humans because they have enabled a substantial research industry based on the creation of genetically modified mice.

Derivation of human embryonic stem cell lines after blastocyst microsurgery

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoliang Meng ◽  
Shiying Liu ◽  
Xiangyun Li ◽  
Roman Krawetz ◽  
Derrick E. Rancourt
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Clinical Medicine ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Hesc Lines

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. Because of their ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provide an unlimited source of cells for clinical medicine and have begun to be used in clinical trials. Presently, although several hundred hESC lines are available in the word, only few have been widely used in basic and applied research. More and more hESC lines with differing genetic backgrounds are required for establishing a bank of hESCs. Here, we report the first Canadian hESC lines to be generated from cryopreserved embryos and we discuss how we navigated through the Canadian regulatory process. The cryopreserved human zygotes used in this study were cultured to the blastocyst stage, and used to isolate ICM via microsurgery. Unlike previous microsurgery methods, which use specialized glass or steel needles, our method conveniently uses syringe needles for the isolation of ICM and subsequent hESC lines. ICM were cultured on MEF feeders in medium containing FBS or serum replacer (SR). Resulting outgrowths were isolated, cut into several cell clumps, and transferred onto fresh feeders. After more than 30 passages, the two hESC lines established using this method exhibited normal morphology, karyotype, and growth rate. Moreover, they stained positively for a variety of pluripotency markers and could be differentiated both in vitro and in vivo. Both cell lines could be maintained under a variety of culture conditions, including xeno-free conditions we have previously described. We suggest that this microsurgical approach may be conducive to deriving xeno-free hESC lines when outgrown on xeno-free human foreskin fibroblast feeders.

183 DEVELOPMENT OF PORCINE EMBRYOS MICROINJECTED WITH PORCINE EMBRYONIC GERM CELLS

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 199
Author(s):  
C.-H. Park ◽  
S.-G. Lee ◽  
D.-H. Choi ◽  
M.-G. Kim ◽  
C. K. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Germ Cells ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Green Fluorescent Protein Gene ◽  
Cleavage Stage ◽  
Allocation Pattern

Embryonic germ (EG) cells, derived from primordial germ cells in the developing fetus, are similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells in terms of expression pattern of undifferentiated markers and their ability to colonize both the somatic and the germ cell lines following injection into a host blastocyst, which has been proven in mouse. Several studies using porcine EG cells have shown that it is possible to produce somatic chimeras after blastocyst injection. However, not only was the degree of reported chimerism low, but also there has been no report about the fate of injected EG cells in porcine blastocysts. This study was designed to observe the distribution pattern of porcine EG cells in chimeric blastocyst after injection into cleavage-stage porcine embryos. To ascertain development of microinjected porcine embryos with EG cells, 10 to 15 EG cells were injected into cleavage stage of in vitro fertilized embryos and cultured up to blastocyst. Also, porcine EG cells were labeled with DiO (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA) on the cell membrane or transfected with green fluorescent protein gene to observe whether the EG cells injected in the host embryo would incorporate into the inner cell mass (ICM) or trophectoderm (TE). Chimeric embryos were produced and allowed to develop into blastocysts to investigate the injected EG cells would come to lie in ICM and/or TE of the blastocyst, by scoring their position. In result, developmental rate was similar in all treatments. In all treatments, EG cells were mainly allocated in both ICM and TE of the chimeric blastocysts. These results suggest that examining the allocation pattern of injected EG cells, maintained pluripotency in vitro, could provide clues of differentiation process in vivo. Furthermore, to enhance the allocation of EG cells into the embryonic lineage, it would be required to optimize the culture condition for EG cells as well as embryos. Further experiment are needed to determine whether the injected EG cells could maintain their properties throughout the environment in the embryonic development in vitro. Table 1. Distribution of the porcine EG cells microinjected into cleavage-stage embryos

