Polarity of the mouse embryo is anticipated before implantation

In most species, the polarity of an embryo underlies the future body plan and is determined from that of the zygote. However, mammals are thought to be an exception to this; in the mouse, polarity is generally thought to develop significantly later, only after implantation. It has not been possible, however, to relate the polarity of the preimplantation mouse embryo to that of the later conceptus due to the lack of markers that endure long enough to follow lineages through implantation. To test whether early developmental events could provide cues that predict the axes of the postimplantation embryo, we have used the strategy of injecting mRNA encoding an enduring marker to trace the progeny of inner cell mass cells into the postimplantation visceral endoderm. This tissue, although it has an extraembryonic fate, plays a role in axis determination in adjacent embryonic tissue. We found that visceral endoderm cells that originated near the polar body (a marker of the blastocyst axis of symmetry) generally became distal as the egg cylinder formed, while those that originated opposite the polar body tended to become proximal. It follows that, in normal development, bilateral symmetry of the mouse blastocyst anticipates the polarity of the later conceptus. Moreover, our results show that transformation of the blastocyst axis of symmetry into the axes of the postimplantation conceptus involves asymmetric visceral endoderm cell movement. Therefore, even if the definitive axes of the mouse embryo become irreversibly established only after implantation, this polarity can be traced back to events before implantation.     

Blastomeres arising from the first cleavage division have distinguishable fates in normal mouse development

Two independent studies have recently suggested similar models in which the embryonic and abembryonic parts of the mouse blastocyst become separated already by the first cleavage division. However, no lineage tracing studies carried out so far on early embryos provide the support for such a hypothesis. Thus, to re-examine the fate of blastomeres of the two-cell mouse embryo, we have undertaken lineage tracing studies using a non-perturbing method. We show that two-cell stage blastomeres have a strong tendency to develop into cells that comprise either the embryonic or the abembryonic parts of the blastocyst. Moreover, the two-cell stage blastomere that is first to divide will preferentially contribute its progeny to the embryonic part. Nevertheless, we find that the blastocyst embryonic-abembryonic axis is not perfectly orthogonal to the first cleavage plane, but often shows some angular displacement from it. Consequently, there is a boundary zone adjacent to the interior margin of the blastocoel that is populated by cells derived from both earlier and later dividing blastomeres. The majority of cells that inhabit this boundary region are, however, derived from the later dividing two-cell stage blastomere that contributes predominantly to the abembryonic part of the blastocyst. Thus, at the two-cell stage it is already possible to predict which cell will contribute a greater proportion of its progeny to the abembryonic part of the blastocyst (region including the blastocyst cavity) and which to the embryonic part (region containing the inner cell mass) that will give rise to the embryo proper.     

Patterning of the embryo: the first spatial decisions in the life of a mouse

Although in most species the polarity of the embryo takes its roots from the spatial patterning of the egg, mammals were viewed as an exception. This was because the anteroposterior polarity of the mouse embryo could not be seen until gastrulation, and no developmental cues were known that could define polarity at earlier stages. Why should we now re-consider this view? While mechanisms of axis formation in mammals could, in principle, be unique, the evolutionary conservation of numerous other developmental processes raises the question of why mammals would have evolved a different way or timing of organising their embryonic polarity. Indeed, recent evidence shows that well before the onset of gastrulation, the mouse embryo initiates asymmetric patterns of gene expression in its visceral endoderm. Although this extra-embryonic tissue does not contribute to the body itself, it is involved in axis formation. Other recent work has revealed that spatial distribution of cells in the visceral endoderm can be traced back to polarity present at the blastocyst stage. These insights have raised the possibility that embryonic polarity might also originate early during development of mammalian embryos. Indeed it now appears that there are at least two spatial cues that operate in the mouse egg to shape polarity of the blastocyst. One of these is at the animal pole, which is defined by the site of female meiosis, and another is associated with the position of sperm entry. In this review I discuss these recent findings, which have led to the recognition that mouse embryos initiate development of their polarity at the earliest stages of their life. This novel perspective raises questions about the nature of cellular and molecular mechanisms that could convert developmental cues in the zygote to axes of the blastocyst, and hence into polarity of the post-implantation embryo. It also brings to light the need to understand how such mechanisms could enable early mouse development to be so regulative.     

