Stem cell defects in parthenogenetic peri-implantation embryos

Development ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 121 (7) ◽  
pp. 2069-2077
Author(s):  
E.D. Newman-Smith ◽  
Z. Werb

Mouse embryos containing only maternal chromosomes (parthenotes) develop abnormally in vivo, usually failing at the peri-implantation stage. We have analyzed the development of parthenote embryos by using an inner cell mass (ICM) outgrowth assay that mimics peri-implantation development. ICMs from normal embryos maintained undifferentiated stem cells positive for stage-specific embryonic antigen-1 and Rex-1 while differentiating into a variety of cell types, including visceral endoderm-like cells and parietal endoderm cells. In contrast, ICMs from parthenotes failed to maintain undifferentiated stem cells and differentiated almost exclusively into parietal endoderm. This suggests that parthenote ICMs have a defect that leads to differentiation, rather than maintenance, of the stem cells, and a defect that leads to a parietal endoderm fate for the stem cells. To test the hypothesis that the ICM population is not maintained owing to a lack of proliferation of the stem cells, we investigated whether mitogenic agents were able to maintain the ICM population in parthenotes. When parthenote blastocysts were supplied with the insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (Igf-1r) and insulin-like growth factor-2 (Igf-2), two genes not detectable in parthenote blastocysts by in situ hybridization, the ICM population was maintained. Similarly, culture of parthenote blastocysts in medium conditioned by embryonic fibroblasts and supplemented with the maternal factor leukemia inhibitory factor maintained the ICM population. However, once this growth factor-rich medium was removed, the parthenote ICM cells still differentiated predominantly into parietal endoderm.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Development ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 106 (3) ◽  
pp. 543-554 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.L. Brice ◽  
J.E. Cheetham ◽  
V.N. Bolton ◽  
N.C. Hill ◽  
P.N. Schofield

The insulin-like growth factors are broadly distributed in the human conceptus and are thought to play a role in the growth and differentiation of tissues during development. Using in situ hybridization we have shown that a wide variety of specific cell types within tissues express the gene for insulin-like growth factor II at times of development from 18 days to 14 weeks of gestation. Examination of blastocysts produced by in vitro fertilization showed no expression, thus bracketing the time of first accumulation of IGF-II mRNA to between 5 and 18 days postfertilization. The pattern of IGF-II expression shows specific age-related differences in different tissues. In the kidney, for example, expression is found in the cells of the metanephric blastema which is dramatically reduced as the blastema differentiates. The reverse is also seen, and we have noted an increase in expression of IGF-II in the cytotrophoblast layer of the placenta with gestational age. The sites of expression do not correlate with areas of either high mitotic activity or specific types of differentiation, but the observed pattern of expression in the kidney, adrenal glands and liver suggests an explanation for the abnormally high IGF-II mRNA expression in developmental tumours such as Wilms' tumour.


2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoliang Meng ◽  
Shiying Liu ◽  
Xiangyun Li ◽  
Roman Krawetz ◽  
Derrick E. Rancourt

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.


2009 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 191
Author(s):  
V. J. Hall ◽  
J. Christensen ◽  
P. Maddox-Hyttel