396 Oct-4 EXPRESSION IN CAT INNER CELL MASS-DERIVED CELLS CULTURED IN MEDIUM WITH DIFFERENT PROTEIN SOURCES

2010 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 354
Author(s):  
T. S. Rascado ◽  
J. F. Lima-Neto ◽  
S. E. R. S. Lorena ◽  
B. W. Minto ◽  
F. C. Landim-Alvarenga
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cell ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Culture Media ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Santa Cruz

The domestic cat can be used as a biological model for humans because of similarities in some disease and genetically transmitted conditions. Embryonic stem cells might complete nuclear reprogramming more efficiently than somatic cells and, therefore, are potentially useful for increasing interspecific cloning success. The objective of this study was to establish an effective culture system for inner cell mass (ICM)-derived cells in the domestic cat, testing the ability of the ICM to attach to the culture dish and to form embryonic stem cell colonies in the presence of fetal calf serum (FCS) and Knockout serum (KS). Moreover, knowing that the transcription factor Oct-4 is important for the maintenance of pluripotency in human and murine embryonic stem cells, the expression of this factor was evaluated in in vitro-produced blastocyst and in the attached ICM. Domestic cat oocytes were matured, fertilized, and cultured in vitro until the blastocyst stage. The ICM was mechanically isolated (n = 60) using a scalpel blade and transferred to a monolayer of chemically inactivated cat fibroblasts with 10 μg mL-1 mitomicin C. The base culture media (BM) was DMEM/F12 supplemented with nonessential amino acids, glutamine, leukemia inhibitory factor, fibroblast growth factor-2, 2-mercaptoethanol, and antibiotics. Three groups were tested: G1 = BM with 20% FCS (20); G2 = BM with 20% KS (20); G3 = BM with 15% FSC and 5% KS (20). Culture was performed in a 5% CO2 in air incubator at 38.5°C. No statistical difference was observed among groups in relation to ICM attachment (chi-square, P > 0.05). Ninety percent of the ICM presented good adhesion after 3 days of culture and started to grow in all media tested. However, until now, no good colonies were formed. Fifteen blastocysts and 10 attached ICM were fixed in 3% paraformaldehyde and permeabilized in 0.2% triton X-100 in PBS. Subsequently, to block nonspecific binding of the primary antibody, the preadsorption for 2 h at room temperature with OCT4 blocking peptide (sc-8628P, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Santa Cruz, CA, USA) was used. Samples were incubated with Oct4 antibody (N-19 : sc 8628, Santa Cruz Biotechnology) and with the appropriate secondary antibody (A21431, Invitrogen) and examined by fluorescence microscopy. Oct4 protein was detected both in the ICM and trophoderm cells, and it was distributed in cytoplasm and nuclei. These embryos were also stained with Hoechst 33342. Although further standardization of the culture media is needed, it seems that the KS can be replaced by FCS in cat embryonic stem cell culture. Furthermore, the immunostain of the trophoderm with Oct-4 indicates a difference in the expression of this factor when compared with its expression on human and murine blastocysts. This could be related to in vitro production, or Oct 4 is not a good pluripotency marker for cat embryos and cat embryonic stem cell, consequently. This fact has been noted in goat, bovine, and porcine embryos. Acknowledgment is given to FAPESP.

scholarly journals Physical confinement signals regulate the organization of stem cells in three dimensions

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (123) ◽  
pp. 20160613 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebastian V. Hadjiantoniou ◽  
David Sean ◽  
Maxime Ignacio ◽  
Michel Godin ◽  
Gary W. Slater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Interactions ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Cell Substrate ◽  
Cell Cell

