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Cui Z, Wei H, Goding C, Cui R. Stem cell heterogeneity, plasticity, and regulation. Life Sci 2023; 334:122240. [PMID: 37925141 DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2023.122240] [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: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 11/06/2023]
Abstract
As a population of homogeneous cells with both self-renewal and differentiation potential, stem cell pools are highly compartmentalized and contain distinct subsets that exhibit stable but limited heterogeneity during homeostasis. However, their striking plasticity is showcased under natural or artificial stress, such as injury, transplantation, cancer, and aging, leading to changes in their phenotype, constitution, metabolism, and function. The complex and diverse network of cell-extrinsic niches and signaling pathways, together with cell-intrinsic genetic and epigenetic regulators, tightly regulate both the heterogeneity during homeostasis and the plasticity under perturbation. Manipulating these factors offers better control of stem cell behavior and a potential revolution in the current state of regenerative medicine. However, disruptions of normal regulation by genetic mutation or excessive plasticity acquisition may contribute to the formation of tumors. By harnessing innovative techniques that enhance our understanding of stem cell heterogeneity and employing novel approaches to maximize the utilization of stem cell plasticity, stem cell therapy holds immense promise for revolutionizing the future of medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziyang Cui
- Department of Dermatology and Venerology, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China.
| | - Hope Wei
- Department of Biology, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA 02215, United States of America
| | - Colin Goding
- Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, University of Oxford, Headington, Oxford OX37DQ, UK
| | - Rutao Cui
- Skin Disease Research Institute, The 2nd Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
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Varzideh F, Gambardella J, Kansakar U, Jankauskas SS, Santulli G. Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Pluripotency and Self-Renewal of Embryonic Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098386. [PMID: 37176093 PMCID: PMC10179698 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. ESCs have two distinctive properties: ability to proliferate indefinitely, a feature referred as "self-renewal", and to differentiate into different cell types, a peculiar characteristic known as "pluripotency". Self-renewal and pluripotency of ESCs are finely orchestrated by precise external and internal networks including epigenetic modifications, transcription factors, signaling pathways, and histone modifications. In this systematic review, we examine the main molecular mechanisms that sustain self-renewal and pluripotency in both murine and human ESCs. Moreover, we discuss the latest literature on human naïve pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahimeh Varzideh
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Jessica Gambardella
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism (FIDAM), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Urna Kansakar
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Stanislovas S Jankauskas
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
| | - Gaetano Santulli
- Department of Medicine (Division of Cardiology), Wilf Family Cardiovascular Research Institute, Einstein Institute for Aging Research, Institute for Neuroimmunology and Inflammation (INI), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Einstein-Mount Sinai Diabetes Research Center (ES-DRC), Fleischer Institute for Diabetes and Metabolism (FIDAM), Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY 10461, USA
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Hu S, Metcalf E, Mahat DB, Chan L, Sohal N, Chakraborty M, Hamilton M, Singh A, Singh A, Lees JA, Sharp PA, Garg S. Transcription factor antagonism regulates heterogeneity in embryonic stem cell states. Mol Cell 2022; 82:4410-4427.e12. [PMID: 36356583 PMCID: PMC9722640 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.10.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Gene expression heterogeneity underlies cell states and contributes to developmental robustness. While heterogeneity can arise from stochastic transcriptional processes, the extent to which it is regulated is unclear. Here, we characterize the regulatory program underlying heterogeneity in murine embryonic stem cell (mESC) states. We identify differentially active and transcribed enhancers (DATEs) across states. DATEs regulate differentially expressed genes and are distinguished by co-binding of transcription factors Klf4 and Zfp281. In contrast to other factors that interact in a positive feedback network stabilizing mESC cell-type identity, Klf4 and Zfp281 drive opposing transcriptional and chromatin programs. Abrogation of factor binding to DATEs dampens variation in gene expression, and factor loss alters kinetics of switching between states. These results show antagonism between factors at enhancers results in gene expression heterogeneity and formation of cell states, with implications for the generation of diverse cell types during development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Hu
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Emily Metcalf
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Dig Bijay Mahat
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Lynette Chan
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Noor Sohal
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Meenakshi Chakraborty
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Maxwell Hamilton
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Arundeep Singh
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Abhyudai Singh
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Jacqueline A Lees
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Phillip A Sharp
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
| | - Salil Garg
- Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Yale Stem Cell Center and Center for RNA Science and Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA.
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Nordick B, Yu PY, Liao G, Hong T. Nonmodular oscillator and switch based on RNA decay drive regeneration of multimodal gene expression. Nucleic Acids Res 2022; 50:3693-3708. [PMID: 35380686 PMCID: PMC9023291 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkac217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Revised: 03/13/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Periodic gene expression dynamics are key to cell and organism physiology. Studies of oscillatory expression have focused on networks with intuitive regulatory negative feedback loops, leaving unknown whether other common biochemical reactions can produce oscillations. Oscillation and noise have been proposed to support mammalian progenitor cells’ capacity to restore heterogenous, multimodal expression from extreme subpopulations, but underlying networks and specific roles of noise remained elusive. We use mass-action-based models to show that regulated RNA degradation involving as few as two RNA species—applicable to nearly half of human protein-coding genes—can generate sustained oscillations without explicit feedback. Diverging oscillation periods synergize with noise to robustly restore cell populations’ bimodal expression on timescales of days. The global bifurcation organizing this divergence relies on an oscillator and bistable switch which cannot be decomposed into two structural modules. Our work reveals surprisingly rich dynamics of post-transcriptional reactions and a potentially widespread mechanism underlying development, tissue regeneration, and cancer cell heterogeneity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Nordick
- School of Genome Science and Technology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916, USA
| | - Polly Y Yu
- NSF-Simons Center for Mathematical and Statistical Analysis of Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Guangyuan Liao
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916, USA
| | - Tian Hong
- Department of Biochemistry & Cellular and Molecular Biology, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916, USA.,National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Knoxville, Tennessee 37916, USA
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