Differentiation of EpiLCs on Micropatterned Substrates Generated by Micro-Contact Printing

During the last decades, signaling pathways responsible for the initiation of gastrulation in mammalian embryos have been identified. However, the physical rules governing the tissue spatial patterning and the extensive morphogenetic movements occurring during that process are still elusive. Progress on these issues is slowed by the difficulty to record or perturb the patterning events in real time, especially in mammalian embryos that develop in utero. Because they permit easy observation and manipulation, in vitro model systems offer an exciting opportunity to dissect the rules governing the organization of the mammalian gastrula. For instance, it is sufficient to cultivate human embryonic stem cells on micropatterned substrates to reveal their self-organization potential. We present here a method to obtain micropatterned mouse Epiblast Like Cells colonies, providing a convenient way to compare spatial organization of mouse and human pluripotent stem cells and to complement the characterization of mutant embryos in a controlled environment.