During embryogenesis, the spherical inner cell mass (ICM) proliferates in the confined environment of a blastocyst. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the ICM, and mimicking embryogenesis in vitro , mouse ESCs (mESCs) are often cultured in hanging droplets. This promotes the formation of a spheroid as the cells sediment and aggregate owing to increased physical confinement and cell–cell interactions. In contrast, mESCs form two-dimensional monolayers on flat substrates and it remains unclear if the difference in organization is owing to a lack of physical confinement or increased cell–substrate versus cell–cell interactions. Employing microfabricated substrates, we demonstrate that a single geometric degree of physical confinement on a surface can also initiate spherogenesis. Experiment and computation reveal that a balance between cell–cell and cell–substrate interactions finely controls the morphology and organization of mESC aggregates. Physical confinement is thus an important regulatory cue in the three-dimensional organization and morphogenesis of developing cells.

scholarly journals MCRS1 is essential for epiblast development during early mouse embryogenesis

Reproduction ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 159 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Cui ◽  
Agnes Cheong ◽  
Yongsheng Wang ◽  
Yuran Tsuchida ◽  
Yong Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Number ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Histone H4 ◽  
Histone H4 Acetylation ◽  
Early Mouse

Microspherule protein 1 (MCRS1, also known as MSP58) is an evolutionarily conserved protein that has been implicated in various biological processes. Although a variety of functions have been attributed to MCRS1 in vitro, mammalian MCRS1 has not been studied in vivo. Here we report that MCRS1 is essential during early murine development. Mcrs1 mutant embryos exhibit normal morphology at the blastocyst stage but cannot be recovered at gastrulation, suggesting an implantation failure. Outgrowth (OG) assays reveal that mutant blastocysts do not form a typical inner cell mass (ICM) colony, the source of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Surprisingly, cell death and histone H4 acetylation analysis reveal that apoptosis and global H4 acetylation are normal in mutant blastocysts. However, analysis of lineage specification reveals that while the trophoblast and primitive endoderm are properly specified, the epiblast lineage is compromised and exhibits a severe reduction in cell number. In summary, our study demonstrates the indispensable role of MCRS1 in epiblast development during early mammalian embryogenesis.

145. TRP53 REGULATES THE FORMATION OF A PLURIPOTENT INNER CELL MASS IN THE EARLY EMBRYO

2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
L. Ganeshan ◽  
C. O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Early Embryo ◽  
Pluripotent Cells ◽  
Drug Induced ◽  
Developmental Potential

The developmental viability of the early embryo requires the formation of the inner cell mass (ICM) at the blastocyst stage. The ICM contributes to all cell lineages within the developing embryo in vivo and the embryonic stem cell (ESC) lineage in vitro. Commitment of cells to the ICM lineage and its pluripotency requires the expression of core transcription factors, including Nanog and Pou5f1 (Oct4). Embryos subjected to culture in vitro commonly display a reduced developmental potential. Much of this loss of viability is due to the up-regulation of TRP53 in affected embryos. This study investigated whether increased TRP53 disrupts the expression of the pluripotency proteins and the normal formation of the ICM lineage. Mouse C57BL6 morulae and blastocysts cultured from zygotes (modHTF media) possessed fewer (p < 0.001) NANOG-positive cells than equivalent stage embryos collected fresh from the uterus. Blocking TRP53 actions by either genetic deletion (Trp53–/–) or pharmacological inhibition (Pifithrin-α) reversed this loss of NANOG expression during culture. Zygote culture also resulted in a TRP53-dependent loss of POU5F1-positive cells from resulting blastocysts. Drug-induced expression of TRP53 (by Nutlin-3) also caused a reduction in formation of pluripotent ICM. The loss of NANOG- and POU5F1-positive cells caused a marked reduction in the capacity of blastocysts to form proliferating ICM after outgrowth, and a consequent reduced ability to form ESC lines. These poor outcomes were ameliorated by the absence of TRP53, resulting in transmission distortion in favour of Trp53–/– zygotes (p < 0.001). This study shows that stresses induced by culture caused TRP53-dependent loss of pluripotent cells from the early embryo. This is a cause of the relative loss of viability and developmental potential of cultured embryos. The preferential survival of Trp53–/– embryos after culture due to their improved formation of pluripotent cells creates a genetic danger associated with these technologies.