Pluripotency in mice and human embryonic stem cells is regulated by a number of transcription factors, notably including Oct-4, Sox-2, and Nanog. However, in the pig, previous research indicates that Oct-4 protein and mRNA is not specifically localized to the inner cell mass (ICM) of the zona-intact (ZI) blastocyst. Levels of expression of Nanog mRNA, on the other hand, appear to be low in the ZI blastocyst, and protein has not been detected. Similarly, Sox-2 expression in the ZI blastocyst is relatively low and not specific to the ICM. In this study, we investigated the mRNA expression of Oct-4, Sox-2, and Nanog in D6/D7-derived ZI porcine in vivo-derived blastocysts compared with epiblasts mechanically isolated from hatched D10/D11 in vivo-derived blastocysts. We then investigated components involved in pathways important for regulating pluripotency, including JAK/STAT (i.e. gp130, LIFr), FGF (i.e. bFGF, FGFr1, FGFr2), and BMP (bmp4, smad4) signaling pathways and their downstream targets, stat3, c-myc, c-fos, by using RT-PCR. Sows were artificially inseminated, and embryos were flushed from uteri following slaughter. Single D6/D7 blastocysts (n = 3), single mechanically isolated D10/D11 epiblasts (n = 3), endometrium, and oviduct total RNA was isolated using the RNeasy Micro Kit (Qiagen, Valencia, CA, USA). Total RNA from the blastocysts and epiblasts was then amplified to form cDNA using the QuantiTect Whole Transcriptome kit (Qiagen). Positive control tissues (oviduct and endometrium) were reverse transcribed using the RevertAid First Strand cDNA synthesis kit (Fermentas, Burlington, Ontario, Canada). Primers were designed to span introns in highly homologous sequences to human mRNA. Primers were tested in both oviduct and endometrium tissue, and products were sequenced to confirm specificity. PCR was performed at 55°C for 35 cycles. Results indicate that D6/D7 blastocysts only expressed Oct-4 and not Nanog and Sox-2. In contrast, all 3 transcripts were expressed in D10/D11 epiblasts. The D10/D11 epiblasts also expressed LIFr, bFGF, FGFr1, FGFr2, bmp4, smad4, stat3, c-myc, and c-fos. The cytokine receptor gp130 was only weakly expressed in a single epiblast. In contrast, the earlier stage D6/D7 blastocysts failed to express these messengers with the exception of weak expression of gp130 in all 3 blastocysts, and only a single blastocyst expressed LIFr, smad4, c-myc, and c-fos. In conclusion, this study indicates that the ICM of the porcine D6/D7 ZI blastocyst has not developed pluripotency signaling as observed in mice and humans at this developmental stage. Furthermore, without expression of gp130, the JAK/STAT pathway is unlikely to play a role in regulating pluripotency in the epiblast. It is likely that the later stage epiblast may be more amenable for the derivation of porcine embryonic stem cells.


1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 535 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. A. Pelton ◽  
M. D. Bettess ◽  
J. Lake ◽  
J. Rathjen ◽  
P. D. Rathjen

Early mammalian embryogenesis is characterised by the coordinated proliferation, differentiation, migration and apoptosis of a pluripotent cell pool that is able to give rise to extraembryonic lineages and all the cell types of the embryo proper. These cells retain pluripotent differentiation capability, defined in this paper as the ability to form all cell types of the embryo and adult, until differentiation into the three embryonic germ layers at gastrulation. Our understanding of pluripotent cell biology and molecular regulation has been hampered by the difficulties associated with experimental manipulation of these cells in vivo. However, a more detailed understanding of pluripotent cell behaviour is emerging from the application of molecular technologies to early mouse embryogenesis. The construction of mouse mutants by gene targeting, mapping of gene expression in vivo, and modelling of cell decisions in vitro are providing insight into the cellular origin, identity and action of key developmental regulators, and the nature of pluripotent cells themselves. In this review we discuss the properties of early embryonic pluripotent cells in vitro and in vivo, focusing on progression from inner cell mass (ICM) cells in the blastocyst to the onset of gastrulation.


Development ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-55
Author(s):  
J. Rossant ◽  
K. M. Vijh

Embryos homozygous for the velvet coat mutation, Ve/Ve, were recognized at 6·5 days post coitum by the reduced size of the ectodermal portions of the egg cylinder and the loose, columnar nature of the overlying endoderm. Later in development ectoderm tissues were sometimes entirely absent. Abnormalities appeared in the ectoplacental cone at 8·5 days but trophoblast giant cells and parietal endoderm appeared unaffected. Homozygotes could not be unequivocally identified at 5·5 days nor at the blastocyst stage but were recognized in blastocyst outgrowths by poor development of the inner cell mass derivatives, It has previously been suggested that Ve may exert its action at the blastocyst stage by reducing the size of the inner cell mass, but no evidence for such a reduction was found. Most of the observations on Ve/Ve homozygotes are, however, consistent with the hypothesis that Ve exerts its action primarily on later primitive ectoderm development.


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergey Rodin ◽  
Liselotte Antonsson ◽  
Colin Niaudet ◽  
Oscar E. Simonson ◽  
Elina Salmela ◽  
...  

