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Batki J, Hetzel S, Schifferl D, Bolondi A, Walther M, Wittler L, Grosswendt S, Herrmann BG, Meissner A. Extraembryonic gut endoderm cells undergo programmed cell death during development. Nat Cell Biol 2024; 26:868-877. [PMID: 38849542 PMCID: PMC11178501 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-024-01431-w] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Despite a distinct developmental origin, extraembryonic cells in mice contribute to gut endoderm and converge to transcriptionally resemble their embryonic counterparts. Notably, all extraembryonic progenitors share a non-canonical epigenome, raising several pertinent questions, including whether this landscape is reset to match the embryonic regulation and if extraembryonic cells persist into later development. Here we developed a two-colour lineage-tracing strategy to track and isolate extraembryonic cells over time. We find that extraembryonic gut cells display substantial memory of their developmental origin including retention of the original DNA methylation landscape and resulting transcriptional signatures. Furthermore, we show that extraembryonic gut cells undergo programmed cell death and neighbouring embryonic cells clear their remnants via non-professional phagocytosis. By midgestation, we no longer detect extraembryonic cells in the wild-type gut, whereas they persist and differentiate further in p53-mutant embryos. Our study provides key insights into the molecular and developmental fate of extraembryonic cells inside the embryo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Batki
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sara Hetzel
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Dennis Schifferl
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Adriano Bolondi
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Walther
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lars Wittler
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stefanie Grosswendt
- Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute for Medical Systems Biology, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association, Berlin, Germany
| | - Bernhard G Herrmann
- Department of Developmental Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute for Medical Genetics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Alexander Meissner
- Department of Genome Regulation, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany.
- Department of Biology, Chemistry and Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
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2
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Deng S, Gong H, Zhang D, Zhang M, He X. A statistical method for quantifying progenitor cells reveals incipient cell fate commitments. Nat Methods 2024; 21:597-608. [PMID: 38379073 DOI: 10.1038/s41592-024-02189-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Quantifying the number of progenitor cells that found an organ, tissue or cell population is of fundamental importance for understanding the development and homeostasis of a multicellular organism. Previous efforts rely on marker genes that are specifically expressed in progenitors. This strategy is, however, often hindered by the lack of ideal markers. Here we propose a general statistical method to quantify the progenitors of any tissues or cell populations in an organism, even in the absence of progenitor-specific markers, by exploring the cell phylogenetic tree that records the cell division history during development. The method, termed targeting coalescent analysis (TarCA), computes the probability that two randomly sampled cells of a tissue coalesce within the tissue-specific monophyletic clades. The inverse of this probability then serves as a measure of the progenitor number of the tissue. Both mathematic modeling and computer simulations demonstrated the high accuracy of TarCA, which was then validated using real data from nematode, fruit fly and mouse, all with related cell phylogenetic trees. We further showed that TarCA can be used to identify lineage-specific upregulated genes during embryogenesis, revealing incipient cell fate commitments in mouse embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanjun Deng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Han Gong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Di Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Mengdong Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Xionglei He
- MOE Key Laboratory of Gene Function and Regulation, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China.
