Generation of mesenchymal stem cells from pig embryonic stem cells and comparison with somatic tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells

ABSTRACT: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stem cells capable of self-renewal and trilineage differentiation. Most studies utilizing MSCs employ somatic tissue-derived MSCs (ST-MSCs). However, because ST-MSCs have several disadvantages, including limited supply and high heterogeneity, pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs (PSC-MSCs) have emerged as a promising alternative cell source. Although PSC-MSCs have been extensively studied in humans, pig PSC-MSCs have not yet been reported. Therefore, in this study, we derived and characterized MSCs derived from pig embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Pig ESCs were successfully differentiated into ESC-derived MSCs (ESC-MSCs) using an embryoid body (EB)-based strategy. During the derivation process, ESC and epithelial marker expression decreased, whereas mesenchymal and MSC marker expression increased. The derived ESC-MSCs exhibited core MSC characteristics, including spindle-shaped morphology, surface marker expression, and trilineage differentiation potential generally comparable to those of adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AT-MSCs). In addition, transcriptome analysis revealed that ESC-MSCs exhibited greater similarity to AT-MSCs than to ESCs. Notably, although ESC-MSCs showed overall phenotypic and transcriptomic similarities to AT-MSCs, they also displayed distinct features, including lower CD105 expression, enhanced osteogenic and reduced adipogenic differentiation potential. In summary, our study represents the first derivation of MSCs from pig ESCs. Our findings enable the homogeneous and scalable production of ESC-MSCs as an alternative to conventional ST-MSCs. Given their importance as biomedical models and major livestock species, pig ESC-MSCs derived in this study provide a promising cell source for applications such as preclinical research and cellular agriculture.

ORGANISM(S): Sus scrofa

PROVIDER: GSE334918 | GEO | 2026/09/10

REPOSITORIES: GEO