Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2025
12:09
Protocol for Human Blastoids Modeling Blastocyst Development and Implantation
Published on: August 10, 2022
6.5K
VGLL1 cooperates with TEAD4 to control human trophectoderm lineage specification.
Yueli Yang1, Wenqi Jia2,3,4, Zhiwei Luo2,3
1State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Severe Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, Key Laboratory for Zoonosis Research of the Ministry of Education, Institute of Zoonosis, and College of Veterinary Medicine, Jilin University, Changchun, China.
Nature Communications
|January 17, 2024
Summary
Vestigial-like family member 1 (VGLL1) is crucial for human trophectoderm development and early placenta formation. This protein regulates cell fate and self-renewal in human stem cells, offering insights into primate embryogenesis.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Stem Cell Biology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Human trophectoderm and placenta specification mechanisms are poorly understood due to ethical and practical limitations.
- Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) offer a promising in vitro model for studying early placental development.
- Previous research indicates PSCs can differentiate into trophectoderm-like cells (TELCs) and trophoblast stem cells (TSCs).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of VGLL1 (vestigial-like family member 1) in human trophectoderm and early placenta specification.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which VGLL1 regulates cell fate and self-renewal in human TELCs and TSCs.
- To compare primate early embryogenesis with other mammalian species.
Main Methods:
- Utilized human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) differentiated into trophectoderm-like cells (TELCs) and trophoblast stem cells (TSCs).
- Investigated the expression and function of VGLL1 in these in vitro models.
- Analyzed VGLL1's interaction with transcription factors like TEAD4, GATA3, and TFAP2C.
- Examined VGLL1's role in regulating chromatin accessibility and histone acetylation at target gene loci.
Main Results:
- VGLL1 is highly expressed during human and non-human primate trophectoderm specification but not in mice.
- VGLL1 is a critical regulator of cell fate determination and self-renewal in human TELCs and TSCs derived from naïve PSCs.
- VGLL1 functions with TEAD4 to control chromatin accessibility via histone acetylation, cooperating with GATA3 and TFAP2C.
Conclusions:
- VGLL1 plays a vital role in human trophectoderm specification and early placenta formation.
- The findings highlight key differences between primate and rodent early embryogenesis.
- This study provides a valuable in vitro model for understanding human placental development and related disorders.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:30General Transcription Factors
5.3K
Tissue-specific transcription factors contribute to diverse cellular functions in mammals. For example, the gene for beta globin, a major component of hemoglobin, is present in all cells of the body. However, it is only expressed in red blood cells because the transcription factors that can bind to the promoter sequences of the beta globin gene are only expressed in these cells. Tissue-specific transcription factors also ensure that mutations in these factors may impair only the function of...
5.3K
01:51Determination
18.5K
During embryogenesis, cells become progressively committed to different fates through a two-step process: specification followed by determination. Specification is demonstrated by removing a segment of an early embryo, “neutrally” culturing the tissue in vitro—for example, in a petri dish with simple medium—and then observing the derivatives. If the cultured region gives rise to cell types that it would normally generate in the embryo, this means that it is specified. In...
18.5K
01:21Lineage Commitment
3.0K
Commitment is the process whereby stem cells:
3.0K
02:32Exon Recombination
3.6K
The evolution of new genes is critical for speciation. Exon recombination, also known as exon shuffling or domain shuffling, is an important means of new gene formation. It is observed across vertebrates, invertebrates, and in some plants such as potatoes and sunflowers. During exon recombination, exons from the same or different genes recombine and produce new exon-intron combinations, which might evolve into new genes.
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...
Exon shuffling follows “splice frame rules.” Each exon...
3.6K
01:16TGF - β Signaling Pathway
7.4K
The TGF-β signaling pathway regulates cell growth, differentiation, adhesion, motility, and development. TGF-β ligands that induce TGF-β signaling are synthesized in their latent form. Several proteases or cell surface receptors such as integrins act upon the latent form, releasing the active ligand. There are three types of mammalian TGF-βs: (TGF-β1, TGF-β2, and TGF-β3) that bind as homodimers or heterodimers to TGF-β receptors. The TGF-β receptors...
7.4K