51
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Amel A, Rabeling A, Rossouw S, Goolam M. Wnt and BMP signalling direct anterior-posterior differentiation in aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells. Biol Open 2023; 12:bio059981. [PMID: 37622734 PMCID: PMC10508691 DOI: 10.1242/bio.059981] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 08/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Stem-cell-based embryo models have allowed greater insight into peri-implantation mammalian developmental events that are otherwise difficult to manipulate due to the inaccessibility of the early embryo. The rapid development of this field has resulted in the precise roles of frequently used supplements such as N2, B27 and Chiron in driving stem cell lineage commitment not being clearly defined. Here, we investigate the effects of these supplements on embryoid bodies to better understand their roles in stem cell differentiation. We show that Wnt signalling has a general posteriorising effect on stem cell aggregates and directs differentiation towards the mesoderm, as confirmed through the upregulation of posterior and mesodermal markers. N2 and B27 can mitigate these effects and upregulate the expression of anterior markers. To control the Wnt gradient and the subsequent anterior versus posterior fate, we make use of a BMP4 signalling centre and show that aggregates in these conditions express cephalic markers. These findings indicate that there is an intricate balance between various culture supplements and their ability to guide differentiation in stem cell embryo models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atoosa Amel
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Alexa Rabeling
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Simoné Rossouw
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
| | - Mubeen Goolam
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Cape Town 7925, South Africa
- UCT Neuroscience Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
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52
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Oh SY, Na SB, Kang YK, Do JT. In Vitro Embryogenesis and Gastrulation Using Stem Cells in Mice and Humans. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13655. [PMID: 37686459 PMCID: PMC10563085 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
During early mammalian embryonic development, fertilized one-cell embryos develop into pre-implantation blastocysts and subsequently establish three germ layers through gastrulation during post-implantation development. In recent years, stem cells have emerged as a powerful tool to study embryogenesis and gastrulation without the need for eggs, allowing for the generation of embryo-like structures known as synthetic embryos or embryoids. These in vitro models closely resemble early embryos in terms of morphology and gene expression and provide a faithful recapitulation of early pre- and post-implantation embryonic development. Synthetic embryos can be generated through a combinatorial culture of three blastocyst-derived stem cell types, such as embryonic stem cells, trophoblast stem cells, and extraembryonic endoderm cells, or totipotent-like stem cells alone. This review provides an overview of the progress and various approaches in studying in vitro embryogenesis and gastrulation in mice and humans using stem cells. Furthermore, recent findings and breakthroughs in synthetic embryos and gastruloids are outlined. Despite ethical considerations, synthetic embryo models hold promise for understanding mammalian (including humans) embryonic development and have potential implications for regenerative medicine and developmental research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Jeong Tae Do
- Department of Stem Cell Regenerative Biotechnology, Konkuk Institute of Technology, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Republic of Korea; (S.Y.O.); (S.B.N.); (Y.K.K.)
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53
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Cooke CB, Barrington C, Baillie-Benson P, Nichols J, Moris N. Gastruloid-derived primordial germ cell-like cells develop dynamically within integrated tissues. Development 2023; 150:dev201790. [PMID: 37526602 PMCID: PMC10508693 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201790] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023]
Abstract
Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the early embryonic precursors of gametes - sperm and egg cells. PGC-like cells (PGCLCs) can currently be derived in vitro from pluripotent cells exposed to signalling cocktails and aggregated into large embryonic bodies, but these do not recapitulate the native embryonic environment during PGC formation. Here, we show that mouse gastruloids, a three-dimensional in vitro model of gastrulation, contain a population of gastruloid-derived PGCLCs (Gld-PGCLCs) that resemble early PGCs in vivo. Importantly, the conserved organisation of mouse gastruloids leads to coordinated spatial and temporal localisation of Gld-PGCLCs relative to surrounding somatic cells, even in the absence of specific exogenous PGC-specific signalling or extra-embryonic tissues. In gastruloids, self-organised interactions between cells and tissues, including the endodermal epithelium, enables the specification and subsequent maturation of a pool of Gld-PGCLCs. As such, mouse gastruloids represent a new source of PGCLCs in vitro and, owing to their inherent co-development, serve as a novel model to study the dynamics of PGC development within integrated tissue environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher B. Cooke
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EH, UK
- Abcam, Discovery Drive, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0AX, UK
| | | | - Peter Baillie-Benson
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
- Wellcome Trust – MRC Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jennifer Nichols
- Wellcome Trust – MRC Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Naomi Moris
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London NW1 1AT, UK
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54
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Liu L, Oura S, Markham Z, Hamilton JN, Skory RM, Li L, Sakurai M, Wang L, Pinzon-Arteaga CA, Plachta N, Hon GC, Wu J. Modeling post-implantation stages of human development into early organogenesis with stem-cell-derived peri-gastruloids. Cell 2023; 186:3776-3792.e16. [PMID: 37478861 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.07.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/23/2023]
Abstract
In vitro stem cell models that replicate human gastrulation have been generated, but they lack the essential extraembryonic cells needed for embryonic development, morphogenesis, and patterning. Here, we describe a robust and efficient method that prompts human extended pluripotent stem cells to self-organize into embryo-like structures, termed peri-gastruloids, which encompass both embryonic (epiblast) and extraembryonic (hypoblast) tissues. Although peri-gastruloids are not viable due to the exclusion of trophoblasts, they recapitulate critical stages of human peri-gastrulation development, such as forming amniotic and yolk sac cavities, developing bilaminar and trilaminar embryonic discs, specifying primordial germ cells, initiating gastrulation, and undergoing early neurulation and organogenesis. Single-cell RNA-sequencing unveiled transcriptomic similarities between advanced human peri-gastruloids and primary peri-gastrulation cell types found in humans and non-human primates. This peri-gastruloid platform allows for further exploration beyond gastrulation and may potentially aid in the development of human fetal tissues for use in regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizhong Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Seiya Oura
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Zachary Markham
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - James N Hamilton
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Robin M Skory
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Leijie Li
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Masahiro Sakurai
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Carlos A Pinzon-Arteaga
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Nicolas Plachta
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Gary C Hon
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Jun Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA; Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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55
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Underhill EJ, Toettcher JE. Control of gastruloid patterning and morphogenesis by the Erk and Akt signaling pathways. Development 2023; 150:dev201663. [PMID: 37590131 PMCID: PMC11106667 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201663] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Abstract
Many developmental processes rely on the localized activation of receptor tyrosine kinases and their canonical downstream effectors Erk and Akt, yet the specific roles played by each of these signals is still poorly understood. Gastruloids, 3D cell culture models of mammalian gastrulation and axial elongation, enable quantitative dissection of signaling patterns and cell responses in a simplified, experimentally accessible context. We find that mouse gastruloids contain posterior-to-anterior gradients of Erk and Akt phosphorylation induced by distinct receptor tyrosine kinases, with features of the Erk pattern and expression of its downstream target Snail exhibiting hallmarks of size-invariant scaling. Both Erk and Akt signaling contribute to cell proliferation, whereas Erk activation is also sufficient to induce Snail expression and precipitate profound tissue shape changes. We further uncover that Erk signaling is sufficient to convert the entire gastruloid to one of two mesodermal fates depending on position along the anteroposterior axis. In all, these data demonstrate functional roles for two core signaling gradients in mammalian development and suggest how these modules might be harnessed to engineer user-defined tissues with predictable shapes and cell fates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan J. Underhill
- Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jared E. Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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56
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Hoetker MS, Yagi M, Di Stefano B, Langerman J, Cristea S, Wong LP, Huebner AJ, Charlton J, Deng W, Haggerty C, Sadreyev RI, Meissner A, Michor F, Plath K, Hochedlinger K. H3K36 methylation maintains cell identity by regulating opposing lineage programmes. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:1121-1134. [PMID: 37460697 PMCID: PMC10896483 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01191-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
The epigenetic mechanisms that maintain differentiated cell states remain incompletely understood. Here we employed histone mutants to uncover a crucial role for H3K36 methylation in the maintenance of cell identities across diverse developmental contexts. Focusing on the experimental induction of pluripotency, we show that H3K36M-mediated depletion of H3K36 methylation endows fibroblasts with a plastic state poised to acquire pluripotency in nearly all cells. At a cellular level, H3K36M facilitates epithelial plasticity by rendering fibroblasts insensitive to TGFβ signals. At a molecular level, H3K36M enables the decommissioning of mesenchymal enhancers and the parallel activation of epithelial/stem cell enhancers. This enhancer rewiring is Tet dependent and redirects Sox2 from promiscuous somatic to pluripotency targets. Our findings reveal a previously unappreciated dual role for H3K36 methylation in the maintenance of cell identity by integrating a crucial developmental pathway into sustained expression of cell-type-specific programmes, and by opposing the expression of alternative lineage programmes through enhancer methylation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Hoetker
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Masaki Yagi
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Bruno Di Stefano
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Justin Langerman
- David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Simona Cristea
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lai Ping Wong
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Aaron J Huebner
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jocelyn Charlton
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Weixian Deng
- David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Chuck Haggerty
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Ruslan I Sadreyev
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander Meissner
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max-Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Franziska Michor
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
- The Center for Cancer Evolution, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- The Ludwig Center at Harvard, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kathrin Plath
