Mitochondrial morphology and energy metabolism in reprogrammed porcine expanded potential stem cells

Expanded potential stem cells (EPSCs) are stem cells that can differentiate into embryonic and extraembryonic lineages, including extraembryonic endoderm and trophoblast lineages. Therefore, EPSCs have great potential in advancing regenerative medicine, elucidating disease mechanisms, and exploring early embryonic development. However, the generation and characterization of EPSCs in pigs have not been thoroughly explored. In this study, we successfully generated porcine EPSCs (pEPSCs).

We reprogrammed porcine fetal fibroblasts (PFFs) using an integration-free method with Sendai virus vectors.

The resulting pEPSCs expressed key pluripotency markers and demonstrated the ability to differentiate between embryonic and extraembryonic lineages. Notably, reprogramming into pEPSCs was associated with a transformation of mitochondrial morphology from the elongated form observed in PFFs to a globular shape, reflecting potential alterations in energy metabolism. We observed significant remodeling of mitochondrial morphology and a subsequent shift towards glycolytic energy dependence during the reprogramming of PFFs into pEPSCs.

Our findings provide valuable insights into the characteristics of EPSCs in pigs and highlight their potential applications in regenerative medicine, disease modeling, and emerging fields such as cell-based meat production.