A new resource of clonal pluripotent human stem cell lines exhibiting inter- and intra-embryo consistency and variability

Abstract

Human naive pluripotent stem cells can generate all somatic tissues and extra-embryonic components of the blastocyst. We derived multiple clonal naive pluripotent stem cell lines from individual embryos by physical separation of inner cell mass cells and subsequent individual expansion of each resulting dome-shaped colony, providing the foundation for a resource to investigate intra- and inter-embryo variation. Twenty lines were derived from ten embryos donated from nine couples. While differences between lines are observed, the overarching pluripotency circuitry is preserved in each. They can differentiate into extra-embryonic lineages and readily acquire post-implantation pluripotent identity when exposed to culture conditions driving in vitro capacitation, subsequently to generate derivatives of the three germ layers: ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. Some lines exhibit intra-chromosomal amplification and deletions and are therefore anticipated to provide a valuable, accessible system for modelling chromosomal mosaicism and its potential consequences using chimeric organoids, such as blastoids and gastruloids.