- David Geffen School of Medicine, Department of Biological Chemistry, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Molecular Biology Institute, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Konrad Hochedlinger
- Department of Molecular Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Center for Regenerative Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Cancer Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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57
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Muniyandi P, O’Hern C, Popa MA, Aguirre A. Biotechnological advances and applications of human pluripotent stem cell-derived heart models. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1214431. [PMID: 37560538 PMCID: PMC10407810 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1214431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/12/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, significant biotechnological advancements have been made in engineering human cardiac tissues and organ-like models. This field of research is crucial for both basic and translational research due to cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in the developed world. Additionally, drug-associated cardiotoxicity poses a major challenge for drug development in the pharmaceutical and biotechnological industries. Progress in three-dimensional cell culture and microfluidic devices has enabled the generation of human cardiac models that faithfully recapitulate key aspects of human physiology. In this review, we will discuss 3D pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-models of the human heart, such as engineered heart tissues and organoids, and their applications in disease modeling and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Priyadharshni Muniyandi
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Colin O’Hern
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
| | - Mirel Adrian Popa
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Institute of Cellular Biology and Pathology Nicolae Simionescu, Bucharest, Romania
| | - Aitor Aguirre
- Institute for Quantitative Health Science and Engineering, Division of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, United States
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58
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Hislop J, Alavi A, Song Q, Schoenberger R, Kamyar KF, LeGraw R, Velazquez J, Mokhtari T, Taheri MN, Rytel M, de Sousa Lopes SMC, Watkins S, Stolz D, Kiani S, Sozen B, Bar-Joseph Z, Ebrahimkhani MR. Modelling Human Post-Implantation Development via Extra-Embryonic Niche Engineering. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.15.545118. [PMID: 37398391 PMCID: PMC10312773 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.15.545118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Implantation of the human embryo commences a critical developmental stage that comprises profound morphogenetic alteration of embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues, axis formation, and gastrulation events. Our mechanistic knowledge of this window of human life remains limited due to restricted access to in vivo samples for both technical and ethical reasons. Additionally, human stem cell models of early post-implantation development with both embryonic and extra-embryonic tissue morphogenesis are lacking. Here, we present iDiscoid, produced from human induced pluripotent stem cells via an engineered a synthetic gene circuit. iDiscoids exhibit reciprocal co-development of human embryonic tissue and engineered extra-embryonic niche in a model of human post-implantation. They exhibit unanticipated self-organization and tissue boundary formation that recapitulates yolk sac-like tissue specification with extra-embryonic mesoderm and hematopoietic characteristics, the formation of bilaminar disc-like embryonic morphology, the development of an amniotic-like cavity, and acquisition of an anterior-like hypoblast pole and posterior-like axis. iDiscoids offer an easy-to-use, high-throughput, reproducible, and scalable platform to probe multifaceted aspects of human early post-implantation development. Thus, they have the potential to provide a tractable human model for drug testing, developmental toxicology, and disease modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Hislop
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Amir Alavi
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Machine Learning Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Qi Song
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Machine Learning Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Rayna Schoenberger
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Keshavarz F. Kamyar
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Ryan LeGraw
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Jeremy Velazquez
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Tahere Mokhtari
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Mohammad Nasser Taheri
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Matthew Rytel
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Susana M Chuva de Sousa Lopes
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg, 2333 ZC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Simon Watkins
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Donna Stolz
- Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Physiology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Samira Kiani
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
| | - Berna Sozen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA
| | - Ziv Bar-Joseph
- Computational Biology Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
- Machine Learning Department, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Mo R. Ebrahimkhani
- Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
- McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA
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59
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Girgin M, Broguiere N, Mattolini L, Lutolf M. A New Approach to Generate Gastruloids to Develop Anterior Neural Tissues. Bio Protoc 2023; 13:e4722. [PMID: 37497450 PMCID: PMC10366998 DOI: 10.21769/bioprotoc.4722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic development is a complex process integrating cell fate decisions and morphogenesis in a spatiotemporally controlled manner. Previous studies with model organisms laid the foundation of our knowledge on post-implantation development; however, studying mammalian embryos at this stage is a difficult and laborious process. Early attempts to recapitulate mammalian development in vitro begun with embryoid bodies (EBs), in which aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were shown to differentiate into spatially arranged germ layers. A more revised version of EBs, gastruloids, improved the germ layer differentiation efficiency and demonstrated cell fate patterning on multiple axes. However, gastruloids lack anterior neural progenitors that give rise to brain tissues in the embryo. Here, we report a novel culture protocol to coax mESCs into post-implantation epiblast-like (EPI) aggregates in high throughput on bioengineered microwell arrays. We show that upon inhibition of the Wnt signaling pathway, EPI aggregates establish an extended axial patterning, leading to co-derivation of anterior neural progenitors and posterior tissues. Our approach is amenable to large-scale studies aimed at identifying novel regulators of gastrulation and anterior neural development that is currently out of reach with existing embryoid models. This work should contribute to the advancement of the nascent field of synthetic embryology, opening up exciting perspectives for various applications of pluripotent stem cells in disease modeling and tissue engineering. Key features A new gastruloid culture system to model post-implantation mouse embryonic development in vitro High-throughput formation of epiblast-like aggregates on hydrogel microwells Builds upon conventional gastruloid cultures and provides insight into the role of Wnt signaling for the formation of anterior neural tissues Graphical overview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehmet Girgin
- Institute of Human Biology (IHB), Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nicolas Broguiere
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lorenzo Mattolini
- Laboratory of Bioengineering and Morphogenesis, Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Matthias Lutolf
- Institute of Human Biology (IHB), Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Basel, Switzerland
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
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60
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Repina NA, Johnson HJ, Bao X, Zimmermann JA, Joy DA, Bi SZ, Kane RS, Schaffer DV. Optogenetic control of Wnt signaling models cell-intrinsic embryogenic patterning using 2D human pluripotent stem cell culture. Development 2023; 150:dev201386. [PMID: 37401411 PMCID: PMC10399980 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
In embryonic stem cell (ESC) models for early development, spatially and temporally varying patterns of signaling and cell types emerge spontaneously. However, mechanistic insight into this dynamic self-organization is limited by a lack of methods for spatiotemporal control of signaling, and the relevance of signal dynamics and cell-to-cell variability to pattern emergence remains unknown. Here, we combine optogenetic stimulation, imaging and transcriptomic approaches to study self-organization of human ESCs (hESC) in two-dimensional (2D) culture. Morphogen dynamics were controlled via optogenetic activation of canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling (optoWnt), which drove broad transcriptional changes and mesendoderm differentiation at high efficiency (>99% cells). When activated within cell subpopulations, optoWnt induced cell self-organization into distinct epithelial and mesenchymal domains, mediated by changes in cell migration, an epithelial to mesenchymal-like transition and TGFβ signaling. Furthermore, we demonstrate that such optogenetic control of cell subpopulations can be used to uncover signaling feedback mechanisms between neighboring cell types. These findings reveal that cell-to-cell variability in Wnt signaling is sufficient to generate tissue-scale patterning and establish a hESC model system for investigating feedback mechanisms relevant to early human embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A. Repina
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Hunter J. Johnson
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Xiaoping Bao
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Joshua A. Zimmermann
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - David A. Joy
- Graduate Program in Bioengineering, University of California, San Francisco and University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Gladstone Institutes, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Shirley Z. Bi
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Ravi S. Kane
- School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - David V. Schaffer
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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61
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Rekaik H, Lopez-Delisle L, Hintermann A, Mascrez B, Bochaton C, Mayran A, Duboule D. Sequential and directional insulation by conserved CTCF sites underlies the Hox timer in stembryos. Nat Genet 2023; 55:1164-1175. [PMID: 37322110 PMCID: PMC10335938 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01426-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
During development, Hox genes are temporally activated according to their relative positions on their clusters, contributing to the proper identities of structures along the rostrocaudal axis. To understand the mechanism underlying this Hox timer, we used mouse embryonic stem cell-derived stembryos. Following Wnt signaling, the process involves transcriptional initiation at the anterior part of the cluster and a concomitant loading of cohesin complexes enriched on the transcribed DNA segments, that is, with an asymmetric distribution favoring the anterior part of the cluster. Chromatin extrusion then occurs with successively more posterior CTCF sites acting as transient insulators, thus generating a progressive time delay in the activation of more posterior-located genes due to long-range contacts with a flanking topologically associating domain. Mutant stembryos support this model and reveal that the presence of evolutionary conserved and regularly spaced intergenic CTCF sites controls the precision and the pace of this temporal mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hocine Rekaik
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Lucille Lopez-Delisle
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aurélie Hintermann
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénédicte Mascrez
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Célia Bochaton
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Mayran
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Denis Duboule
- School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland.
- Department of Genetics and Evolution, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
- Collège de France, Paris, France.