LIF: a molecule with divergent actions on myeloid leukaemic cells and embryonic stem cells

1989 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 281 ◽  
Author(s):  
NM Gough ◽  
RL Williams ◽  
DJ Hilton ◽  
S Pease ◽  
TA Willson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Embryonal Carcinoma ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Leukaemia Inhibitory Factor ◽  
Genetic Manipulations ◽  
Leukaemic Cells ◽  
Ec Cells ◽  
Necessary And Sufficient ◽  
Cell Conditioned Medium

We have previously characterized, purified and cloned a novel murine and human regulator [leukaemia inhibitory factor, LIF] which induces the differentiation of certain murine and human myeloid leukaemic cells. Recently we have shown that there are specific LIF receptors on murine embryonic stem [ES] and embryonal carcinoma [EC] cells and that purified recombinant LIF can substitute for feeder cells and crude sources of differentiation inhibiting activity [DIA] [such as BRL-cell-conditioned medium] in the maintenance of ES cells in a pluripotential state in vitro. Furthermore, ES cells maintained in culture in recombinant LIF for a prolonged period can give rise to germline chimaeric mice. Thus, based on a number of biochemical and biological similarities, it is likely that LIF and DIA are the same molecule. The identification of LIF as a molecule, necessary and sufficient for the maintenance of ES cells in culture, should have a profound impact on the use of these cells for genetic manipulations.

Production and analysis of ES cell aggregation chimeras

1999 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andras Nagy ◽  
Janet Rossant
Keyword(s):  
Inner Cell Mass ◽  
Es Cells ◽  
Cell Mass ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Aggregation ◽  
Blastocyst Stage ◽  
Original Method ◽  
Embryonic Cells ◽  
Es Cell ◽  
Cleavage Stage

Embryonic stem (ES) cells behave like normal embryonic cells when returned to the embryonic environment after injection into a host blastocyst or after aggregation with earlier blastomere stage embryos. In such chimeras, ES cells behave like primitive ectoderm or epiblast cells (1), in that they contribute to all lineages of the resulting fetus itself, as well as to extraembryonic tissues derived from the gastrulating embryo, namely the yolk sac mesoderm, the amnion, and the allantois. However, even when aggregated with preblastocyst stage embryos, ES cells do not contribute to derivatives of the first two lineages to arise in development, namely, the extraembryonic lineages: trophoblast and primitive endoderm (2). The pluripotency of ES cells within the embryonic lineages is critical to their use in introducing new genetic alterations into mice, because truly pluripotent ES cells can contribute to the germline of chimeras, as well as all somatic lineages. However, the ability of ES cells to co-mingle with host embryonic cells, specifically in the embryonic, but not the major extraembryonic lineages, opens up a variety of possibilities for analysing gene function by genetic mosaics rather than by germline mutant analysis alone (3). There are two basic methods for generating pre-implantation chimeras in mice, whether it be embryo ↔ embryo or ES cell ↔ embryo chimeras. Blastocyst injection, in which cells are introduced into the blastocoele cavity using microinjection pipettes and micromanipulators, has been the method of choice for most ES cell chimera work (see Chapter 4). However, the original method for generating chimeras in mice, embryo aggregation, is considerably simpler and cheaper to establish in the laboratory. Aggregation chimeras are made by aggregating cleavage stage embryos together, or inner cell mass (ICM) or ES cells with cleavage stage embryos, growing them in culture to the blastocyst stage, and then transferring them to the uterus of pseudopregnant recipients to complete development. This procedure can be performed very rapidly by hand under the dissecting microscope, thus making possible high throughput production with minimal technical skill (4). In this chapter we describe some of the uses of pre-implantation chimeras, whether made by aggregation or blastocyst injection, but focus on the technical aspects of aggregation chimera generation. We also discuss the advantages and disadvantages of aggregation versus blastocyst injection for chimera production.

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