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Yu L, Logsdon D, Pinzon-Arteaga CA, Duan J, Ezashi T, Wei Y, Ribeiro Orsi AE, Oura S, Liu L, Wang L, Liu K, Ding X, Zhan L, Zhang J, Nahar A, Stobbe C, Katz-Jaffe M, Schoolcraft WB, Tan T, Hon GC, Yuan Y, Wu J. Large-scale production of human blastoids amenable to modeling blastocyst development and maternal-fetal cross talk. Cell Stem Cell 2023; 30:1246-1261.e9. [PMID: 37683605 DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Recent advances in human blastoids have opened new avenues for modeling early human development and implantation. One limitation of our first protocol for human blastoid generation was relatively low efficiency. We now report an optimized protocol for the efficient generation of large quantities of high-fidelity human blastoids from naive pluripotent stem cells. This enabled proteomics analysis that identified phosphosite-specific signatures potentially involved in the derivation and/or maintenance of the signaling states in human blastoids. Additionally, we uncovered endometrial stromal effects in promoting trophoblast cell survival, proliferation, and syncytialization during co-culture with blastoids and blastocysts. Side-by-side single-cell RNA sequencing revealed similarities and differences in transcriptome profiles between pre-implantation blastoids and blastocysts, as well as post-implantation cultures, and uncovered a population resembling early migratory trophoblasts during co-culture with endometrial stromal cells. Our optimized protocol will facilitate broader use of human blastoids as an accessible, perturbable, scalable, and tractable model for human blastocysts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leqian Yu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; State Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Institute for Stem Cell and Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Deirdre Logsdon
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA
| | - Carlos A Pinzon-Arteaga
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Jialei Duan
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Toshihiko Ezashi
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA
| | - Yulei Wei
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China, Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Ana Elisa Ribeiro Orsi
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 05508-090, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Seiya Oura
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Lizhong Liu
- Department of Molecular Biology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Lei Wang
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA
| | - Kun Liu
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA; Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Xiaoyun Ding
- Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Linfeng Zhan
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, China; Yunan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Junfei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Animal Biotech Breeding, College of Biological Sciences, China, Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
| | - Asrafun Nahar
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA
| | - Caitlen Stobbe
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA
| | - Mandy Katz-Jaffe
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA
| | | | - Tao Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, China; Yunan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Kunming 650500, Yunnan, China
| | - Gary C Hon
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA; Department of Bioinformatics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
| | - Ye Yuan
- Colorado Center for Reproductive Medicine, Lone Tree, CO 80124, USA.
| | - Jun Wu
- Department of Molecular Biology, 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; Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390, USA.
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Chowdhary S, Hadjantonakis AK. Journey of the mouse primitive endoderm: from specification to maturation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210252. [PMID: 36252215 PMCID: PMC9574636 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The blastocyst is a conserved stage and distinct milestone in the development of the mammalian embryo. Blastocyst stage embryos comprise three cell lineages which arise through two sequential binary cell fate specification steps. In the first, extra-embryonic trophectoderm (TE) cells segregate from inner cell mass (ICM) cells. Subsequently, ICM cells acquire a pluripotent epiblast (Epi) or extra-embryonic primitive endoderm (PrE, also referred to as hypoblast) identity. In the mouse, nascent Epi and PrE cells emerge in a salt-and-pepper distribution in the early blastocyst and are subsequently sorted into adjacent tissue layers by the late blastocyst stage. Epi cells cluster at the interior of the ICM, while PrE cells are positioned on its surface interfacing the blastocyst cavity, where they display apicobasal polarity. As the embryo implants into the maternal uterus, cells at the periphery of the PrE epithelium, at the intersection with the TE, break away and migrate along the TE as they mature into parietal endoderm (ParE). PrE cells remaining in association with the Epi mature into visceral endoderm. In this review, we discuss our current understanding of the PrE from its specification to its maturation. 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)
- Sayali Chowdhary
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
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3
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Bora P, Gahurova L, Hauserova A, Stiborova M, Collier R, Potěšil D, Zdráhal Z, Bruce AW. DDX21 is a p38-MAPK-sensitive nucleolar protein necessary for mouse preimplantation embryo development and cell-fate specification. Open Biol 2021; 11:210092. [PMID: 34255976 PMCID: PMC8277471 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.210092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Successful navigation of the mouse preimplantation stages of development, during which three distinct blastocyst lineages are derived, represents a prerequisite for continued development. We previously identified a role for p38-mitogen-activated kinases (p38-MAPK) regulating blastocyst inner cell mass (ICM) cell fate, specifically primitive endoderm (PrE) differentiation, that is intimately linked to rRNA precursor processing, polysome formation and protein translation regulation. Here, we develop this work by assaying the role of DEAD-box RNA helicase 21 (DDX21), a known regulator of rRNA processing, in the context of p38-MAPK regulation of preimplantation mouse embryo development. We show nuclear DDX21 protein is robustly expressed from the 16-cell stage, becoming exclusively nucleolar during blastocyst maturation, a localization dependent on active p38-MAPK. siRNA-mediated clonal Ddx21 knockdown within developing embryos is associated with profound cell-autonomous and non-autonomous proliferation defects and reduced blastocyst volume, by the equivalent peri-implantation blastocyst stage. Moreover, ICM residing Ddx21 knockdown clones express the EPI marker NANOG but rarely express the PrE differentiation marker GATA4. These data contribute further significance to the emerging importance of lineage-specific translation regulation, as identified for p38-MAPK, during mouse preimplantation development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Bora
- Laboratory of Early Mammalian Developmental Biology (LEMDB), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Lenka Gahurova
- Laboratory of Early Mammalian Developmental Biology (LEMDB), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.,Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of Germ Cells, Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics, CAS, Rumburská 89, 27721 Liběchov, Czech Republic
| | - Andrea Hauserova
- Laboratory of Early Mammalian Developmental Biology (LEMDB), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Stiborova
- Laboratory of Early Mammalian Developmental Biology (LEMDB), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Rebecca Collier
- Laboratory of Early Mammalian Developmental Biology (LEMDB), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - David Potěšil
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Zbyněk Zdráhal
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, 62500 Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Alexander W Bruce
- Laboratory of Early Mammalian Developmental Biology (LEMDB), Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
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4
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p38-MAPK-mediated translation regulation during early blastocyst development is required for primitive endoderm differentiation in mice. Commun Biol 2021; 4:788. [PMID: 34172827 PMCID: PMC8233355 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02290-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Successful specification of the two mouse blastocyst inner cell mass (ICM) lineages (the primitive endoderm (PrE) and epiblast) is a prerequisite for continued development and requires active fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) signaling. Previously, we identified a role for p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38-MAPKs) during PrE differentiation, but the underlying mechanisms have remained unresolved. Here, we report an early blastocyst window of p38-MAPK activity that is required to regulate ribosome-related gene expression, rRNA precursor processing, polysome formation and protein translation. We show that p38-MAPK inhibition-induced PrE phenotypes can be partially rescued by activating the translational regulator mTOR. However, similar PrE phenotypes associated with extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway inhibition targeting active FGF4 signaling are not affected by mTOR activation. These data indicate a specific role for p38-MAPKs in providing a permissive translational environment during mouse blastocyst PrE differentiation that is distinct from classically reported FGF4-based mechanisms.
