title: Characterization of the finch embryo supports evolutionary conservation of the naive stage of development in amniotes.
abstract: Innate pluripotency of mouse embryos transits from naive to primed state as the inner cell mass differentiates into epiblast. In vitro, their counterparts are embryonic (ESCs) and epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs), respectively. Activation of the FGF signaling cascade results in mouse ESCs differentiating into mEpiSCs, indicative of its requirement in the shift between these states. However, only mouse ESCs correspond to the naive state; ESCs from other mammals and from chick show primed state characteristics. Thus, the significance of the naive state is unclear. In this study, we use zebra finch as a model for comparative ESC studies. The finch blastoderm has mESC-like properties, while chick blastoderm exhibits EpiSC features. In the absence of FGF signaling, finch cells retained expression of pluripotent markers, which were lost in cells from chick or aged finch epiblasts. Our data suggest that the naive state of pluripotency is evolutionarily conserved among amniotes.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Sensory Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Siu-Shan
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Mak
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Early Embryogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Cantas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alev
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Early Embryogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Sensory Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.|Laboratory for Early Embryogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wrabel
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Sensory Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Matsuoka
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Sensory Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Honda
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Early Embryogenesis, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Guojun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sheng
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Sensory Development, RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, Kobe, Japan.|National Center for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, India.
authors.forename: Raj K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Ladher
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D046369:Finches / Q000196:embryology* / Q000254:growth & development; D005855:Germ Layers / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: ES cells; chicken; developmental biology; early embryo; evolutionary biology; genomics; stem cells; zebra finch