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3
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Stringa B, Solnica-Krezel L. Signaling mechanisms that direct cell fate specification and morphogenesis in human embryonic stem cells-based models of human gastrulation. Emerg Top Life Sci 2023; 7:383-396. [PMID: 38087898 DOI: 10.1042/etls20230084] [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: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
During mammalian gastrulation, a mass of pluripotent cells surrounded by extraembryonic tissues differentiates into germ layers, mesoderm, endoderm, and ectoderm. The three germ layers are then organized into a body plan with organ rudiments via morphogenetic gastrulation movements of emboly, epiboly, convergence, and extension. Emboly is the most conserved gastrulation movement, whereby mesodermal and endodermal progenitors undergo epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and move via a blastopore/primitive streak beneath the ectoderm. Decades of embryologic, genetic, and molecular studies in invertebrates and vertebrates, delineated a BMP > WNT > NODAL signaling cascade underlying mesoderm and endoderm specification. Advances have been made in the research animals in understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying gastrulation morphogenesis. In contrast, little is known about human gastrulation, which occurs in utero during the third week of gestation and its investigations face ethical and methodological limitations. This is changing with the unprecedented progress in modeling aspects of human development, using human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including embryonic stem cells (hESC)-based embryo-like models (SCEMs). In one approach, hESCs of various pluripotency are aggregated to self-assemble into structures that resemble pre-implantation or post-implantation embryo-like structures that progress to early gastrulation, and some even reach segmentation and neurulation stages. Another approach entails coaxing hESCs with biochemical signals to generate germ layers and model aspects of gastrulation morphogenesis, such as EMT. Here, we review the recent advances in understanding signaling cascades that direct germ layers specification and the early stages of gastrulation morphogenesis in these models. We discuss outstanding questions, challenges, and opportunities for this promising area of developmental biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blerta Stringa
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, U.S.A
| | - Lilianna Solnica-Krezel
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, U.S.A
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4
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Zeng H, Liu A. TMEM132A regulates mouse hindgut morphogenesis and caudal development. Development 2023; 150:dev201630. [PMID: 37390294 PMCID: PMC10357036 DOI: 10.1242/dev.201630] [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: 01/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Caudal developmental defects, including caudal regression, caudal dysgenesis and sirenomelia, are devastating conditions affecting the skeletal, nervous, digestive, reproductive and excretory systems. Defects in mesodermal migration and blood supply to the caudal region have been identified as possible causes of caudal developmental defects, but neither satisfactorily explains the structural malformations in all three germ layers. Here, we describe caudal developmental defects in transmembrane protein 132a (Tmem132a) mutant mice, including skeletal, posterior neural tube closure, genitourinary tract and hindgut defects. We show that, in Tmem132a mutant embryos, visceral endoderm fails to be excluded from the medial region of early hindgut, leading directly to the loss or malformation of cloaca-derived genitourinary and gastrointestinal structures, and indirectly to the neural tube and kidney/ureter defects. We find that TMEM132A mediates intercellular interaction, and physically interacts with planar cell polarity (PCP) regulators CELSR1 and FZD6. Genetically, Tmem132a regulates neural tube closure synergistically with another PCP regulator Vangl2. In summary, we have identified Tmem132a as a new regulator of PCP, and hindgut malformation as the underlying cause of developmental defects in multiple caudal structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqing Zeng
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Science and Huck Institute of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Aimin Liu
- Department of Biology, Eberly College of Science and Huck Institute of Life Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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5
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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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6
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Panfilio KA, Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM. The extended analogy of extraembryonic development in insects and amniotes. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210268. [PMID: 36252225 PMCID: PMC9574626 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
It is fascinating that the amnion and serosa/chorion, two extraembryonic (EE) tissues that are characteristic of the amniote vertebrates (mammals, birds and reptiles), have also independently evolved in insects. In this review, we offer the first detailed, macroevolutionary comparison of EE development and tissue biology across these animal groups. Some commonalities represent independent solutions to shared challenges for protecting the embryo (environmental assaults, risk of pathogens) and supporting its development, including clear links between cellular properties (e.g. polyploidy) and physiological function. Further parallels encompass developmental features such as the early segregation of the serosa/chorion compared to later, progressive differentiation of the amnion and formation of the amniotic cavity from serosal-amniotic folds as a widespread morphogenetic mode across species. We also discuss common developmental roles for orthologous transcription factors and BMP signalling in EE tissues of amniotes and insects, and between EE and cardiac tissues, supported by our exploration of new resources for global and tissue-specific gene expression. This highlights the degree to which general developmental principles and protective tissue features can be deduced from each of these animal groups, emphasizing the value of broad comparative studies to reveal subtle developmental strategies and answer questions that are common across species. 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)