Animal and vegetal poles of the mouse egg predict the polarity of the embryonic axis, yet are nonessential for development

Recent studies suggest early (preimplantation) events might be important in the development of polarity in mammalian embryos. We report here lineage tracing experiments with green fluorescent protein showing that cells located either near to or opposite the polar body at the 8-cell stage of the mouse embryo retain their same relative positions in the blastocyst. Thus they come to lie on either end of an axis of symmetry of the blastocyst that has recently been shown to correlate with the anterior-posterior axis of the postimplantation embryo (see R. J. Weber, R. A. Pedersen, F. Wianny, M. J. Evans and M. Zernicka-Goetz (1999). Development 126, 5591-5598). The embryonic axes of the mouse can therefore be related to the position of the polar body at the 8-cell stage, and by implication, to the animal-vegetal axis of the zygote. However, we also show that chimeric embryos constructed from 2-cell stage blastomeres from which the animal or the vegetal poles have been removed can develop into normal blastocysts and become fertile adult mice. This is also true of chimeras composed of animal or vegetal pole cells derived through normal cleavage to the 8-cell stage. We discuss that although polarity of the postimplantation embryo can be traced back to the 8-cell stage and in turn to the organisation of the egg, it is not absolutely fixed by this time.     

Induction of polarity in mouse 8-cell blastomeres: specificity, geometry, and stability

We studied the cellular mechanisms underlying the induction of polarity in individual blastomeres of the 8-cell mouse embryo. The ability to induce polarity is lacking in the membranes of unfertilized and newly fertilized mouse eggs, then develops during the 2-cell stage, and is present in membranes of cells from 4-, 8-, and 16-cell stages. The axis of polarity takes 3-5 h to become established and thereafter appears to be stable. Multiple cell contacts affect the orientation of the axis of polarity, and no polarity develops in cells which are totally surrounded. Polarized cells show evidence of an limited capacity for slight adjustments in their position relative to other cells. The implications of these results for the mechanisms by which a blastocyst is generated are discussed briefly.     

Unbiased contribution of the first two blastomeres to mouse blastocyst development

Several recent studies have proposed a model that the organization of the mouse blastocyst is determined by the pattern of early cleavages: the plane of first cleavage divides the two-cell embryo into embryonic (Em) and abembryonic (Ab) halves, while the timing of the second cleavages specifies which blastomere becomes the Em half. This model is still controversial because of conflicting observations in various studies. Here, we investigated the possibility that the difference between mouse strains contributed to the discrepancy of the findings of different experiments regarding the relationship between the first two cleavages and the blastocyst axial pattern. First, we showed by using a lipophilic, fluorescent tracer that the plane of the first cleavage bears no consistent spatial relationship to the Em-Ab axis of the blastocyst regardless of the genotypic background. Secondly, the order of the second cleavage does not correlate with the Em-Ab polarity of the blastocyst. This was demonstrated by tracing the lineage of the early- and later-dividing two-cell stage blastomeres in the whole embryo as well as by comparing the developmental potential of isolated early- and later-dividing blastomeres and chimeras made entirely of early- or later-dividing blastomeres. These results suggest that contrary to recent studies, the differences between the early- and later-dividing blastomeres of the two-cell embryo are not functionally evident and do not define the Em-Ab polarity of the blastocyst. The significance of these findings is discussed in relation to human assisted reproduction and preimplantation genetic diagnosis.     

Gene expression profiles of human inner cell mass cells and embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of preimplantation human blastocysts obtained on days 5–6 following fertilization. Based on their derivation, they were once thought to be the equivalent of the ICM. Recently, however, studies in mice reported the derivation of mouse embryonic stem cell lines from the epiblast; these epiblast lines bear significant resemblance to human embryonic stem cell lines in terms of culture, differentiation potential and gene expression. In this study, we compared gene expression in human ICM cells isolated from the blastocyst and embryonic stem cells. We demonstrate that expression profiles of ICM clusters from single embryos and hESC populations were highly reproducible. Moreover, comparison of global gene expression between individual ICM clusters and human embryonic stem cells indicated that these two cell types are significantly different in regards to gene expression, with fewer than one half of all genes expressed in both cell types. Genes of the isolated human inner cell mass that are upregulated and downregulated are involved in numerous cellular pathways and processes; a subset of these genes may impart unique characteristics to hESCs such as proliferative and self-renewal properties.     

