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Chen D, Sun N, Hou L, Kim R, Faith J, Aslanyan M, Tao Y, Zheng Y, Fu J, Liu W, Kellis M, Clark A. Human Primordial Germ Cells Are Specified from Lineage-Primed Progenitors. Cell Rep 2020; 29:4568-4582.e5. [PMID: 31875561 PMCID: PMC6939677 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2019.11.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2019] [Revised: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In vitro gametogenesis is the process of making germline cells from human pluripotent stem cells. The foundation of this model is the quality of the first progenitors called primordial germ cells (PGCs), which in vivo are specified during the peri-implantation window of human development. Here, we show that human PGC (hPGC) specification begins at day 12 post-fertilization. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of hPGC-like cells (hPGCLCs) differentiated from pluripotent stem cells, we discovered that hPGCLC specification involves resetting pluripotency toward a transitional state with shared characteristics between naive and primed pluripotency, followed by differentiation into lineage-primed TFAP2A+ progenitors. Applying the germline trajectory to TFAP2C mutants reveals that TFAP2C functions in the TFAP2A+ progenitors upstream of PRDM1 to regulate the expression of SOX17. This serves to protect hPGCLCs from crossing the Weismann’s barrier to adopt somatic cell fates and, therefore, is an essential mechanism for successfully initiating in vitro gametogenesis. Using genetics, genomics, and single-cell RNA-seq, Chen et al. characterize the human germline trajectory, revealing two pluripotent cell transitions during primordial germ cell specification. They reveal the identity of primordial germ cell progenitors and show that TFAP2C prevents gastrulation and amnion-like fate at the point of primordial germ cell specification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Chen
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Na Sun
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Lei Hou
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Rachel Kim
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Jared Faith
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Marianna Aslanyan
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Yu Tao
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Yi Zheng
- 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 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
| | - Wanlu Liu
- Zhejiang University-University of Edinburgh Institute, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, 310058 Hangzhou, PR China
| | - Manolis Kellis
- MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.
| | - Amander Clark
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
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Chen D, Liu W, Zimmerman J, Pastor WA, Kim R, Hosohama L, Ho J, Aslanyan M, Gell JJ, Jacobsen SE, Clark AT. The TFAP2C-Regulated OCT4 Naive Enhancer Is Involved in Human Germline Formation. Cell Rep 2019; 25:3591-3602.e5. [PMID: 30590035 PMCID: PMC6342560 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2018] [Revised: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Human primordial germ cells (hPGCs) are the first embryonic progenitors in the germ cell lineage, yet the molecular mechanisms required for hPGC formation are not well characterized. To identify regulatory regions in hPGC development, we used the assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq) to systematically characterize regions of open chromatin in hPGCs and hPGC-like cells (hPGCLCs) differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We discovered regions of open chromatin unique to hPGCs and hPGCLCs that significantly overlap with TFAP2C-bound enhancers identified in the naive ground state of pluripotency. Using CRISPR/Cas9, we show that deleting the TFAP2C-bound naive enhancer at the OCT4 locus (also called POU5F1) results in impaired OCT4 expression and a negative effect on hPGCLC identity. Combining genomics and functional studies, Chen et al. identify the open chromatin state of human primordial germ cells (hPGCs), leading to the discovery that TFAP2C regulates hPGC development through the opening of naive enhancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Chen
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Wanlu Liu
- Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jill Zimmerman
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - William A Pastor
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rachel Kim
- Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Linzi Hosohama
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jamie Ho
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marianna Aslanyan
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Joanna J Gell
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology-Oncology, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA; David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Steven E Jacobsen
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Amander T Clark
- Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Molecular Biology Institute, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA; Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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