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62
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McNamara HM, Solley SC, Adamson B, Chan MM, Toettcher JE. Recording morphogen signals reveals origins of gastruloid symmetry breaking. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.06.02.543474. [PMID: 37333235 PMCID: PMC10274695 DOI: 10.1101/2023.06.02.543474] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/20/2023]
Abstract
When cultured in three dimensional spheroids, mammalian stem cells can reproducibly self-organize a single anterior-posterior axis and sequentially differentiate into structures resembling the primitive streak and tailbud. Whereas the embryo's body axes are instructed by spatially patterned extra-embryonic cues, it is unknown how these stem cell gastruloids break symmetry to reproducibly define a single anterior-posterior (A-P) axis. Here, we use synthetic gene circuits to trace how early intracellular signals predict cells' future anterior-posterior position in the gastruloid. We show that Wnt signaling evolves from a homogeneous state to a polarized state, and identify a critical 6-hour time period when single-cell Wnt activity predicts future cellular position, prior to the appearance of polarized signaling patterns or morphology. Single-cell RNA sequencing and live-imaging reveal that early Wnt-high and Wnt-low cells contribute to distinct cell types and suggest that axial symmetry breaking is driven by sorting rearrangements involving differential cell adhesion. We further extend our approach to other canonical embryonic signaling pathways, revealing that even earlier heterogeneity in TGFβ signaling predicts A-P position and modulates Wnt signaling during the critical time period. Our study reveals a sequence of dynamic cellular processes that transform a uniform cell aggregate into a polarized structure and demonstrates that a morphological axis can emerge out of signaling heterogeneity and cell movements even in the absence of exogenous patterning cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold M. McNamara
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Sabrina C. Solley
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Britt Adamson
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Michelle M. Chan
- Lewis Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
| | - Jared E. Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544
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63
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Emig AA, Williams MLK. Gastrulation morphogenesis in synthetic systems. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:3-13. [PMID: 35817656 PMCID: PMC9825685 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in pluripotent stem cell culture allow researchers to generate not only most embryonic cell types, but also morphologies of many embryonic structures, entirely in vitro. This recreation of embryonic form from naïve cells, known as synthetic morphogenesis, has important implications for both developmental biology and regenerative medicine. However, the capacity of stem cell-based models to recapitulate the morphogenetic cell behaviors that shape natural embryos remains unclear. In this review, we explore several examples of synthetic morphogenesis, with a focus on models of gastrulation and surrounding stages. By varying cell types, source species, and culture conditions, researchers have recreated aspects of primitive streak formation, emergence and elongation of the primary embryonic axis, neural tube closure, and more. Here, we describe cell behaviors within in vitro/ex vivo systems that mimic in vivo morphogenesis and highlight opportunities for more complete models of early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alyssa A Emig
- Center for Precision Environmental Health & Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, USA
| | - Margot L K Williams
- Center for Precision Environmental Health & Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, USA.
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64
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McNamara HM, Ramm B, Toettcher JE. Synthetic developmental biology: New tools to deconstruct and rebuild developmental systems. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:33-42. [PMID: 35484026 PMCID: PMC10332110 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Technological advances have driven many recent advances in developmental biology. Light sheet imaging can reveal single-cell dynamics in living three-dimensional tissues, whereas single-cell genomic methods open the door to a complete catalogue of cell types and gene expression states. An equally powerful but complementary set of approaches are also becoming available to define development processes from the bottom up. These synthetic approaches aim to reconstruct the minimal developmental patterns, signaling processes, and gene networks that produce the basic set of developmental operations: spatial polarization, morphogen interpretation, tissue movement, and cellular memory. In this review we discuss recent approaches at the intersection of synthetic biology and development, including synthetic circuits to deliver and record signaling stimuli and synthetic reconstitution of pattern formation on multicellular scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harold M McNamara
- Lewis Sigler Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Beatrice Ramm
- Department of Physics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Jared E Toettcher
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
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65
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Mapping and exploring the organoid state space using synthetic biology. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:23-32. [PMID: 35466054 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The functional relevance of an organoid is dependent on the differentiation, morphology, cell arrangement and biophysical properties, which collectively define the state of an organoid. For an organoid culture, an individual organoid or the cells that compose it, these state variables can be characterised, most easily by transcriptomics and by high-content image analysis. Their states can be compared to their in vivo counterparts. Current evidence suggests that organoids explore a wider state space than organs in vivo due to the lack of niche signalling and the variability of boundary conditions in vitro. Using data-driven state inference and in silico modelling, phase diagrams can be constructed to systematically sort organoids along biochemical or biophysical axes. These phase diagrams allow us to identify control strategies to modulate organoid state. To do so, the biochemical and biophysical environment, as well as the cells that seed organoids, can be manipulated.
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66
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Qian W, Good MC. Peeking under the hood of early embryogenesis: Using tools and synthetic biology to understand native control systems and sculpt tissues. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2023; 141:43-49. [PMID: 35525819 PMCID: PMC9633583 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Accepted: 04/13/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Early embryogenesis requires rapid division of pluripotent blastomeres, regulated genome activation, precise spatiotemporal signaling to pattern cell fate, and morphogenesis to shape primitive tissue architectures. The complexity of this process has inspired researchers to move beyond simple genetic perturbation into engineered devices and synthetic biology tools to permit temporal and spatial manipulation of the control systems guiding development. By precise alteration of embryo organization, it is now possible to advance beyond basic analytical strategies and directly test the sufficiency of models for developmental regulation. Separately, advances in micropatterning and embryoid culture have facilitated the bottom-up construction of complex embryo tissues allowing ex vivo systems to recapitulate even later stages of development. Embryos fertilized and grown ex vivo offer an excellent opportunity to exogenously perturb fundamental pathways governing embryogenesis. Here we review the technologies developed to thermally modulate the embryo cell cycle, and optically regulate morphogen and signaling pathways in space and time, specifically in the blastula embryo. Additionally, we highlight recent advances in cell patterning in two and three dimensions that have helped reveal the self-organizing properties and gene regulatory networks guiding early embryo organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenchao Qian
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Matthew C. Good
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Program, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA,Lead Contact,Correspondence: (M.C.G), Address: 421 Curie Blvd, 1151 Biomedical Research Building, Philadelphia PA 19104
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67
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Buchner F, Dokuzluoglu Z, Grass T, Rodriguez-Muela N. Spinal Cord Organoids to Study Motor Neuron Development and Disease. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1254. [PMID: 37374039 DOI: 10.3390/life13061254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 05/18/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Motor neuron diseases (MNDs) are a heterogeneous group of disorders that affect the cranial and/or spinal motor neurons (spMNs), spinal sensory neurons and the muscular system. Although they have been investigated for decades, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms; and therefore, efficacious therapies are scarce. Model organisms and relatively simple two-dimensional cell culture systems have been instrumental in our current knowledge of neuromuscular disease pathology; however, in the recent years, human 3D in vitro models have transformed the disease-modeling landscape. While cerebral organoids have been pursued the most, interest in spinal cord organoids (SCOs) is now also increasing. Pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-based protocols to generate SpC-like structures, sometimes including the adjacent mesoderm and derived skeletal muscle, are constantly being refined and applied to study early human neuromuscular development and disease. In this review, we outline the evolution of human PSC-derived models for generating spMN and recapitulating SpC development. We also discuss how these models have been applied to exploring the basis of human neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases. Finally, we provide an overview of the main challenges to overcome in order to generate more physiologically relevant human SpC models and propose some exciting new perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Buchner
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Tobias Grass
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Natalia Rodriguez-Muela
- German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
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68
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Sousa-Ortega A, Vázquez-Marín J, Sanabria-Reinoso E, Corbacho J, Polvillo R, Campoy-López A, Buono L, Loosli F, Almuedo-Castillo M, Martínez-Morales JR. A Yap-dependent mechanoregulatory program sustains cell migration for embryo axis assembly. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2804. [PMID: 37193708 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38482-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The assembly of the embryo's primary axis is a fundamental landmark for the establishment of the vertebrate body plan. Although the morphogenetic movements directing cell convergence towards the midline have been described extensively, little is known on how gastrulating cells interpret mechanical cues. Yap proteins are well-known transcriptional mechanotransducers, yet their role in gastrulation remains elusive. Here we show that the double knockout of yap and its paralog yap1b in medaka results in an axis assembly failure, due to reduced displacement and migratory persistence in mutant cells. Accordingly, we identified genes involved in cytoskeletal organization and cell-ECM adhesion as potentially direct Yap targets. Dynamic analysis of live sensors and downstream targets reveal that Yap is acting in migratory cells, promoting cortical actin and focal adhesions recruitment. Our results indicate that Yap coordinates a mechanoregulatory program to sustain intracellular tension and maintain the directed cell migration for embryo axis development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Sousa-Ortega
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA), 41013, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | | | - Jorge Corbacho
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA), 41013, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Rocío Polvillo
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA), 41013, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Lorena Buono
- Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo (CSIC/UPO/JA), 41013, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Felix Loosli
- Institute of Biological and Chemical Systems, Biological Information Processing (IBCS-BIP), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
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69
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Suppinger S, Zinner M, Aizarani N, Lukonin I, Ortiz R, Azzi C, Stadler MB, Vianello S, Palla G, Kohler H, Mayran A, Lutolf MP, Liberali P. Multimodal characterization of murine gastruloid development. Cell Stem Cell 2023:S1934-5909(23)00170-4. [PMID: 37209681 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.04.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2023] [Revised: 04/16/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Gastruloids are 3D structures generated from pluripotent stem cells recapitulating fundamental principles of embryonic pattern formation. Using single-cell genomic analysis, we provide a resource mapping cell states and types during gastruloid development and compare them with the in vivo embryo. We developed a high-throughput handling and imaging pipeline to spatially monitor symmetry breaking during gastruloid development and report an early spatial variability in pluripotency determining a binary response to Wnt activation. Although cells in the gastruloid-core revert to pluripotency, peripheral cells become primitive streak-like. These two populations subsequently break radial symmetry and initiate axial elongation. By performing a compound screen, perturbing thousands of gastruloids, we derive a phenotypic landscape and infer networks of genetic interactions. Finally, using a dual Wnt modulation, we improve the formation of anterior structures in the existing gastruloid model. This work provides a resource to understand how gastruloids develop and generate complex patterns in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Suppinger
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marietta Zinner
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Nadim Aizarani
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Ilya Lukonin
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland; Roche Institute of Human Biology, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Raphael Ortiz
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Chiara Azzi
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland; Babraham Institute, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Michael B Stadler
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stefano Vianello
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Giovanni Palla
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Center Munich, 85764 Munich, Germany; TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 80333 Munich, Germany
| | - Hubertus Kohler
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland
| | - Alexandre Mayran
- School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias P Lutolf
- Roche Institute of Human Biology, 4058 Basel, Switzerland; School of Life Sciences, Federal Institute of Technology EPFL, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Prisca Liberali
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI), 4058 Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, 4001 Basel, Switzerland.
