title: Porcine pluripotency cell signaling develops from the inner cell mass to the epiblast during early development.
abstract: The signaling mechanisms regulating pluripotency in porcine embryonic stem cells and embryos are unknown. In this study, we characterize cell signaling in the in-vivo porcine inner cell mass and later-stage epiblast. We evaluate expression of OCT4, NANOG, SOX2, genes within the JAK/STAT pathway (LIF, LIFR, GP130), FGF pathway (bFGF, FGFR1, FGFR2), BMP pathway (BMP4), and downstream-activated genes (STAT3, c-Myc, c-Fos, and SMAD4). We discovered two different expression profiles exist in the developing porcine embryo. The D6 porcine blastocyst (inner cell mass stage) is devoid in the expression of most genes analyzed, with the exception of OCT4. In contrast, the D11 epiblast expressed 10 of the 12 genes investigated. Immunocytochemistry confirmed LIFR and bFGF was not expressed in the epiblast, but within the trophectoderm. These findings reveal cell signaling associated with maintaining pluripotency in human embryonic stem cells is detectable in the porcine epiblast, but not in the inner cell mass.
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. vha@life.ku.dk
authors.forename: Vanessa J
authors.initials: VJ
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Christensen
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Mette H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: Poul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hyttel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D053624:Blastocyst Inner Cell Mass / Q000502:physiology*; D019521:Body Patterning / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000502:physiology*; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D034421:Sus scrofa
chemical_list: D055415:Bone Morphogenetic Protein 4; D017931:DNA Primers; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D055748:SOXB1 Transcription Factors; D005346:Fibroblast Growth Factors; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1