Comparative functional genomics identifies unique molecular features of EPSCs

Vikas Malik, Ruge Zang, Alejandro Fuentes-Iglesias, Xin Huang, Dan Li, Miguel Fidalgo, Hongwei Zhou, Jianlong Wang

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Extended pluripotent or expanded potential stem cells (EPSCs) possess superior developmental potential to embryonic stem cells (ESCs). However, the molecular underpinning of EPSC maintenance in vitro is not well defined. We comparatively studied transcriptome, chromatin accessibility, active histone modification marks, and relative proteomes of ESCs and the two well-established EPSC lines to probe the molecular foundation underlying EPSC developmental potential. Despite some overlapping transcriptomic and chromatin accessibility features, we defined sets of molecular signatures that distinguish EPSCs from ESCs in transcriptional and translational regulation as well as metabolic control. Interestingly, EPSCs show similar reliance on pluripotency factors Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog for self-renewal as ESCs. Our study provides a rich resource for dissecting the regulatory network that governs the developmental potency of EPSCs and exploring alternative strategies to capture totipotent stem cells in culture.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere202201608
JournalLife Science Alliance
Volume5
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2022
Externally publishedYes

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