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70
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Cheng T, Xing YY, Liu C, Li YF, Huang Y, Liu X, Zhang YJ, Zhao GQ, Dong Y, Fu XX, Tian YM, Shu LP, Megason SG, Xu PF. Nodal coordinates the anterior-posterior patterning of germ layers and induces head formation in zebrafish explants. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112351. [PMID: 37018074 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Much progress has been made toward generating analogs of early embryos, such as gastruloids and embryoids, in vitro. However, methods for how to fully mimic the cell movements of gastrulation and coordinate germ-layer patterning to induce head formation are still lacking. Here, we show that a regional Nodal gradient applied to zebrafish animal pole explant can generate a structure that recapitulates the key cell movements of gastrulation. Using single-cell transcriptome and in situ hybridization analysis, we assess the dynamics of the cell fates and patterning of this structure. The mesendoderm differentiates into the anterior endoderm, prechordal plate, notochord, and tailbud-like cells along an anterior-posterior axis, and an anterior-posterior-patterned head-like structure (HLS) progressively forms during late gastrulation. Among 105 immediate Nodal targets, 14 genes contain axis-induction ability, and 5 of them induce a complete or partial head structure when overexpressed in the ventral side of zebrafish embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tao Cheng
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yan-Yi Xing
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Genetic and Developmental Disorders, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Cong Liu
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yun-Fei Li
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ying Huang
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiang Liu
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Ying-Jie Zhang
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Guo-Qin Zhao
- Department of Immunology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, China
| | - Yang Dong
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xin-Xin Fu
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Yi-Meng Tian
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Li-Ping Shu
- Department of Immunology, Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang 550004, China
| | - Sean G Megason
- Department of Systems Biology, Harvard Medical School, 200 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
| | - Peng-Fei Xu
- Women's Hospital, Institute of Genetics, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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71
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Cossec JC, Traboulsi T, Sart S, Loe-Mie Y, Guthmann M, Hendriks IA, Theurillat I, Nielsen ML, Torres-Padilla ME, Baroud CN, Dejean A. Transient suppression of SUMOylation in embryonic stem cells generates embryo-like structures. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112380. [PMID: 37061916 PMCID: PMC10157296 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 04/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in synthetic embryology have opened new avenues for understanding the complex events controlling mammalian peri-implantation development. Here, we show that mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) solely exposed to chemical inhibition of SUMOylation generate embryo-like structures comprising anterior neural and trunk-associated regions. HypoSUMOylation-instructed ESCs give rise to spheroids that self-organize into gastrulating structures containing cell types spatially and functionally related to embryonic and extraembryonic compartments. Alternatively, spheroids cultured in a droplet microfluidic device form elongated structures that undergo axial organization reminiscent of natural embryo morphogenesis. Single-cell transcriptomics reveals various cellular lineages, including properly positioned anterior neuronal cell types and paraxial mesoderm segmented into somite-like structures. Transient SUMOylation suppression gradually increases DNA methylation genome wide and repressive mark deposition at Nanog. Interestingly, cell-to-cell variations in SUMOylation levels occur during early embryogenesis. Our approach provides a proof of principle for potentially powerful strategies to explore early embryogenesis by targeting chromatin roadblocks of cell fate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jack-Christophe Cossec
- Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Unit, Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France; INSERM, U993, 75015 Paris, France.
| | - Tatiana Traboulsi
- Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Unit, Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France; INSERM, U993, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Sébastien Sart
- LadHyX, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France; Physical Microfluidics and Bioengineering Unit, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Yann Loe-Mie
- Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Unit, Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France; INSERM, U993, 75015 Paris, France; Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, Bioinformatics and Biostatistics HUB, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Manuel Guthmann
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Ivo A Hendriks
- Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ilan Theurillat
- Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Unit, Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France; INSERM, U993, 75015 Paris, France; Sorbonne Université, Collège Doctoral, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Michael L Nielsen
- Proteomics Program, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Protein Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, 81377 München, Germany; Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, 81377 München, Germany
| | - Charles N Baroud
- LadHyX, CNRS, Ecole Polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, 91120 Palaiseau, France; Physical Microfluidics and Bioengineering Unit, Department of Genomes and Genetics, Institut Pasteur, 75015 Paris, France
| | - Anne Dejean
- Nuclear Organization and Oncogenesis Unit, Department of Cell Biology and Infection, Equipe Labellisée Ligue Nationale Contre le Cancer, Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, 75015 Paris, France; INSERM, U993, 75015 Paris, France.
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72
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Miao Y, Djeffal Y, De Simone A, Zhu K, Lee JG, Lu Z, Silberfeld A, Rao J, Tarazona OA, Mongera A, Rigoni P, Diaz-Cuadros M, Song LMS, Di Talia S, Pourquié O. Reconstruction and deconstruction of human somitogenesis in vitro. Nature 2023; 614:500-508. [PMID: 36543321 PMCID: PMC10018515 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05655-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The vertebrate body displays a segmental organization that is most conspicuous in the periodic organization of the vertebral column and peripheral nerves. This metameric organization is first implemented when somites, which contain the precursors of skeletal muscles and vertebrae, are rhythmically generated from the presomitic mesoderm. Somites then become subdivided into anterior and posterior compartments that are essential for vertebral formation and segmental patterning of the peripheral nervous system1-4. How this key somitic subdivision is established remains poorly understood. Here we introduce three-dimensional culture systems of human pluripotent stem cells called somitoids and segmentoids, which recapitulate the formation of somite-like structures with anteroposterior identity. We identify a key function of the segmentation clock in converting temporal rhythmicity into the spatial regularity of anterior and posterior somitic compartments. We show that an initial 'salt and pepper' expression of the segmentation gene MESP2 in the newly formed segment is transformed into compartments of anterior and posterior identity through an active cell-sorting mechanism. Our research demonstrates that the major patterning modules that are involved in somitogenesis, including the clock and wavefront, anteroposterior polarity patterning and somite epithelialization, can be dissociated and operate independently in our in vitro systems. Together, we define a framework for the symmetry-breaking process that initiates somite polarity patterning. Our work provides a platform for decoding general principles of somitogenesis and advancing knowledge of human development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuchuan Miao
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yannis Djeffal
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Kongju Zhu
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jong Gwan Lee
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Ziqi Lu
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Andrew Silberfeld
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jyoti Rao
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Oscar A Tarazona
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alessandro Mongera
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pietro Rigoni
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Margarete Diaz-Cuadros
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Laura Min Sook Song
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Stefano Di Talia
- Department of Cell Biology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Olivier Pourquié
- Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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73
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Abstract
The segmented body plan of vertebrates is established during somitogenesis, a well-studied process in model organisms; however, the details of this process in humans remain largely unknown owing to ethical and technical limitations. Despite recent advances with pluripotent stem cell-based approaches1-5, models that robustly recapitulate human somitogenesis in both space and time remain scarce. Here we introduce a pluripotent stem cell-derived mesoderm-based 3D model of human segmentation and somitogenesis-which we termed 'axioloid'-that captures accurately the oscillatory dynamics of the segmentation clock and the morphological and molecular characteristics of sequential somite formation in vitro. Axioloids show proper rostrocaudal patterning of forming segments and robust anterior-posterior FGF-WNT signalling gradients and retinoic acid signalling components. We identify an unexpected critical role of retinoic acid signalling in the stabilization of forming segments, indicating distinct, but also synergistic effects of retinoic acid and extracellular matrix on the formation and epithelialization of somites. Comparative analysis demonstrates marked similarities of axioloids to the human embryo, further validated by the presence of a Hox code in axioloids. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of axioloids for studying the pathogenesis of human congenital spine diseases using induced pluripotent stem cells with mutations in HES7 and MESP2. Our results indicate that axioloids represent a promising platform for the study of axial development and disease in humans.
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74
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Luo Q, Pui HP, Chen J, Yu L, Jannig PR, Pei Y, Zhao L, Chen X, Petropoulos S, Ruas JL, Wu J, Deng Q. Epiblast-like stem cells established by Wnt/β-catenin signaling manifest distinct features of formative pluripotency and germline competence. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112021. [PMID: 36848234 PMCID: PMC10026833 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Different formative pluripotent stem cells harboring similar functional properties have been recently established to be lineage neutral and germline competent yet have distinct molecular identities. Here, we show that WNT/β-catenin signaling activation sustains transient mouse epiblast-like cells as epiblast-like stem cells (EpiLSCs). EpiLSCs display metastable formative pluripotency with bivalent cellular energy metabolism and unique transcriptomic features and chromatin accessibility. We develop single-cell stage label transfer (scSTALT) to study the formative pluripotency continuum and reveal that EpiLSCs recapitulate a unique developmental period in vivo, filling the gap of the formative pluripotency continuum between other published formative stem cells. WNT/β-catenin signaling activation counteracts differentiation effects of activin A and bFGF by preventing complete dissolution of naive pluripotency regulatory network. Moreover, EpiLSCs have direct competence toward germline specification, which is further matured by an FGF receptor inhibitor. Our EpiLSCs can serve as an in vitro model for mimicking and studying early post-implantation development and pluripotency transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing Luo
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Han-Pin Pui
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Jiayu Chen
- Clinical and Translation Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity & Infant Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Signaling and Disease Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 20092, China; Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, Tongji University, Shanghai 20092, China
| | - Leqian Yu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Paulo R Jannig
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yu Pei
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linxuan Zhao
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Xingqi Chen
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 85 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Sophie Petropoulos
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Department of Clinical Science, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, 141 52 Huddinge, Sweden; Department of Medicine, Centre de recherche du CHUM, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC H2X 0A9, Canada
| | - Jorge L Ruas
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jun Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Qiaolin Deng
- Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden; Center for Molecular Medicine, Karolinska University Hospital, 171 77 Stockholm, Sweden.
