Mouse nave pluripotent stem cells (ESC) can contribute to all embryonic tissues and the germline, but rarely to the extra-embryonic tissues in chimeric embryos. Here we describe a novel advanced pluripotent stem cell (ASC) with higher potency, since a single ASC contributes very efficiently to the fetus, germline, yolk sac and the placental labyrinth in chimeras. ASCs were derived from blastocysts in two steps in a chemically defined medium with Activin A (ActA) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), followed by Wnt and BMP. Notably, ASCs exhibit a distinct transcriptome with the expression of both nave pluripotent genes, as well as mesodermal somatic genes; Eomes, Eras, Tdgf1, Evx1, hand1, Wnt5a, and distinct repetitive elements. Established ESCs can also be readily and directly to ASCs. Importantly, ASCs exhibit a stable hypermethylated epigenome unlike the hypomethylated epiblast in blastocysts and nave ESCs, indicating that ASCs might represent a state in between the nave and primed states of pluripotency. SOURCE: Sabine Dietmann Wellcome Trust/Medical Research Council Stem Cell Institute

Pluto Bioinformatics

GSE99491: Enhancing the Potency of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells [RNA-Seq]