提高人胚胎干细胞建系率的优选培养体系与方法

目的:建立一种从废弃胚胎中提高囊胚形成率和质量的培养体系,寻找多种促进内细胞团(ICM)数目增多、贴壁、增值的方法,提高人胚胎干细胞(human embryonic stem cell,hESC)建系效率,建立人胚胎干细胞库。方法:将179枚IVFDay3废弃的胚胎放入优选培养体系中培养(G2.5培养液中添加10%人血清蛋白,人白细胞抑制生长因子(hLIF),碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF))。到Day7将形成的囊胚全部用机械法分离ICM,接种于丝裂霉素C灭活处理的原代小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞(MEF)上,培养8-9天,每4-5天传代1次。结果:优选培养体系的囊胚形成率为29.1%(52/179),其中A级囊胚形成率为11.2%(20/179),50个ICM贴壁生长,20个出现克隆形态,成功建立11株hESC(FY-hES-11至FY-hES-21)。11株hESC均具有共同的多能性生物学特性。结论:优选培养体系可以明显提高囊胚形成的质量,促进ICM的增值,纯熟的机械切割法可以避免损伤ICM并提高其贴壁率,原代灭活的MEF饲养层可以明显促进细胞增殖。     

Is the anterior-posterior axis of the fetus specified before implantation in the mouse?

The mouse conceptus is generally held to be radially symmetrical about its embryonic-abembryonic axis from the blastocyst stage until the primitive streak appears at the beginning of gastrulation. However, this notion has been challenged by recent observations on conceptuses sectioned in utero which suggest that the blastocyst is already bilaterally symmetrical when it begins to implant. Accordingly, the blastocyst has been assigned an anterior-posterior axis which appears to persist through gastrulation and is claimed to coincide with the anterior-posterior axis of the future fetus in both orientation and polarity. In the present investigation the relationship between these two axes was examined in conceptuses dissected from the uterus early in gastrulation so that it could be determined more accurately than is possible in situ. The anterior-posterior axis of the conceptus and nascent fetus were found to be either parallel or antiparallel to each other, suggesting that while the orientation of the fetal axis may be specified at the blastocyst stage its polarity is not.     

Mechanism of First Cleavage Specification in the Mouse Egg: Is Our Body Plan Set at Day 0?

In most animals the body axis is specified in the egg. Because of their highlyregulative capacity after experimental manipulations,1-4 mammalianpreimplantation embryos have long been thought to be an exception to this rule,lacking polarity until the blastocyst stage. However, it has recently been suggested5-7 that the embryonic-abembryonic (Em-Ab) axis of the mouse blastocyst arisesperpendicular to the first cleavage plane. Considering the second polar body (2pb)as a stationary marker for the “animal pole (A-pole)” during preimplantationdevelopment,5,6 the authors concluded that the polarity of the mouse embryo isalready specified in the egg, as is the case for most non-mammalian animals.5-7However, the results of our recent time-lapse recordings have shown8 that in 50 %of the embryos the first cleavage occurs at a considerable distance from the“animal-vegetal (A-V) axis” and that the 2pb moves towards the first cleavageplane, in contrast to the previous claims. Thus, there is no predetermined axis in themouse egg. We also presented a novel model for specification of the first cleavageplane: this is defined as the plane separating the two apposing pronuclei that havemoved to the center of the egg. In this review we will elucidate the discrepancybetween the previous model and our model, and discuss the possible causes.     

小鼠早期胚胎发育期间LIF基因表达的研究(简报)

白血病抑制因子(Leukemia inhibitory fac-tor,LIF)是近年来研究较为广泛的细胞生长调节因子之一。最初发现LIF能够在体外诱导小鼠髓样白血病细胞株M1细胞向正常细胞分化,进一步分离纯化蛋白以及克隆基因后发现LIF在体外还具有多种功能,作用于不同的靶细胞时引起的生理效应也各不相同。目前已知的功能有:刺激肝脏细胞急性期反应蛋白的     

Nuclear transplantation of male primordial germ cells in the mouse

We examined the developmental ability of enucleated eggs receiving embryonic nuclei and male primordial germ cells (PGCs) in the mouse. Reconstituted eggs developed into the blastocyst stage only when an earlier 2-cell nucleus was transplanted (36%) but very rarely if the donor nucleus was derived from a later 2-cell, 8-cell, or inner cell mass of a blastocyst (0-3%). 54-100%, 11-67%, 6-43% and 6-20% of enucleated eggs receiving male PGCs developed to 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell and blastocyst stage, respectively, in culture. The overall success rate when taking into account the total number of attempts at introducing germ cells was actually 0-6%. Live fetuses were not obtained after transfer of reconstituted eggs to recipients, although implantation sites were observed. The developmental ability of reconstituted eggs in relation to embryonic genome activation and genomic imprinting is discussed.     