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75
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Kirkwood‐Johnson L, Marikawa Y. Developmental toxicity of remdesivir, an anti-COVID-19 drug, is implicated by in vitro assays using morphogenetic embryoid bodies of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells. Birth Defects Res 2023; 115:224-239. [PMID: 36349436 PMCID: PMC9877128 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 10/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Remdesivir is an antiviral drug approved for the treatment of COVID-19, whose developmental toxicity remains unclear. More information about the safety of remdesivir is urgently needed for people of childbearing potential, who are affected by the ongoing pandemic. Morphogenetic embryoid bodies (MEBs) are three-dimensional (3D) aggregates of pluripotent stem cells that recapitulate embryonic body patterning in vitro, and have been used as effective embryo models to detect the developmental toxicity of chemical exposures specifically and sensitively. METHODS MEBs were generated from mouse P19C5 and human H9 pluripotent stem cells, and used to examine the effects of remdesivir. The morphological effects were assessed by analyzing the morphometric parameters of MEBs after exposure to varying concentrations of remdesivir. The molecular impact of remdesivir was evaluated by measuring the transcript levels of developmental regulator genes. RESULTS The mouse MEB morphogenesis was impaired by remdesivir at 1-8 μM. Remdesivir affected MEBs in a manner dependent on metabolic conversion, and its potency was higher than GS-441524 and GS-621763, presumptive anti-COVID-19 drugs that act similarly to remdesivir. The expressions of developmental regulator genes, particularly those involved in axial and somite patterning, were dysregulated by remdesivir. The early stage of MEB development was more vulnerable to remdesivir exposure than the later stage. The morphogenesis and gene expression profiles of human MEBs were also impaired by remdesivir at 1-8 μM. CONCLUSIONS Remdesivir impaired mouse and human MEBs at concentrations that are comparable to the therapeutic plasma levels in humans, urging further investigation into the potential impact of remdesivir on developing embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Kirkwood‐Johnson
- Developmental and Reproductive Biology Graduate Program, Institute for Biogenesis Research, Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and PhysiologyJohn A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at ManoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
| | - Yusuke Marikawa
- Developmental and Reproductive Biology Graduate Program, Institute for Biogenesis Research, Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry and PhysiologyJohn A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at ManoaHonoluluHawaiiUSA
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76
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Wu B, Yang Z, Liu Y, Li J, Chen C, Li X, Bao S. A chemically defined system supports two distinct types of stem cell from a single blastocyst and their self-assembly to generate blastoid. Cell Prolif 2023:e13396. [PMID: 36593753 DOI: 10.1111/cpr.13396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The pluripotent stem cells exist in a narrow window during early development and its derivation depends on intrinsic and extrinsic growth signalling in vitro. It has remained challenging to derive two or three distinct cell lines that are representative of blastocyst-stage lineages from one preimplantation embryo simultaneously in a chemical defined condition. Therefore, it is desirable to establish a system by manipulating extrinsic signalling in culture to derive multiple types of stem cells from a single blastocyst. This study used a defined medium containing Activin A, WNT activator and LIF (ACL medium), enabling establishment of ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells from one blastocyst. ACL-blastoids were generated by suspending ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells with ACL-blastoid medium in three-dimensional culture system. Lineage markers expression of ACL-blastoids were performed by immunofluorescence. Our results indicate that ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells derived from one blastocyst represent ICM and PrE lineages. Importantly, we obtained ACL-blastoid from ACL-ESCs and ACL-XEN cells self-aggregation, partially recapitulating early development and initiation of early implantation events. This study would not only provide ACL culture system for derivation and maintenance of two types of cell lines corresponding to ICM as well as PrE, but also reconstruct blastoids with them to deepen our understanding of early embryogenesis and widen insights into translational application of stem cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baojiang Wu
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Zhiqing Yang
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Yijie Liu
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Jianwen Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Chen Chen
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
| | - Xihe Li
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Inner Mongolia Saikexing Institute of Breeding and Reproductive Biotechnology in Domestic Animal, Hohhot, China
| | - Siqin Bao
- The State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Regulation and Breeding of Grassland Livestock, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China.,Research Centre for Animal Genetic Resources of Mongolia Plateau, College of Life Sciences, Inner Mongolia University, Hohhot, China
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77
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Amel A, Rossouw S, Goolam M. Gastruloids: A Novel System for Disease Modelling and Drug Testing. Stem Cell Rev Rep 2023; 19:104-113. [PMID: 36308705 DOI: 10.1007/s12015-022-10462-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
By virtue of its inaccessible nature, mammalian implantation stage development has remained one of the most enigmatic and hard to investigate periods of embryogenesis. Derived from pluripotent stem cells, gastruloids recapitulate key aspects of gastrula-stage embryos and have emerged as a powerful in vitro tool to study the architectural features of early post-implantation embryos. While the majority of the work in this emerging field has focused on the use of gastruloids to model embryogenesis, their tractable nature and suitability for high-throughput scaling, has presented an unprecedented opportunity to investigate both developmental and environmental aberrations to the embryo as they occur in vitro. This review summarises the recent developments in the use of gastruloids to model congenital anomalies, their usage in teratogenicity testing, and the current limitations of this emerging field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Atoosa Amel
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Simoné Rossouw
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mubeen Goolam
- Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa. .,UCT Neuroscience Institute, Cape Town, South Africa.
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78
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Duan H, Cheng T, Cheng H. Spatially resolved transcriptomics: advances and applications. BLOOD SCIENCE 2023; 5:1-14. [PMID: 36742187 PMCID: PMC9891446 DOI: 10.1097/bs9.0000000000000141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Spatial transcriptomics, which is capable of both measuring all gene activity in a tissue sample and mapping where this activity occurs, is vastly improving our understanding of biological processes and disease. The field has expanded rapidly in recent years, and the development of several new technologies has resulted in spatially resolved transcriptomics (SRT) becoming highly multiplexed, high-resolution, and high-throughput. Here, we summarize and compare the major methods of SRT, including imaging-based methods, sequencing-based methods, and in situ sequencing methods. We also highlight some typical applications of SRT in neuroscience, cancer biology, developmental biology, and hematology. Finally, we discuss future possibilities for improving spatially resolved transcriptomic methods and the expected applications of such methods, especially in the adult bone marrow, anticipating that new developments will unlock the full potential of spatially resolved multi-omics in both biological research and the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honglin Duan
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Tao Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
- Center for Stem Cell Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, China
- Department of Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
| | - Hui Cheng
- State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
- Center for Stem Cell Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Tianjin, China
- Department of Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
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79
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Wnt signaling and the regulation of pluripotency. Curr Top Dev Biol 2023; 153:95-119. [PMID: 36967203 DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/11/2023]
Abstract
The role of Wnt signaling in stem cells has been mired in seemingly contradictory findings. On one hand, Wnt has been heralded as a self-renewal factor. On the other hand, Wnt's association with differentiation and lineage commitment is indisputable. This apparent contradiction is particularly evident in pluripotent stem cells, where Wnt promotes self-renewal as well as differentiation. To resolve this discrepancy one must delve into fundamental principles of pluripotency and gain an appreciation for the concept of pluripotency states, which exist in a continuum with intermediate metastable states, some of which have been stabilized in vitro. Wnt signaling is a critical regulator of transitions between pluripotent states. Here, we will discuss Wnt's roles in maintaining pluripotency, promoting differentiation, as well as stimulating reprogramming of somatic cells to an induced pluripotent state.
