Yu Xiu, Wang Jichang
Key Laboratory for Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering (Sun Yat-Sen University), Ministry of Education, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Department of Histology and Embryology, Zhongshan School of Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510080, China.
Cell Regen. 2025 Sep 4;14(1):37. doi: 10.1186/s13619-025-00259-5.
Embryo models derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have become powerful tools for dissecting mammalian embryonic development and advancing regenerative medicine. Two recent studies in Cell and Cell Stem Cell report major advances in generating mouse embryo models that replicate development up to early organogenesis (equivalent to embryonic day 8.5~8.75). Li et al. describe a purely chemical strategy to reprogram mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) into induced embryo founder cells (iEFCs) capable of forming complete embryo models (iEFC-EMs). In parallel, Yilmaz et al. demonstrate transgene-free generation of post-gastrulation models (TF-SEMs) from naive mESCs and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) using a similar chemical cocktail. Both models faithfully recapitulate key developmental events, including gastrulation, neural tube formation, cardiogenesis, and somitogenesis. These advances not only deepen understanding of early mammalian development but also pave the way for applications in regenerative medicine and disease modeling.
源自多能干细胞（PSC）的胚胎模型已成为剖析哺乳动物胚胎发育和推进再生医学的强大工具。《细胞》和《细胞干细胞》杂志最近的两项研究报告了在生成小鼠胚胎模型方面取得的重大进展，这些模型可复制直至早期器官发生阶段（相当于胚胎第8.5至8.75天）的发育过程。李等人描述了一种纯粹的化学策略，可将小鼠胚胎干细胞（mESC）重编程为能够形成完整胚胎模型（iEFC-EM）的诱导胚胎起始细胞（iEFC）。与此同时，伊尔马兹等人展示了使用类似的化学混合物从原始mESC和诱导多能干细胞（iPSC）无转基因生成原肠胚形成后模型（TF-SEM）。这两种模型都忠实地再现了关键的发育事件，包括原肠胚形成、神经管形成、心脏发生和体节发生。这些进展不仅加深了对早期哺乳动物发育的理解，也为再生医学和疾病建模的应用铺平了道路。
