Inhibition of TGFβ signaling promotes ground state pluripotency

Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2014 Feb;10(1):16-30. doi: 10.1007/s12015-013-9473-0.

Abstract

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are considered to exist in a ground state if shielded from differentiation triggers. Here we show that FGF4 and TGFβ signaling pathway inhibitors, designated R2i, not only provide the ground state pluripotency in production and maintenance of naïve ES cells from blastocysts of different mouse strains, but also maintain ES cells with higher genomic integrity following long-term cultivation compared with the chemical inhibition of the FGF4 and GSK3 pathways, known as 2i. Global transcriptome analysis of the ES cells highlights augmented BMP4 signaling pathway. The crucial role of the BMP4 pathway in maintaining the R2i ground state pluripotency is demonstrated by BMP4 receptor suppression, resulting in differentiation and cell death. In conclusion, by inhibiting TGFβ and FGF signaling pathways, we introduce a novel defined approach to efficiently establish the ground state pluripotency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Benzamides / chemistry
  • Benzamides / pharmacology*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Dioxoles / chemistry
  • Dioxoles / pharmacology*
  • Diphenylamine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Diphenylamine / chemistry
  • Diphenylamine / pharmacology
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Inbred DBA
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / drug effects*
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Structure-Activity Relationship
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / metabolism

Substances

  • 4-(5-benzo(1,3)dioxol-5-yl-4-pyridin-2-yl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)benzamide
  • Benzamides
  • Dioxoles
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • mirdametinib
  • Diphenylamine