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80
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Amadei G, Glover DM. Behind the developing brains and beating hearts of stem cell-derived embryo models. Open Biol 2023; 13:220325. [PMID: 36630196 PMCID: PMC9833437 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.220325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies over the past decade have shown how stem cells representing embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues of the mouse can self-assemble in the culture dish to recapitulate an astonishing part of early embryonic development. A systematic analysis has demonstrated how pluripotent embryonic stem cells can be induced to behave like the implanting epiblast; how they can interact with trophectoderm stem cells to form a patterned structure resembling the implanting embryo prior to gastrulation; and how the third stem cell type-extra-embryonic endoderm cells-can be incorporated to generate structures that undergo the cell movements and gene expression patterns of gastrulation. Moreover, such stem cell-derived embryo models can proceed to neurulation and establish progenitors for all parts of the brain and neural tube, somites, beating heart structures and gut tube. They develop within extra-embryonic yolk sacs that initiate haematopoiesis. Here we trace this journey of discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - David M Glover
- Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
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81
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Thowfeequ S, Srinivas S. Embryonic and extraembryonic tissues during mammalian development: shifting boundaries in time and space. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210255. [PMID: 36252217 PMCID: PMC9574638 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The first few days of embryonic development in eutherian mammals are dedicated to the specification and elaboration of the extraembryonic tissues. However, where the fetus ends and its adnexa begins is not always as self-evident during the early stages of development, when the definitive body axes are still being laid down, the germ layers being specified and a discrete form or bodyplan is yet to emerge. Function, anatomy, histomorphology and molecular identities have been used through the history of embryology, to make this distinction. In this review, we explore them individually by using specific examples from the early embryo. While highlighting the challenges of drawing discrete boundaries between embryonic and extraembryonic tissues and the limitations of a binary categorization, we discuss how basing such identity on fate is the most universal and conceptually consistent. This article is part of the theme issue 'Extraembryonic tissues: exploring concepts, definitions and functions across the animal kingdom'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shifaan Thowfeequ
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
| | - Shankar Srinivas
- Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3QX, UK
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82
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Scialdone A, Rivron N. In preprints: improving and interrogating embryo models. Development 2022; 149:285864. [PMID: 36475526 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Scialdone
- Institute of Epigenetics and Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, D-81377 Munich, Germany.,Institute of Functional Epigenetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany.,Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, D-85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Nicolas Rivron
- Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (IMBA), Vienna BioCenter (VBC), 1030 Wien, Austria
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83
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Qin Y, Huang X, Cai Z, Cai B, He J, Yao Y, Zhou C, Kuang J, Yang Y, Chen H, Chen Y, Ou S, Chen L, Wu F, Guo N, Yuan Y, Zhang X, Pang W, Feng Z, Yu S, Liu J, Cao S, Pei D. Regeneration of the human segmentation clock in somitoids in vitro. EMBO J 2022; 41:e110928. [PMID: 36245268 PMCID: PMC9713707 DOI: 10.15252/embj.2022110928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Each vertebrate species appears to have a unique timing mechanism for forming somites along the vertebral column, and the process in human remains poorly understood at the molecular level due to technical and ethical limitations. Here, we report the reconstitution of human segmentation clock by direct reprogramming. We first reprogrammed human urine epithelial cells to a presomitic mesoderm (PSM) state capable of long-term self-renewal and formation of somitoids with an anterior-to-posterior axis. By inserting the RNA reporter Pepper into HES7 and MESP2 loci of these iPSM cells, we show that both transcripts oscillate in the resulting somitoids at ~5 h/cycle. GFP-tagged endogenous HES7 protein moves along the anterior-to-posterior axis during somitoid formation. The geo-sequencing analysis further confirmed anterior-to-posterior polarity and revealed the localized expression of WNT, BMP, FGF, and RA signaling molecules and HOXA-D family members. Our study demonstrates the direct reconstitution of human segmentation clock from somatic cells, which may allow future dissection of the mechanism and components of such a clock and aid regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Qin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Xingnan Huang
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Zepo Cai
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Baomei Cai
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Jiangping He
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Yuxiang Yao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Chunhua Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Junqi Kuang
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yihang Yang
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Huan Chen
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Yating Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Sihua Ou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Lijun Chen
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Joint School of Life Science, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academic and SciencesGuangzhou Medical UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Fang Wu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Ning Guo
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
| | - Yapei Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Xiangyu Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Wei Pang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
| | - Ziyu Feng
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Shengyong Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Jing Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and HealthChinese Academy of SciencesGuangzhouChina
- University of the Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
| | - Shangtao Cao
- Center for Cell Lineage and AtlasBioland Laboratory (Guangzhou Regenerative Medicine and Health Guangdong Laboratory)GuangzhouChina
- Guangzhou LaboratoryGuangzhouChina
| | - Duanqing Pei
- Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life SciencesWestlake UniversityHangzhouChina
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84
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DNA methyltransferases 3A and 3B target specific sequences during mouse gastrulation. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2022; 29:1252-1265. [PMID: 36510023 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-022-00885-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In mammalian embryos, DNA methylation is initialized to maximum levels in the epiblast by the de novo DNA methyltransferases DNMT3A and DNMT3B before gastrulation diversifies it across regulatory regions. Here we show that DNMT3A and DNMT3B are differentially regulated during endoderm and mesoderm bifurcation and study the implications in vivo and in meso-endoderm embryoid bodies. Loss of both Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b impairs exit from the epiblast state. More subtly, independent loss of Dnmt3a or Dnmt3b leads to small biases in mesoderm-endoderm bifurcation and transcriptional deregulation. Epigenetically, DNMT3A and DNMT3B drive distinct methylation kinetics in the epiblast, as can be predicted from their strand-specific sequence preferences. The enzymes compensate for each other in the epiblast, but can later facilitate lineage-specific methylation kinetics as their expression diverges. Single-cell analysis shows that differential activity of DNMT3A and DNMT3B combines with replication-linked methylation turnover to increase epigenetic plasticity in gastrulation. Together, these findings outline a dynamic model for the use of DNMT3A and DNMT3B sequence specificity during gastrulation.
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85
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Paredes-Espinosa MB, Paluh JL. Human stem cell-derived neurons and neural circuitry therapeutics: Next frontier in spinal cord injury repair. Exp Biol Med (Maywood) 2022; 247:2142-2151. [PMID: 35974701 PMCID: PMC9837306 DOI: 10.1177/15353702221114099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) remains a life-altering event that devastates those injured and the families that support them. Numerous laboratories are engaged in preclinical and clinical trials to repair the injured spinal cord with stem cell-derived therapeutics. A new developmental paradigm reveals early bifurcation of brain or trunk neurons in mammals via neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs) relevant to therapies requiring homotypic spinal cord neural populations. Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) NMP-derived spinal motor neurons generated ex vivo following this natural developmental route demonstrate robust survival in vivo when delivered as suspension grafts or as in vitro preformed encapsulated neuronal circuitry when transplanted into a rat C4-C5 hemicontusion injury site. Use of in vitro matured neurons avoids in vivo differentiation challenges of using pluripotent hiPSC or multipotent neural stem cell (NSC) or mesenchymal stem cell therapeutics. In this review, we provide an injury to therapeutics overview focusing on how stem cell and developmental fields are merging to generate exquisitely matched spinal motor neurons for SCI therapeutic studies. The complexity of the SCI microenvironment generated by trauma to neurons and vasculature, along with infiltrating inflammatory cells and scarring, underlies the challenging cytokine microenvironment that therapeutic cells encounter. An overview of evolving but limited stem cell-based SCI therapies that have progressed from preclinical to clinical trials illustrates the challenges and need for additional stem cell-based therapeutic approaches. The focus here on neurons describes how NMP-based neurotechnologies are advancing parallel strategies such as transplantation of preformed neuronal circuitry as well as human in vitro gastruloid multicellular models of trunk central and peripheral nervous system integration with organs. NMP-derived neurons are expected to be powerful drivers of the next generation of SCI therapeutics and integrate well with combination therapies that may utilize alternate biomimetic scaffolds for bridging injuries or flexible biodegradable electronics for electrostimulation.
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86
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Hamidi S, Alev C. In vitro models of pre- and post-gastrulation embryonic development. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2022; 77:101985. [PMID: 36244078 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2022.101985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The successful derivation and culture of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is tightly connected with the study of embryonic development, and was made largely possible by advances in in vitro fertilization and blastocyst culture during the latter half of the last century [1,2]. Since then, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells have been extensively used to derive a plethora of functional cell types in vitro, heavily relying on and utilizing insights into cellular differentiation won from developmental biological studies in model organisms. Excitingly, PSCs are now being increasingly used to reconstitute and analyze complex aspects of mouse and human embryonic development. These bottom-up approaches are starting to provide novel insights into core developmental processes and biological questions and may ultimately help decipher the biological principles that underlie the emergence of form and function during development. This mini review summarizes the latest advances and recent breakthroughs in this rapidly growing field of research on PSC-based in vitro models of early embryonic development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofiane Hamidi
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
| | - Cantas Alev
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan.
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87
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Wehmeyer AE, Schüle KM, Conrad A, Schröder CM, Probst S, Arnold SJ. Chimeric 3D gastruloids - a versatile tool for studies of mammalian peri-gastrulation development. Development 2022; 149:280536. [PMID: 36326003 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Stem cell-derived three-dimensional (3D) gastruloids show a remarkable capacity of self-organisation and recapitulate many aspects of gastrulation stage mammalian development. Gastruloids can be rapidly generated and offer several experimental advantages, such as scalability, observability and accessibility for manipulation. Here, we present approaches to further expand the experimental potency of murine 3D gastruloids by using functional genetics in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to generate chimeric gastruloids. In chimeric gastruloids, fluorescently labelled cells of different genotypes harbouring inducible gene expression or loss-of-function alleles are combined with wild-type cells. We showcase this experimental approach in chimeric gastruloids of mESCs carrying homozygous deletions of the Tbx transcription factor brachyury or inducible expression of Eomes. Resulting chimeric gastruloids recapitulate reported Eomes and brachyury functions, such as instructing cardiac fate and promoting posterior axial extension, respectively. Additionally, chimeric gastruloids revealed previously unrecognised phenotypes, such as the tissue sorting preference of brachyury deficient cells to endoderm and the cell non-autonomous effects of brachyury deficiency on Wnt3a patterning along the embryonic axis, demonstrating some of the advantages of chimeric gastruloids as an efficient tool for studies of mammalian gastrulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra E Wehmeyer
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Katrin M Schüle
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Alexandra Conrad
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Chiara M Schröder
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Spemann Graduate School of Biology and Medicine (SGBM), University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 19a, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 1, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Signaling Research Centers BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 18, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Simone Probst
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian J Arnold
- Institute of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Albertstrasse 25, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany.,Signaling Research Centers BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestrasse 18, D-79104 Freiburg, Germany
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88
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Sozen B, Conkar D, Veenvliet JV. Carnegie in 4D? Stem-cell-based models of human embryo development. Semin Cell Dev Biol 2022; 131:44-57. [PMID: 35701286 DOI: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2022.05.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
How cells build embryos is still a major mystery. Many unresolved questions require the study of the processes that pattern and shape the embryo in live specimens, in toto, across spatial and temporal scales. In mammalian embryogenesis, this remains a major challenge as the embryo develops in utero, precluding easy accessibility. For human embryos, technical, ethical and legal limitations further hamper the in-depth investigation of embryogenesis, especially beyond gastrulation stages. This has resulted in an over-reliance on model organisms, particularly mice, to understand mammalian development. However, recent efforts show critical differences between rodent and primate embryos, including timing, architecture and transcriptional regulation. Thus, a human-centric understanding of embryogenesis is much needed. To empower this, novel in vitro approaches, which coax human pluripotent stem cells to form embryonic organoids that model embryo development, are pivotal. Here, we summarize these emergent technologies that recapitulate aspects of human development "in a dish". We show how these technologies can provide insights into the molecular, cellular and morphogenetic processes that fuel the formation of a fully formed fetus, and discuss the potential of these platforms to revolutionize our understanding of human development in health and disease. Despite their clear promise, we caution against over-interpreting the extent to which these in vitro platforms model the natural embryo. In particular, we discuss how fate, form and function - a tightly coupled trinity in vivo, can be disconnected in vitro. Finally, we propose how careful benchmarking of existing models, in combination with rational protocol design based on an increased understanding of in vivo developmental dynamics and insights from mouse in vitro models of embryo development, will help guide the establishment of better models of human embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Berna Sozen
- Department of Genetics, Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06510, USA; Yale Stem Cell Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
| | - Deniz Conkar
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Jesse V Veenvliet
- Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Pfotenhauerstrasse 108, 01307 Dresden, Germany; Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany.