小鼠类胚胎干细胞分离培养及用于制作嵌合体小鼠的实验研究

目的探讨分离小鼠囊胚内细胞群类胚胎干细胞及用于制作嵌合体小鼠的方法及应用价值。方法分离3.5d小鼠囊胚内细胞群的类胚胎干细胞作为供体细胞,通过显微注射方法将分离的类胚胎干细胞注射到供体小鼠的囊胚腔中,再将注射后的囊胚移植到假孕雌鼠的子宫中制作嵌合体小鼠。结果分离36枚囊胚的内细胞群类胚胎干细胞,注射256只昆明小鼠囊胚中,移植32只假孕雌鼠子宫中,获产崽2窝,共12只,其中2只获毛色嵌合体小鼠。结论采用该技术分离所获得的类胚胎干细胞作为供体细胞制作嵌合体小鼠获得成功,该方法为ES细胞介导的转基因动物制作增添了一条新的途径,在同种不同品系的动物改良及遗传病基因治疗中有一定的应用价值,尤其是对未能建立ES细胞系的大动物的遗传工程操作具有一定意义。     

The hypoblast of the chick embryo positions the primitive streak by antagonizing nodal signaling

The hypoblast (equivalent to the mouse anterior visceral endoderm) of the chick embryo plays a role in regulating embryonic polarity. Surprisingly, hypoblast removal causes multiple embryonic axes to form, suggesting that it emits an inhibitor of axis formation. We show that Cerberus (a multifunctional antagonist of Nodal, Wnt, and BMP signaling) is produced by the hypoblast and inhibits primitive streak formation. This activity is mimicked by Cerberus-Short (CerS), which only inhibits Nodal. Nodal misexpression can initiate an ectopic primitive streak, but only when the hypoblast is removed. We propose that, during normal development, the primitive streak forms only when the hypoblast is displaced away from the posterior margin by the endoblast, which lacks Cerberus.     

哺乳动物胚胎透明带脱落机制的研究进展

胚胎着床是一个连续的动态过程,其中胚泡从透明带中准时孵出是着床的关键.透明带脱落的机制主要是子宫或(和)胚泡分泌物部分或全部溶解透明带后,胚泡在细胞数量增加及细胞运动的机械压力作用下通过透明带的某一位点孵出.     

Cell fate in the polar trophectoderm of mouse blastocysts as studied by microinjection of cell lineage tracers

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP), together with Fast Green or rhodamine-conjugated dextran (RDX), was used as an intracellular lineage tracer to determine cell fate in the polar trophectoderm of 3.5-day-old mouse embryos. In HRP-injected midstage (approximately 39-cell) and expanded (approximately 65-cell) blastocysts incubated for 24 hr, the central polar trophectoderm cell was displaced from the embryonic pole an average of 20 micron (5% of blastocyst circumference) and 29 micron (6% of blastocyst circumference), respectively. Expanded blastocysts injected with HRP + Fast Green and incubated for 24 hr or with HRP + RDX and incubated for 48 hr showed a displacement of 24 micron (4% of blastocyst circumference) and 88 micron (14% of blastocyst circumference), respectively. Up to 10 HRP-positive trophectoderm cells were observed among embryos incubated for 48 hr, indicating that in those cases, the labeled progenitor cells had divided at least three times. Our observations show that the central polar trophectoderm cell divides in the plane of the trophectoderm in expanded blastocysts and, along with its descendants, is displaced toward the mural trophectoderm. The systematic tandem displacement of labeled cells and their descendants toward the abembryonic pole suggests the presence of a proliferative area at the embryonic pole of the blastocyst. Large shifts in inner cell mass (ICM) position in relation to the trophectoderm do not occur during blastocyst expansion. Furthermore, random movements within the polar trophectoderm population do not account for the replacement of labeled cells by unlabeled polar trophectoderm cells. Rather, we propose the hypothesis that the ICM contributes these replacement cells to the polar trophectoderm during blastocyst expansion.