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Updated: May 8, 2026
08:29
Mouse Epidermal Neural Crest Stem Cell (EPI-NCSC) Cultures
Published on: May 9, 2008
New cell lines from mouse epiblast share defining features with human embryonic stem cells
Paul J Tesar1, Josh G Chenoweth, Frances A Brook
1Laboratory of Molecular Biology, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. paultesar@ninds.nih.gov
Nature
|June 29, 2007
Summary
Researchers derived new stem cell lines, EpiSCs (post-implantation epiblast-derived stem cells), from mouse embryos after implantation. These cells are distinct from mouse embryonic stem cells and share characteristics with human ES cells, offering new insights into early development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Human embryonic stem (ES) cells are crucial in medicine, but their origins and differences from mouse ES cells are not fully understood.
- Previous research indicated mouse ES cells could only be derived from pre-implantation embryos.
- The specific embryonic origin of both human and mouse ES cells remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential of deriving stem cell lines from post-implantation mouse embryos.
- To characterize these new cell lines and compare them to existing mouse ES cells and human ES cells.
- To understand the developmental potential and characteristics of epiblast-derived stem cells.
Main Methods:
- Derivation of cell lines from the epiblast tissue of post-implantation mouse embryos.
- Analysis of pluripotency transcription factors, genomic integrity, and differentiation potential (somatic and primordial germ cells).
- Comparison of epigenetic states, differentiation signaling, gene expression, and signaling responses with mouse ES cells and human ES cells.
Main Results:
- Successfully derived stable cell lines, termed EpiSCs (post-implantation epiblast-derived stem cells), from the epiblast.
- EpiSCs express pluripotency factors, maintain genomic integrity, and differentiate into major somatic and primordial germ cell types.
- EpiSC lines exhibit distinct epigenetic states and differentiation signaling compared to mouse ES cells.
- EpiSCs share gene expression and signaling response patterns with human ES cells, mirroring epiblast functions.
Conclusions:
- Epiblast cells from post-implantation embryos can be maintained as stable, pluripotent stem cell lines (EpiSCs).
- EpiSCs represent a distinct pluripotent cell type compared to mouse ES cells, with similarities to human ES cells.
- These findings provide a new model for studying how pluripotent cells generate distinct cell fates during early mammalian development.
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00:58Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are undifferentiated pluripotent cells, meaning they can produce any cell type in the body. This gives them tremendous potential in science and medicine since they can generate specific cell types for use in research or to replace body cells lost due to damage or disease.
00:57Embryonic Stem Cells
Embryonic stem (ES) cells were first discovered in mice in 1981 by Martin Evans. In 1998, James Thomson identified a method to isolate embryonic stem cells from humans. Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are obtained from 3-5 day old embryos that remain unused after an in vitro fertilization procedure.
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...
ES cells are grown in a culture medium where they can divide indefinitely, creating ES cell lines. Under certain conditions, ES cells can differentiate, either spontaneously into a variety of...