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89
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Glykofrydis F, Elfick A. Exploring standards for multicellular mammalian synthetic biology. Trends Biotechnol 2022; 40:1299-1312. [PMID: 35803769 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibtech.2022.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Synthetic biology is moving towards bioengineering multicellular mammalian systems that are poised to advance tissue engineering, biomedicine, and the food industry. Despite progress, the field lacks a framework of standards that could greatly accelerate further development. Here, we explore the landscape of standards for multicellular mammalian synthetic biology. We discuss the limits of current technical standards and categorise unaddressed parameters into an abstraction hierarchy. We then define the concept of a 'synthetic multicellular mammalian system' and apply our standard hierarchy framework to illustrate how it could aid bioengineering endeavours. We conclude with promising areas that could shape the future of the field, flagging the need for a critical and holistic consideration of standards that requires cross-disciplinary dialogue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fokion Glykofrydis
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK; UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3BD, UK
| | - Alistair Elfick
- Institute for Bioengineering, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK; UK Centre for Mammalian Synthetic Biology, University of Edinburgh, King's Buildings, Edinburgh, EH9 3BD, UK.
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90
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Park J, Hsiung HA, Khven I, La Manno G, Lutolf MP. Self-organizing in vitro mouse neural tube organoids mimic embryonic development. Development 2022; 149:dev201052. [PMID: 36268933 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The embryonic neural tube is the origin of the entire adult nervous system, and disturbances in its development cause life-threatening birth defects. However, the study of mammalian neural tube development is limited by the lack of physiologically realistic three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models. Here, we report a self-organizing 3D neural tube organoid model derived from single mouse embryonic stem cells that exhibits an in vivo-like tissue architecture, cell type composition and anterior-posterior (AP) patterning. Moreover, maturation of the neural tube organoids showed the emergence of multipotent neural crest cells and mature neurons. Single-cell transcriptome analyses revealed the sequence of transcriptional events in the emergence of neural crest cells and neural differentiation. Thanks to the accessibility of this model, phagocytosis of migrating neural crest cells could be observed in real time for the first time in a mammalian model. We thus introduce a tractable in vitro model to study some of the key morphogenetic and cell type derivation events during early neural development.
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Affiliation(s)
- JiSoo Park
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Hao-An Hsiung
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Irina Khven
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopmental Systems Biology, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Gioele La Manno
- Laboratory of Neurodevelopmental Systems Biology, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
| | - Matthias P Lutolf
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
- Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne 1015, Vaud, Switzerland
- Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering (ITB), Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel 4058, Switzerland
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91
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Abstract
The complex process by which a single-celled zygote develops into a viable embryo is nothing short of a miraculous wonder of the natural world. Elucidating how this process is orchestrated in humans has long eluded the grasp of scientists due to ethical and practical limitations. Thankfully, pluripotent stem cells that resemble early developmental cell types possess the ability to mimic specific embryonic events. As such, murine and human stem cells have been leveraged by scientists to create in vitro models that aim to recapitulate different stages of early mammalian development. Here, we examine the wide variety of stem cell-based embryo models that have been developed to recapitulate and study embryonic events, from pre-implantation development through to early organogenesis. We discuss the applications of these models, key considerations regarding their importance within the field, and how such models are expected to grow and evolve to achieve exciting new milestones in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aidan H. Terhune
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jeyoon Bok
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Shiyu Sun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Jianping Fu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
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92
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López-Anguita N, Gassaloglu SI, Stötzel M, Bolondi A, Conkar D, Typou M, Buschow R, Veenvliet JV, Bulut-Karslioglu A. Hypoxia induces an early primitive streak signature, enhancing spontaneous elongation and lineage representation in gastruloids. Development 2022; 149:dev200679. [PMID: 36102628 PMCID: PMC9578691 DOI: 10.1242/dev.200679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The cellular microenvironment, together with intrinsic regulators, shapes stem cell identity and differentiation capacity. Mammalian early embryos are exposed to hypoxia in vivo and appear to benefit from hypoxic culture in vitro. Yet, how hypoxia influences stem cell transcriptional networks and lineage choices remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated the molecular effects of acute and prolonged hypoxia on embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cells as well as the functional impact on differentiation potential. We find a temporal and cell type-specific transcriptional response including an early primitive streak signature in hypoxic embryonic stem cells mediated by HIF1α. Using a 3D gastruloid differentiation model, we show that hypoxia-induced T expression enables symmetry breaking and axial elongation in the absence of exogenous WNT activation. When combined with exogenous WNT activation, hypoxia enhances lineage representation in gastruloids, as demonstrated by highly enriched signatures of gut endoderm, notochord, neuromesodermal progenitors and somites. Our findings directly link the microenvironment to stem cell function and provide a rationale supportive of applying physiological conditions in models of embryo development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalia López-Anguita
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Seher Ipek Gassaloglu
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Stembryogenesis Lab, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Maximilian Stötzel
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Adriano Bolondi
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Deniz Conkar
- Stembryogenesis Lab, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Marina Typou
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
- Medical School, Democritus University of Thrace, 681 00 Alexandroupoli, Greece
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, International Hellenic University, 570 01, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - René Buschow
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jesse V. Veenvliet
- Stembryogenesis Lab, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, 01307 Dresden, Germany
- Cluster of Excellence Physics of Life, Technische Universität Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Aydan Bulut-Karslioglu
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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93
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Lau KYC, Rubinstein H, Gantner CW, Hadas R, Amadei G, Stelzer Y, Zernicka-Goetz M. Mouse embryo model derived exclusively from embryonic stem cells undergoes neurulation and heart development. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:1445-1458.e8. [PMID: 36084657 PMCID: PMC9648694 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Revised: 08/15/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Several in vitro models have been developed to recapitulate mouse embryogenesis solely from embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Despite mimicking many aspects of early development, they fail to capture the interactions between embryonic and extraembryonic tissues. To overcome this difficulty, we have developed a mouse ESC-based in vitro model that reconstitutes the pluripotent ESC lineage and the two extraembryonic lineages of the post-implantation embryo by transcription-factor-mediated induction. This unified model recapitulates developmental events from embryonic day 5.5 to 8.5, including gastrulation; formation of the anterior-posterior axis, brain, and a beating heart structure; and the development of extraembryonic tissues, including yolk sac and chorion. Comparing single-cell RNA sequencing from individual structures with time-matched natural embryos identified remarkably similar transcriptional programs across lineages but also showed when and where the model diverges from the natural program. Our findings demonstrate an extraordinary plasticity of ESCs to self-organize and generate a whole-embryo-like structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasey Y C Lau
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Hernan Rubinstein
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Carlos W Gantner
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Ron Hadas
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel; California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA
| | - Gianluca Amadei
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK
| | - Yonatan Stelzer
- Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 7610001 Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EG, UK; California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA.
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94
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Bao M, Cornwall-Scoones J, Zernicka-Goetz M. Stem-cell-based human and mouse embryo models. Curr Opin Genet Dev 2022; 76:101970. [PMID: 35988317 PMCID: PMC10309046 DOI: 10.1016/j.gde.2022.101970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic embryology aims to develop embryo-like structures from stem cells to provide new insight into early stages of mammalian development. Recent advances in synthetic embryology have highlighted the remarkable capacity of stem cells to self-organize under certain biochemical or biophysical stimulations, generating structures that recapitulate the fate and form of early mouse/human embryos, in which symmetry breaking, pattern formation, or proper morphogenesis can be observed spontaneously. Here we review recent progress on the design principles for different types of embryoids and discuss the impact of different biochemical and biophysical factors on the process of stem-cell self-organization. We also offer our thoughts about the principal future challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Bao
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Mammalian Embryo and Stem Cell Group, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK. https://twitter.com/@Min_Bao_
| | - Jake Cornwall-Scoones
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK. https://twitter.com/@jake_cs_
| | - Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
- California Institute of Technology, Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA; Mammalian Embryo and Stem Cell Group, Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK.
