Generation of human blastocyst-like structures from pluripotent stem cells
Yong Fan1, Zheying Min2, Samhan Alsolami3
1Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Key Laboratory for Major Obstetric Diseases of Guangdong Province, Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics of Guangdong Higher Education Institutes, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. yongfan011@gzhmu.edu.cn.
Cell Discovery
|September 7, 2021
Summary
Researchers created blastocyst-like structures from human stem cells. These EPS-blastoids mimic early human embryo development, offering a new model for studying implantation failure.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Reproductive Medicine
Background:
- Human blastocysts contain essential cell lineages for development: trophectoderm, epiblast, and primitive endoderm.
- Limited access to human blastocysts hinders understanding of early human embryogenesis.
- A robust model system is needed to study early embryonic development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reliable model system for early human embryogenesis.
- To generate blastocyst-like structures from human extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells.
- To investigate the potential of this model for studying developmental defects.
Main Methods:
- Developed a three-dimensional (3D), two-step induction protocol.
- Utilized human extended pluripotent stem (EPS) cells to generate blastocyst-like structures (EPS-blastoids).
- Performed morphological and single-cell transcriptomic analyses.
Main Results:
- EPS-blastoids recapitulate key cell lineages found in human blastocysts.
- Transcriptomic profiles of EPS-blastoids closely resemble those of in vitro cultured human embryos (8-10 days).
- The model demonstrates similarity in embryonic structures and cell lineages.
Conclusions:
- A scalable system for mimicking human blastocyst development has been established.
- EPS-blastoids provide a valuable tool for studying early human embryogenesis.
- This model may facilitate research into early implantation failure caused by developmental defects.
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