Abstract Lack of robust methods for establishment and expansion of pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES) cells still hampers development of cell therapy. Laminins (LN) are a family of highly cell-type specific basement membrane proteins important for cell adhesion, differentiation, migration and phenotype stability. Here we produce and isolate a human recombinant LN-521 isoform and develop a cell culture matrix containing LN-521 and E-cadherin, which both localize to stem cell niches in vivo. This matrix allows clonal derivation, clonal survival and long-term self-renewal of hES cells under completely chemically defined and xeno-free conditions without ROCK inhibitors. Neither LN-521 nor E-cadherin alone enable clonal survival of hES cells. The LN-521/E-cadherin matrix allows hES cell line derivation from blastocyst inner cell mass and single blastomere cells without a need to destroy the embryo. This method can facilitate the generation of hES cell lines for development of different cell types for regenerative medicine purposes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (23) ◽  
pp. 12918
Author(s):  
Man-Ling Zhang ◽  
Yong Jin ◽  
Li-Hua Zhao ◽  
Jia Zhang ◽  
Meng Zhou ◽  
...  

The inner cell mass of the pre-implantation blastocyst consists of the epiblast and hypoblast from which embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and extra-embryonic endoderm (XEN) stem cells, respectively, can be derived. Importantly, each stem cell type retains the defining properties and lineage restriction of its in vivo tissue origin. We have developed a novel approach for deriving porcine XEN (pXEN) cells via culturing the blastocysts with a chemical cocktail culture system. The pXEN cells were positive for XEN markers, including Gata4, Gata6, Sox17, and Sall4, but not for pluripotent markers Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog. The pXEN cells also retained the ability to undergo visceral endoderm (VE) and parietal endoderm (PE) differentiation in vitro. The maintenance of pXEN required FGF/MEK+TGFβ signaling pathways. The pXEN cells showed a stable phenotype through more than 50 passages in culture and could be established repeatedly from blastocysts or converted from the naïve-like ESCs established in our lab. These cells provide a new tool for exploring the pathways of porcine embryo development and differentiation and providing further reference to the establishment of porcine ESCs with potency of germline chimerism and gamete development.


Biology Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sapna Chhabra ◽  
Aryeh Warmflash

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) possess an immense potential to generate clinically relevant cell types and unveil mechanisms underlying early human development. However, using hESCs for discovery or translation requires accurately identifying differentiated cell types through comparison with their in vivo counterparts. Here, we set out to determine the identity of much debated BMP-treated hESCs by comparing their transcriptome to recently published single cell transcriptomic data from early human embryos (Xiang et al., 2019). Our analyses reveal several discrepancies in the published human embryo dataset, including misclassification of putative amnion, intermediate and inner cell mass cells. These misclassifications primarily resulted from similarities in pseudogene expression, highlighting the need to carefully consider gene lists when making comparisons between cell types. In the absence of a relevant human dataset, we utilized the recently published single cell transcriptome of the early post implantation monkey embryo to discern the identity of BMP-treated hESCs. Our results suggest that BMP-treated hESCs are transcriptionally more similar to amnion cells than trophectoderm cells in the monkey embryo. Together with prior studies, this result indicates that hESCs possess a unique ability to form mature trophectoderm subtypes via an amnion-like transcriptional state.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (5) ◽  
pp. E845-E851 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Edwards ◽  
K. L. Kind ◽  
D. T. Armstrong ◽  
J. G. Thompson

We have developed a protocol using recombinant human follicle-stimulating hormone (rhFSH) to induce ovarian stimulation in the mouse to investigate its impact on preimplantation embryo development. Embryos were collected from adult female C57Bl/6 × CBA F1 mice treated with rhFSH (0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, or 20.0 IU) or 5 IU equine chorionic gonadotropin (eCG). Embryos were also recovered from nontreated control mice. Embryos were cultured in vitro for 88 h, and the stage of development was morphologically assessed. The allocation of cells to the inner cell mass or trophectoderm of blastocysts was determined by differential nuclear staining. The expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-II), the insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-II receptor), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in blastocysts was measured by real-time RT-PCR. Blastocyst development was reduced in the 10 (72.3 ± 5.1%) and 20 (77.3 ± 5.6%) IU rhFSH groups compared with control embryos (96.7 ± 1.0%). The number of inner cell mass cells was reduced ( P < 0.001) in the 5, 10, and 20 IU rhFSH groups and the eCG group compared with control embryos. We did not find any effect of rhFSH treatment on IGF-II, IGF-II receptor, or VEGF expression in blastocysts compared with the control group. eCG treatment, however, significantly increased the expression of IGF-II in blastocysts. These results indicate that ovarian stimulation with rhFSH impairs the in vitro development of preimplantation mouse embryos, and these results may have potential implications for clinical ovarian stimulation during infertility treatment and subsequent embryo quality.


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