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95
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Amadei G, Handford CE, Qiu C, De Jonghe J, Greenfeld H, Tran M, Martin BK, Chen DY, Aguilera-Castrejon A, Hanna JH, Elowitz MB, Hollfelder F, Shendure J, Glover DM, Zernicka-Goetz M. Embryo model completes gastrulation to neurulation and organogenesis. Nature 2022; 610:143-153. [PMID: 36007540 PMCID: PMC9534772 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05246-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 55.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic stem (ES) cells can undergo many aspects of mammalian embryogenesis in vitro1-5, but their developmental potential is substantially extended by interactions with extraembryonic stem cells, including trophoblast stem (TS) cells, extraembryonic endoderm stem (XEN) cells and inducible XEN (iXEN) cells6-11. Here we assembled stem cell-derived embryos in vitro from mouse ES cells, TS cells and iXEN cells and showed that they recapitulate the development of whole natural mouse embryo in utero up to day 8.5 post-fertilization. Our embryo model displays headfolds with defined forebrain and midbrain regions and develops a beating heart-like structure, a trunk comprising a neural tube and somites, a tail bud containing neuromesodermal progenitors, a gut tube, and primordial germ cells. This complete embryo model develops within an extraembryonic yolk sac that initiates blood island development. Notably, we demonstrate that the neurulating embryo model assembled from Pax6-knockout ES cells aggregated with wild-type TS cells and iXEN cells recapitulates the ventral domain expansion of the neural tube that occurs in natural, ubiquitous Pax6-knockout embryos. Thus, these complete embryoids are a powerful in vitro model for dissecting the roles of diverse cell lineages and genes in development. Our results demonstrate the self-organization ability of ES cells and two types of extraembryonic stem cells to reconstitute mammalian development through and beyond gastrulation to neurulation and early organogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianluca Amadei
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Charlotte E Handford
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Chengxiang Qiu
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joachim De Jonghe
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Hannah Greenfeld
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Martin Tran
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Beth K Martin
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Dong-Yuan Chen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Jacob H Hanna
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Michael B Elowitz
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Allen Discovery Center for Cell Lineage Tracing, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jay Shendure
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Allen Discovery Center for Cell Lineage Tracing, Seattle, WA, USA
- Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David M Glover
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
- Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Centre for Trophoblast Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Allen Discovery Center for Cell Lineage Tracing, Seattle, WA, USA.
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96
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Wen L, Tang F. Organoid research on human early development and beyond. MEDICAL REVIEW (BERLIN, GERMANY) 2022; 2:512-523. [PMID: 37724162 PMCID: PMC10471100 DOI: 10.1515/mr-2022-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 09/20/2023]
Abstract
The organoid field has been developing rapidly during the last decade. Organoids for human pre-, peri- and post-implantation development have opened an avenue to study these biological processes in vitro, which have been hampered by lack of accessible research models for long term. The technologies of four fields, single cell omics sequencing, genome editing and lineage tracing, microfluidics and tissue engineering, have fueled the rapid development of the organoid field. In this review, we will discuss the organoid research on human early development as well as future directions of the organoid field combining with other powerful technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Wen
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
| | - Fuchou Tang
- Biomedical Pioneering Innovation Center, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, P. R. China
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97
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Zheng Y, Yan RZ, Sun S, Kobayashi M, Xiang L, Yang R, Goedel A, Kang Y, Xue X, Esfahani SN, Liu Y, Resto Irizarry AM, Wu W, Li Y, Ji W, Niu Y, Chien KR, Li T, Shioda T, Fu J. Single-cell analysis of embryoids reveals lineage diversification roadmaps of early human development. Cell Stem Cell 2022; 29:1402-1419.e8. [PMID: 36055194 PMCID: PMC9499422 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2022.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2021] [Revised: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 08/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Despite its clinical and fundamental importance, our understanding of early human development remains limited. Stem cell-derived, embryo-like structures (or embryoids) allowing studies of early development without using natural embryos can potentially help fill the knowledge gap of human development. Herein, transcriptome at the single-cell level of a human embryoid model was profiled at different time points. Molecular maps of lineage diversifications from the pluripotent human epiblast toward the amniotic ectoderm, primitive streak/mesoderm, and primordial germ cells were constructed and compared with in vivo primate data. The comparative transcriptome analyses reveal a critical role of NODAL signaling in human mesoderm and primordial germ cell specification, which is further functionally validated. Through comparative transcriptome analyses and validations with human blastocysts and in vitro cultured cynomolgus embryos, we further proposed stringent criteria for distinguishing between human blastocyst trophectoderm and early amniotic ectoderm cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zheng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
| | - Robin Zhexuan Yan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Shiyu Sun
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Mutsumi Kobayashi
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Lifeng Xiang
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Ran Yang
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Alexander Goedel
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Yu Kang
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Xufeng Xue
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yue Liu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | | | - Weisheng Wu
- BRCF Bioinformatics Core, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Yunxiu Li
- Department of Reproductive Medicine, the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, Kunming, China
| | - Weizhi Ji
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Yuyu Niu
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Kenneth R Chien
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm 171 77, Sweden
| | - Tianqing Li
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, China
| | - Toshihiro Shioda
- Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jianping Fu
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
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98
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Bao M, Cornwall-Scoones J, Sanchez-Vasquez E, Cox AL, Chen DY, De Jonghe J, Shadkhoo S, Hollfelder F, Thomson M, Glover DM, Zernicka-Goetz M. Stem cell-derived synthetic embryos self-assemble by exploiting cadherin codes and cortical tension. Nat Cell Biol 2022; 24:1341-1349. [PMID: 36100738 PMCID: PMC9481465 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-022-00984-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian embryos sequentially differentiate into trophectoderm and an inner cell mass, the latter of which differentiates into primitive endoderm and epiblast. Trophoblast stem (TS), extraembryonic endoderm (XEN) and embryonic stem (ES) cells derived from these three lineages can self-assemble into synthetic embryos, but the mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that a stem cell-specific cadherin code drives synthetic embryogenesis. The XEN cell cadherin code enables XEN cell sorting into a layer below ES cells, recapitulating the sorting of epiblast and primitive endoderm before implantation. The TS cell cadherin code enables TS cell sorting above ES cells, resembling extraembryonic ectoderm clustering above epiblast following implantation. Whereas differential cadherin expression drives initial cell sorting, cortical tension consolidates tissue organization. By optimizing cadherin code expression in different stem cell lines, we tripled the frequency of correctly formed synthetic embryos. Thus, by exploiting cadherin codes from different stages of development, lineage-specific stem cells bypass the preimplantation structure to directly assemble a postimplantation embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Bao
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- Mammalian Embryo and Stem Cell Group, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jake Cornwall-Scoones
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Estefania Sanchez-Vasquez
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Andy L Cox
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Dong-Yuan Chen
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Joachim De Jonghe
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shahriar Shadkhoo
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | | | - Matt Thomson
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - David M Glover
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA
| | - Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
- Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
- Mammalian Embryo and Stem Cell Group, Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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99
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Rossi G, Giger S, Hübscher T, Lutolf MP. Gastruloids as in vitro models of embryonic blood development with spatial and temporal resolution. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13380. [PMID: 35927563 PMCID: PMC9352713 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17265-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Gastruloids are three-dimensional embryonic organoids that reproduce key features of early mammalian development in vitro with unique scalability, accessibility, and spatiotemporal similarity to real embryos. Recently, we adapted the gastruloid culture conditions to promote cardiovascular development. In this work, we extended these conditions to capture features of embryonic blood development through a combination of immunophenotyping, detailed transcriptomics analysis, and identification of blood stem/progenitor cell potency. We uncovered the emergence of blood progenitor and erythroid-like cell populations in late gastruloids and showed the multipotent clonogenic capacity of these cells, both in vitro and after transplantation into irradiated mice. We also identified the spatial localization near a vessel-like plexus in the anterior portion of gastruloids with similarities to the emergence of blood stem cells in the mouse embryo. These results highlight the potential and applicability of gastruloids to the in vitro study of complex processes in embryonic blood development with spatiotemporal fidelity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuliana Rossi
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Vaud, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering (ITB), Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Sonja Giger
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Vaud, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Tania Hübscher
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Vaud, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Matthias P Lutolf
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Bioengineering, Institute of Bioengineering, School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Vaud, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Institute of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, School of Basic Science, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Vaud, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland. .,Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering (ITB), Roche Pharma Research and Early Development, Roche Innovation Center Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
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100
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Arias AM, Marikawa Y, Moris N. Gastruloids: Pluripotent stem cell models of mammalian gastrulation and embryo engineering. Dev Biol 2022; 488:35-46. [PMID: 35537519 PMCID: PMC9477185 DOI: 10.1016/j.ydbio.2022.05.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 05/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Gastrulation is a fundamental and critical process of animal development whereby the mass of cells that results from the proliferation of the zygote transforms itself into a recognizable outline of an organism. The last few years have seen the emergence of a number of experimental models of early mammalian embryogenesis based on Embryonic Stem (ES) cells. One of this is the Gastruloid model. Gastruloids are aggregates of defined numbers of ES cells that, under defined culture conditions, undergo controlled proliferation, symmetry breaking, and the specification of all three germ layers characteristic of vertebrate embryos, and their derivatives. However, they lack brain structures and, surprisingly, reveal a disconnect between cell type specific gene expression and tissue morphogenesis, for example during somitogenesis. Gastruloids have been derived from mouse and human ES cells and several variations of the original model have emerged that reveal a hereto unknown modularity of mammalian embryos. We discuss the organization and development of gastruloids in the context of the embryonic stages that they represent, pointing out similarities and differences between the two. We also point out their potential as a reproducible, scalable and searchable experimental system and highlight some questions posed by the current menagerie of gastruloids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfonso Martinez Arias
- Systems Bioengineering, MELIS, Universidad Pompeu Fabra, Doctor Aiguader, 88, ICREA, Pag Lluis Companys 23, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Yusuke Marikawa
- Institute for Biogenesis Research, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, 96813, USA
| | - Naomi Moris
- The Francis Crick Institute, 1 Midland Road, London, NW1 1AT, UK
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