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Published on: May 29, 2018
Generation of Cynomolgus Monkey Chimeric Fetuses using Embryonic Stem Cells
Yongchang Chen1, Yuyu Niu1, Yanjiao Li1
1Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research, Institute of Primate Translational Medicine, Kunming University of Science and Technology, Kunming, Yunnan, 650500, China; National Engineering Research Center of Biomedicine and Animal Science and Kunming Biomed International, Kunming, Yunnan 650500, China.
Researchers successfully created chimeric monkeys using embryonic stem cells (ESCs). This breakthrough enables new avenues for studying human diseases and pluripotency in non-human primate models.
Area of Science:
- Stem cell biology
- Developmental biology
- Primate research
Background:
- Non-human primates are crucial models for human disease research and therapeutic development due to their physiological similarities to humans.
- Generating chimeric animals using embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is a valuable but unachieved goal for advancing these investigations.
- Chimeric models offer unique opportunities to study developmental processes and disease mechanisms in a primate context.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of generating chimeric cynomolgus monkeys using ESCs.
- To determine if cynomolgus monkey ESCs (cESCs) can integrate into host embryos and contribute to all three germ layers and germ cell progenitors.
- To characterize the cellular and molecular state of cESCs under optimized culture conditions.
Main Methods:
- Culturing cynomolgus monkey ESCs (cESCs) under adjusted conditions, adapted from methods used for naive human ESCs.
- Introducing modified cESCs into host cynomolgus monkey embryos.
- Analyzing the contribution of cESCs to the resulting chimeric embryos, including germ layer and germ cell progenitor contribution.
- Assessing changes in cESC growth properties, gene expression, and self-renewal signaling pathways.
Main Results:
- Successfully generated chimeric cynomolgus monkeys with cESC contribution across all three germ layers.
- Demonstrated contribution of cESCs to germ cell progenitors in the chimeric offspring.
- Observed altered growth properties, gene expression profiles, and self-renewal signaling pathways in cESCs under optimized conditions, indicating a shift towards a naive-like state.
- Established that cESCs can incorporate into host embryos and develop into functional chimeric animals.
Conclusions:
- It is feasible to generate chimeric monkeys using ESCs.
- Optimized culture conditions can induce a naive-like state in cESCs, facilitating their integration and contribution to chimeras.
- This advancement opens new possibilities for using non-human primate chimeras to study pluripotency and human diseases.
