Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells Enhance the In vitro and In vivo Developmental Potential of Mouse Preimplantation Embryos

Kim, Eun Young; Lee, Keum Sil; Park, Se Pill

doi:2010.23.9.1152

Article

Animal Reproduction and Physiology

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 2010;23(9): 1152-1158.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2010.90571 Published online August 20, 2010.

Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells Enhance the In vitro and In vivo Developmental Potential of Mouse Preimplantation Embryos

Eun Young Kim, Keum Sil Lee, Se Pill Park

Abstract

In differentiating human embryonic stem (d-hES) cells there are a number of types of cells which may secrete various nutrients and helpful materials for pre-implantation embryonic development. This study examined whether the d-hES could function as a feeder cell in vitro to support mouse embryonic development. By RT-PCR analysis, the d-hES cells revealed high expression of three germ-layered differentiation markers while having markedly reduced expression of stem cell markers. Also, in d-hES cells, LIF expression in embryo implantation-related material was confirmed at a similar level to undifferentiated ES cells. When mouse 2PN embryos were cultured in control M16 medium, co-culture control CR1aa medium or co-cultured with d-hES cells, their blastocyst development rate at embryonic day 4 (83.9%) were significantly better in the d-hES cell group than in the CR1aa group (66.0%), while not better than in the M16 group (90.7%)(p<0.05). However, at embryonic days 5 and 6, embryo hatching and hatched-out rates of the d-hES cell group (53.6 and 48.2%, respectively) were superior to those of the M16 group (40.7 and 40.7%, respectively). At embryonic day 4, blastocysts of the d-hES cell group were transferred into pseudo-pregnant recipients, and pregnancy rate (75.0%) was very high compared to the other groups (M16, 57.1%; CR1aa, 37.5%). In addition, embryo implantation (55.9%) and live fetus rate (38.2%) of the d-hES cell group were also better than those of the other groups (M16, 36.7 and 18.3%, respectively; CR1aa, 23.2 and 8.7%, respectively). These results demonstrated that d-hES cells can be used as a feeder cell for enhancing in vitro and in vivo developmental potential of mouse pre-implantation embryos.

Keywords: Mouse Embryo; d-hES Feeder Cell; Co-culture; Developmental Potential