Early autonomous patterning of the anteroposterior axis in gastruloids
Minimal in vitro systems composed of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have been shown to recapitulate the establishment of the anteroposterior (AP) axis. In contrast to the native embryo, ESC aggregates – such as gastruloids – can break symmetry, which is demarcated by polarization of the mesodermal mark...
| Autores: | , , , , , , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2024 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) |
| Repositorio: | UPCommons. Portal del coneixement obert de la UPC |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:upcommons.upc.edu:2117/423636 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/2117/423636 https://dx.doi.org/10.1242/dev.202171 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | RNA Embryology Anteroposterior axis Symmetry breaking Embryonic patterning Gastruloids Stem cell aggregates Cell states Embriologia Àrees temàtiques de la UPC::Enginyeria biomèdica |
| Sumario: | Minimal in vitro systems composed of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) have been shown to recapitulate the establishment of the anteroposterior (AP) axis. In contrast to the native embryo, ESC aggregates – such as gastruloids – can break symmetry, which is demarcated by polarization of the mesodermal marker T, autonomously without any localized external cues. However, associated earliest patterning events, such as the spatial restriction of cell fates and concomitant transcriptional changes, remain poorly understood. Here, we dissect the dynamics of AP axis establishment in mouse gastruloids, particularly before external Wnt stimulation. Through single-cell RNA sequencing, we identify key cell state transitions and the molecular signatures of T+ and T- populations underpinning AP polarization. We also show that this process is robust to modifications of aggregate size. Finally, transcriptomic comparison with the mouse embryo indicates that gastruloids develop similar mesendodermal cell types, despite initial differences in their primed pluripotent populations, which adopt a more mesenchymal state in lieu of an epiblast-like transcriptome. Hence, our findings suggest the possibility of alternate ESC states in vivo and in vitro that can converge onto similar cell fates. |
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