Developmental Ability of Trophoblast Stem Cells in Uniparental Mouse Embryos

Ogawa, H.; Shindo, N.; Kumagai, T.; Usami, Y.; Shikanai, M.; Jonwn, K.; Fukuda, A.; Kawahara, M.; Sotomaru, Y.; Tanaka, S.; Arima, T.; Kono, T.

doi:10.1016/j.placenta.2009.02.006

« Previous Next »Placenta
Volume 30, Issue 5 , Pages 448-456, May 2009

Developmental Ability of Trophoblast Stem Cells in Uniparental Mouse Embryos

H. Ogawa
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +81 3 5477 2754; fax: +81 3 5477 2668.
N. Shindo
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
T. Kumagai
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
Y. Usami
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
M. Shikanai
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
K. Jonwn
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
A. Fukuda
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
M. Kawahara
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan
Y. Sotomaru
- Natural Science Center for Basic Research and Development, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima 734-8551, Japan
S. Tanaka
- Laboratory of Cellular Biochemistry, Department of Animal Resource Sciences/Veterinary Medical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
T. Arima
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Graduate School of Medicine, Tohoku University, 1-1 Seiryo-machi, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8574, Japan
T. Kono
- Department of Bioscience, Tokyo University of Agriculture, 1-1-1 Sakuragaoka, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-8502, Japan

Accepted 19 February 2009. published online 06 April 2009.

Abstract

Neither parthenogenetic (PG) nor androgenetic (AG) mouse embryos survive after day 9.5 of pregnancy, owing to the inadequate growth of extraembryonic tissues, including the placenta. At day 9.5 of pregnancy, the placental structures are poorly developed in PG embryos, while trophoblast giant cells are abundant at the implantation site in AG embryos. These findings suggest that both parental genomes are required for placental development. To gain further insight into the trophoblast lineage in PG and AG embryos, we attempted to derive trophoblast stem (TS)-like cell lines from uniparental embryos. Furthermore, we sought to assess their ability to differentiate into cells of the trophoblast lineage by using gene expression analysis. Three cell lines that expressed marker genes for undifferentiated TS cells (Cdx2 and Errβ) were derived from AG embryos. Under differentiation conditions, these cells expressed the trophoblast giant cell-specific genes, but did not express the spongiotrophoblast-specific genes. In contrast, none of the four cell lines from PG embryos expressed marker genes for undifferentiated TS cells, but they expressed Oct3/4, a marker gene for embryonic stem cells. Immunohistochemical analysis indicated that PG blastocysts expressed Oct3/4 and Cdx2 specifically in inner cell mass and the trophectoderm respectively. These results suggest that PG embryos do not possess TS cells, because of the lack of the developmental ability of trophoblast cells.

Keywords: Parthenogenetic, Androgenetic, Trophoblast stem (TS) cells, Mouse placenta