Project description:We report the derivation of two distinct stem cells of the trophectoderm lineage from human pluripotent stem cells. The first is a CDX2- stem cell equivalent to primary hTSCs – they both exhibit identical expression of key markers, are maintained in culture and differentiate under similar conditions, and share high transcriptome similarity. The second is a CDX2+ putative human trophectoderm stem cell (hTESC) with distinct cell culture requirements and differences in gene expression and differentiation relative to hTSCs.
Project description:Pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be functionally assessed according to their developmental potency. Tetraploid complementation, through which an entire organism is produced from donor pluripotent cells, is taken as the most stringent test for pluripotency. It remains unclear whether ESCs from other species besides mice can pass this test. Here we show that the rat ESCs at very early passages are also capable to produce fertile offspring by tetraploid complementation, however, this capacity is rapidly lost during culture due to the loss of genomic imprinting. Our findings support that the naïve ground state pluripotency exists in rat and can be captured in rat ESCs, yet may be subjected to species-specific regulations, which have implications for the derivation and application of naïve pluripotent stem cells in other species including human.
Project description:Pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be functionally assessed according to their developmental potency. Tetraploid complementation, through which an entire organism is produced from donor pluripotent cells, is taken as the most stringent test for pluripotency. It remains unclear whether ESCs from other species besides mice can pass this test. Here we show that the rat ESCs at very early passages are also capable to produce fertile offspring by tetraploid complementation, however, this capacity is rapidly lost during culture due to the loss of genomic imprinting. Our findings support that the naïve ground state pluripotency exists in rat and can be captured in rat ESCs, yet may be subjected to species-specific regulations, which have implications for the derivation and application of naïve pluripotent stem cells in other species including human.