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5
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Simon CS, Rahman S, Raina D, Schröter C, Hadjantonakis AK. Live Visualization of ERK Activity in the Mouse Blastocyst Reveals Lineage-Specific Signaling Dynamics. Dev Cell 2020; 55:341-353.e5. [PMID: 33091370 PMCID: PMC7658048 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.09.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
FGF/ERK signaling is crucial for the patterning and proliferation of cell lineages that comprise the mouse blastocyst. However, ERK signaling dynamics have never been directly visualized in live embryos. To address whether differential signaling is associated with particular cell fates and states, we generated a targeted mouse line expressing an ERK-kinase translocation reporter (KTR) that enables live quantification of ERK activity at single-cell resolution. 3D time-lapse imaging of this biosensor in embryos revealed spatially graded ERK activity in the trophectoderm prior to overt polar versus mural differentiation. Within the inner cell mass (ICM), all cells relayed FGF/ERK signals with varying durations and magnitude. Primitive endoderm cells displayed higher overall levels of ERK activity, while pluripotent epiblast cells exhibited lower basal activity with sporadic pulses. These results constitute a direct visualization of signaling events during mammalian pre-implantation development and reveal the existence of spatial and temporal lineage-specific dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire S Simon
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Shahadat Rahman
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Dhruv Raina
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christian Schröter
- Department of Systemic Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology, Otto-Hahn-Strasse 11, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
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Roman-Trufero M, Ito CM, Pedebos C, Magdalou I, Wang YF, Karimi MM, Moyon B, Webster Z, di Gregorio A, Azuara V, Khalid S, Speck C, Rodriguez T, Dillon N. Evolution of an Amniote-Specific Mechanism for Modulating Ubiquitin Signaling via Phosphoregulation of the E2 Enzyme UBE2D3. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 37:1986-2001. [PMID: 32145025 PMCID: PMC7306689 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa060] [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] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic variation in the enzymes that catalyze posttranslational modification of proteins is a potentially important source of phenotypic variation during evolution. Ubiquitination is one such modification that affects turnover of virtually all of the proteins in the cell in addition to roles in signaling and epigenetic regulation. UBE2D3 is a promiscuous E2 enzyme, which acts as an ubiquitin donor for E3 ligases that catalyze ubiquitination of developmentally important proteins. We have used protein sequence comparison of UBE2D3 orthologs to identify a position in the C-terminal α-helical region of UBE2D3 that is occupied by a conserved serine in amniotes and by alanine in anamniote vertebrate and invertebrate lineages. Acquisition of the serine (S138) in the common ancestor to modern amniotes created a phosphorylation site for Aurora B. Phosphorylation of S138 disrupts the structure of UBE2D3 and reduces the level of the protein in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Substitution of S138 with the anamniote alanine (S138A) increases the level of UBE2D3 in ESCs as well as being a gain of function early embryonic lethal mutation in mice. When mutant S138A ESCs were differentiated into extraembryonic primitive endoderm, levels of the PDGFRα and FGFR1 receptor tyrosine kinases were reduced and primitive endoderm differentiation was compromised. Proximity ligation analysis showed increased interaction between UBE2D3 and the E3 ligase CBL and between CBL and the receptor tyrosine kinases. Our results identify a sequence change that altered the ubiquitination landscape at the base of the amniote lineage with potential effects on amniote biology and evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica Roman-Trufero
- Gene Regulation and Chromatin Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Constance M Ito
- Gene Regulation and Chromatin Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Conrado Pedebos
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Indiana Magdalou
- DNA Replication Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Yi-Fang Wang
- Bioinformatics and Computing, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Mohammad M Karimi
- Bioinformatics and Computing, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Moyon
- Transgenics and ES Cell Facility, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Zoe Webster
- Transgenics and ES Cell Facility, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Aida di Gregorio
- BHF Centre for Research Excellence, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Veronique Azuara
- Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Syma Khalid
- Department of Chemistry, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Christian Speck
- DNA Replication Group, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Tristan Rodriguez
- BHF Centre for Research Excellence, National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
| | - Niall Dillon
- Gene Regulation and Chromatin Group, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Hospital Campus, London, United Kingdom
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