| | - Susana M. Chuva de Sousa Lopes
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZC Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department for Reproductive Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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7
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Effects of fibrin matrix and Ishikawa cells on in vitro 3D uterine tissue cultures on a rat model: A controlled study. JOURNAL OF SURGERY AND MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.28982/josam.1054556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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8
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Qiu C, Cao J, Martin BK, Li T, Welsh IC, Srivatsan S, Huang X, Calderon D, Noble WS, Disteche CM, Murray SA, Spielmann M, Moens CB, Trapnell C, Shendure J. Systematic reconstruction of cellular trajectories across mouse embryogenesis. Nat Genet 2022; 54:328-341. [PMID: 35288709 PMCID: PMC8920898 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-022-01018-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 33.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Mammalian embryogenesis is characterized by rapid cellular proliferation and diversification. Within a few weeks, a single-cell zygote gives rise to millions of cells expressing a panoply of molecular programs. Although intensively studied, a comprehensive delineation of the major cellular trajectories that comprise mammalian development in vivo remains elusive. Here, we set out to integrate several single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) datasets that collectively span mouse gastrulation and organogenesis, supplemented with new profiling of ~150,000 nuclei from approximately embryonic day 8.5 (E8.5) embryos staged in one-somite increments. Overall, we define cell states at each of 19 successive stages spanning E3.5 to E13.5 and heuristically connect them to their pseudoancestors and pseudodescendants. Although constructed through automated procedures, the resulting directed acyclic graph (TOME (trajectories of mammalian embryogenesis)) is largely consistent with our contemporary understanding of mammalian development. We leverage TOME to systematically nominate transcription factors (TFs) as candidate regulators of each cell type's specification, as well as 'cell-type homologs' across vertebrate evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chengxiang Qiu
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Junyue Cao
- The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Beth K Martin
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Tony Li
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Sanjay Srivatsan
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Xingfan Huang
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Diego Calderon
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - William Stafford Noble
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Christine M Disteche
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Malte Spielmann
- Human Molecular Genomics Group, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Lübeck, Lübeck, Germany
| | - Cecilia B Moens
- Division of Basic Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Cole Trapnell
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Allen Discovery Center for Cell Lineage Tracing, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jay Shendure
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Brotman Baty Institute for Precision Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Allen Discovery Center for Cell Lineage Tracing, Seattle, WA, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
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9
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McClay DR, Croce JC, Warner JF. Reprint of: Conditional specification of endomesoderm. Cells Dev 2021; 168:203731. [PMID: 34610899 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203731] [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: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Early in animal development many cells are conditionally specified based on observations that those cells can be directed toward alternate fates. The endomesoderm is so named because early specification produces cells that often have been observed to simultaneously express both early endoderm and mesoderm transcription factors. Experiments with these cells demonstrate that their progeny can directed entirely toward endoderm or mesoderm, whereas normally they establish both germ layers. This review examines the mechanisms that initiate the conditional endomesoderm state, its metastability, and the mechanisms that resolve that state into definitive endoderm and mesoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R McClay
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Jenifer C Croce
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.
| | - Jacob F Warner
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC, USA.
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10
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McClay DR, Croce JC, Warner JF. Conditional specification of endomesoderm. Cells Dev 2021; 167:203716. [PMID: 34245941 DOI: 10.1016/j.cdev.2021.203716] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Early in animal development many cells are conditionally specified based on observations that those cells can be directed toward alternate fates. The endomesoderm is so named because early specification produces cells that often have been observed to simultaneously express both early endoderm and mesoderm transcription factors. Experiments with these cells demonstrate that their progeny can directed entirely toward endoderm or mesoderm, whereas normally they establish both germ layers. This review examines the mechanisms that initiate the conditional endomesoderm state, its metastability, and the mechanisms that resolve that state into definitive endoderm and mesoderm.
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Affiliation(s)
- David R McClay
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Jenifer C Croce
- Sorbonne Université, CNRS, Laboratoire de Biologie du Développement de Villefranche-sur-Mer (LBDV), Institut de la Mer de Villefranche, Villefranche-sur-Mer, France.
| | - Jacob F Warner
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC, USA.
