Guo Jing, Lin Runxia, Liu Jinpeng, Liu Rongrong, Chen Shuyan, Zhang Zhen, Yang Yongzheng, Wang Haiyun, Wang Luqin, Yu Shengyong, Zhou Chunhua, Xiao Lizhan, Luo Rongping, Yu Jinjin, Zeng Lihua, Zhang Xiaoli, Li Yusha, Wu Haokaifeng, Wang Tao, Li Yi, Kumar Manish, Zhu Ping, Liu Jing
Center for Cell Lineage and Development, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China.
Center for Cell Lineage and Development, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China; CAS Key Laboratory of Regenerative Biology, Joint School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510530, China, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China; Laboratory of Cell Fate Control, School of Life Sciences, Westlake University, Hangzhou, China.
Stem Cell Reports. 2025 Feb 11;20(2):102388. doi: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.102388. Epub 2025 Jan 9.
Guinea pigs are valuable models for human disease research, yet the lack of established pluripotent stem cell lines has limited their utility. In this study, we isolate and characterize guinea pig epiblast stem cells (gpEpiSCs) from post-implantation embryos. These cells differentiate into the three germ layers, maintain normal karyotypes, and rely on FGF2 and ACTIVIN A signaling for self-renewal and pluripotency. Wingless/Integrated (WNT) signaling inhibition is also essential for their maintenance. GpEpiSCs express key pluripotency markers (OCT4, SOX2, NANOG) and share transcriptional similarities with human and mouse primed stem cells. While many genes are conserved between guinea pig and human primed stem cells, transcriptional analysis also reveals species-specific differences in pluripotency-related pathways. Epigenetic analysis highlights bivalent gene regulation, underscoring their developmental potential. This work demonstrates both the evolutionary conservation and divergence of primed pluripotent stem cells, providing a new tool for biomedical research and enhancing guinea pigs' utility in studying human diseases.
豚鼠是人类疾病研究的重要模型,但缺乏成熟的多能干细胞系限制了它们的应用。在本研究中,我们从植入后胚胎中分离并鉴定了豚鼠上胚层干细胞(gpEpiSCs)。这些细胞可分化为三个胚层,维持正常核型,并依赖成纤维细胞生长因子2(FGF2)和激活素A信号进行自我更新和多能性维持。无翅/整合(WNT)信号抑制对它们的维持也至关重要。GpEpiSCs表达关键的多能性标志物(OCT4、SOX2、NANOG),并与人类和小鼠的始发态干细胞具有转录相似性。虽然豚鼠和人类始发态干细胞之间有许多基因是保守的,但转录分析也揭示了多能性相关途径中的物种特异性差异。表观遗传分析突出了二价基因调控,强调了它们的发育潜力。这项工作展示了始发态多能干细胞在进化上的保守性和差异性,为生物医学研究提供了一种新工具,并提高了豚鼠在研究人类疾病中的应用价值。