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11
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Xu PF, Borges RM, Fillatre J, de Oliveira-Melo M, Cheng T, Thisse B, Thisse C. Construction of a mammalian embryo model from stem cells organized by a morphogen signalling centre. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3277. [PMID: 34078907 PMCID: PMC8172561 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23653-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Generating properly differentiated embryonic structures in vitro from pluripotent stem cells remains a challenge. Here we show that instruction of aggregates of mouse embryonic stem cells with an experimentally engineered morphogen signalling centre, that functions as an organizer, results in the development of embryo-like entities (embryoids). In situ hybridization, immunolabelling, cell tracking and transcriptomic analyses show that these embryoids form the three germ layers through a gastrulation process and that they exhibit a wide range of developmental structures, highly similar to neurula-stage mouse embryos. Embryoids are organized around an axial chordamesoderm, with a dorsal neural plate that displays histological properties similar to the murine embryo neuroepithelium and that folds into a neural tube patterned antero-posteriorly from the posterior midbrain to the tip of the tail. Lateral to the chordamesoderm, embryoids display somitic and intermediate mesoderm, with beating cardiac tissue anteriorly and formation of a vasculature network. Ventrally, embryoids differentiate a primitive gut tube, which is patterned both antero-posteriorly and dorso-ventrally. Altogether, embryoids provide an in vitro model of mammalian embryo that displays extensive development of germ layer derivatives and that promises to be a powerful tool for in vitro studies and disease modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng-Fei Xu
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Institute of Genetics and Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Jonathan Fillatre
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Maraysa de Oliveira-Melo
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
- Department of Cell Biology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Tao Cheng
- Institute of Genetics and Department of Genetics, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Bernard Thisse
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Christine Thisse
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
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12
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Nicolas P, Etoc F, Brivanlou AH. The ethics of human-embryoids model: a call for consistency. J Mol Med (Berl) 2021; 99:569-579. [PMID: 33792755 PMCID: PMC8026457 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-021-02053-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
In this article, we discuss the ethics of human embryoids, i.e., embryo-like structures made from pluripotent stem cells for modeling natural embryos. We argue that defining our social priorities is critical to design a consistent ethical guideline for research on those new entities. The absence of clear regulations on these emerging technologies stems from an unresolved debate surrounding natural human embryo research and one common opinion that one needs to solve the question of the moral status of the human embryo before regulating their surrogate. The recent NIH funding restrictions for research on human embryoids have made scientists even more unlikely to raise their voices. As a result, the scientific community has maintained a low profile while longing for a more favorable socio-political climate for their research. This article is a call for consistency among biomedical research on human materials, trying to position human embryoids within a spectrum of existing practice from stem cell research or IVF to research involving human subjects. We specifically note that the current practices in infertility clinics of freezing human embryos or disposing of them without any consideration for their potential benefits contradicts the assumption of special consideration for human material. Conversely, creating human embryoids for research purposes could ensure that no human material be used in vain, always serving humankind. We argue here that it is time to reconsider the full ban on embryo research (human embryos and embryoids) beyond the 14-day rule and that research on those entities should obey a sliding scale combining the completeness of the model (e.g., complete vs. partial) and the developmental stage: with more advanced completeness and developmental stage of the considered entity, being associated with more rigorous evaluation of societal benefits, statements of intention, and necessity of such research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paola Nicolas
- Bioethics Center, New York Medical College, 40 Sunshine Cottage Rd, Valhalla, NY 10595 USA
| | - Fred Etoc
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Ali H. Brivanlou
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065 USA
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13
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Park CH, Jeoung YH, Uh KJ, Park KE, Bridge J, Powell A, Li J, Pence L, Zhang L, Liu T, Sun HX, Gu Y, Shen Y, Wu J, Izpisua Belmonte JC, Telugu BP. Extraembryonic Endoderm (XEN) Cells Capable of Contributing to Embryonic Chimeras Established from Pig Embryos. Stem Cell Reports 2020; 16:212-223. [PMID: 33338433 PMCID: PMC7897585 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 11/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Most of our current knowledge regarding early lineage specification and embryo-derived stem cells comes from studies in rodent models. However, key gaps remain in our understanding of these developmental processes from nonrodent species. Here, we report the detailed characterization of pig extraembryonic endoderm (pXEN) cells, which can be reliably and reproducibly generated from primitive endoderm (PrE) of blastocyst. Highly expandable pXEN cells express canonical PrE markers and transcriptionally resemble rodent XENs. The pXEN cells contribute both to extraembryonic tissues including visceral yolk sac as well as embryonic gut when injected into host blastocysts, and generate live offspring when used as a nuclear donor in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The pXEN cell lines provide a novel model for studying lineage segregation, as well as a source for genome editing in livestock. Primitive endoderm (PrE) is the predominant lineage emerging from pig blastocyst outgrowths pXEN cells exhibit key features of PrE-progenitors and resemble rodent XEN cells pXEN cells contribute to extraembryonic and embryonic (gut) endoderm in vivo pXEN cells can support full-term development via somatic cell nuclear transfer
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Affiliation(s)
- Chi-Hun Park
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA.
| | - Young-Hee Jeoung
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Kyung-Jun Uh
- Department of Animal and Poultry Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Ki-Eun Park
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; RenOVAte Biosciences Inc, Reisterstown, MD 21136, USA
| | - Jessica Bridge
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Anne Powell
- Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; RenOVAte Biosciences Inc, Reisterstown, MD 21136, USA
| | - Jie Li
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China; BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of BGI Synthetic Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Laramie Pence
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Luhui Zhang
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Tianbin Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of BGI Synthetic Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Hai-Xi Sun
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of BGI Synthetic Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Ying Gu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of BGI Synthetic Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yue Shen
- BGI Education Center, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518083, China; BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, 518083, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Genome Read and Write, Shenzhen, 518120, China; Guangdong Provincial Academician Workstation of BGI Synthetic Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; Shenzhen Engineering Laboratory for Innovative Molecular Diagnostics, Shenzhen, 518120, China
| | - 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
| | | | - Bhanu P Telugu
- Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA; Animal Bioscience and Biotechnology Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA; RenOVAte Biosciences Inc, Reisterstown, MD 21136, USA.
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14
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Abstract
Gastrulation is a critical early morphogenetic process of animal development, during which the three germ layers; mesoderm, endoderm and ectoderm, are rearranged by internalization movements. Concurrent epiboly movements spread and thin the germ layers while convergence and extension movements shape them into an anteroposteriorly elongated body with head, trunk, tail and organ rudiments. In zebrafish, gastrulation follows the proliferative and inductive events that establish the embryonic and extraembryonic tissues and the embryonic axis. Specification of these tissues and embryonic axes are controlled by the maternal gene products deposited in the egg. These early maternally controlled processes need to generate sufficient cell numbers and establish the embryonic polarity to ensure normal gastrulation. Subsequently, after activation of the zygotic genome, the zygotic gene products govern mesoderm and endoderm induction and germ layer patterning. Gastrulation is initiated during the maternal-to-zygotic transition, a process that entails both activation of the zygotic genome and downregulation of the maternal transcripts. Genomic studies indicate that gastrulation is largely controlled by the zygotic genome. Nonetheless, genetic studies that investigate the relative contributions of maternal and zygotic gene function by comparing zygotic, maternal and maternal zygotic mutant phenotypes, reveal significant contribution of maternal gene products, transcripts and/or proteins, that persist through gastrulation, to the control of gastrulation movements. Therefore, in zebrafish, the maternally expressed gene products not only set the stage for, but they also actively participate in gastrulation morphogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilianna Solnica-Krezel
- Department of Developmental Biology and Center of Regenerative Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States.
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15
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Hadjantonakis AK, Siggia ED, Simunovic M. In vitro modeling of early mammalian embryogenesis. CURRENT OPINION IN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING 2020; 13:134-143. [PMID: 32440574 DOI: 10.1016/j.cobme.2020.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic embryology endeavors to use stem cells to recapitulate the first steps of mammalian development that define the body axes and first stages of fate assignment. Well-engineered synthetic systems provide an unparalleled assay to disentangle and quantify the contributions of individual tissues as well as the molecular components driving embryogenesis. Experiments using a mixture of mouse embryonic and extra-embryonic stem cell lines show a surprising degree of self-organization akin to certain milestones in the development of intact mouse embryos. To further advance the field and extend the mouse results to human, it is crucial to develop a better control of the assembly process as well as to establish a deeper understanding of the developmental state and potency of cells used in experiments at each step of the process. We review recent advances in the derivation of embryonic and extraembryonic stem cells, and we highlight recent efforts in reconstructing the structural and signaling aspects of embryogenesis in three-dimensional tissue cultures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna-Katerina Hadjantonakis
- Developmental Biology Program, Sloan Kettering Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Eric D Siggia
- Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Mijo Simunovic
- Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Columbia Univerisity, 116 and Broadway, New York, NY 10025
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