Abstract
ABSTRACTThe mouse embryo is the canonical model for mammalian preimplantation development. Recent advances in single cell profiling allow detailed analysis of embryogenesis in other eutherian species, including human, to distinguish conserved from divergent regulatory programs and signalling pathways in the rodent paradigm. Here, we identify and compare transcriptional features of human, marmoset and mouse embryos by single cell RNA-seq. Zygotic genome activation correlates with the presence of polycomb repressive complexes in all three species, while ribosome biogenesis emerges as a predominant attribute in primate embryos, supporting prolonged translation of maternally deposited RNAs. We find that transposable element expression signatures are species, stage and lineage specific. The pluripotency network in the primate epiblast lacks certain regulators that are operative in mouse, but encompasses WNT components and genes associated with trophoblast specification. Sequential activation of GATA6, SOX17 and GATA4 markers of primitive endoderm identity is conserved in primates. Unexpectedly, OTX2 is also associated with primitive endoderm specification in human and non-human primate blastocysts. Our cross-species analysis demarcates both conserved and primate-specific features of preimplantation development, and underscores the molecular adaptability of early mammalian embryogenesis.
Highlights
Metazoan life relies on the ability to develop specialised cell types from a single cell
Cross-species transcriptome analysis of mammalian preimplantation development Single cell embryo data was assembled from published studies and newly generated samples, to span a uniform time course of preimplantation development in human, marmoset and mouse (Fig. 1A)
We produced single cell RNA-seq data from common marmoset embryos developed in utero, spanning zygote to late blastocyst preimplantation stages
Summary
Metazoan life relies on the ability to develop specialised cell types from a single cell. Received 20 May 2018; Accepted 4 October 2018 pluripotent cell population to form the foetus and segregation of extra-embryonic tissues for successful implantation. The EPI represents the founding population of the embryo proper (Gardner and Rossant, 1979), while the PrE gives rise to the yolk sac (Artus and Hadjantonakis, 2012; Schrode et al, 2013) In both rodents and primates, embryo implantation into the uterine wall is a landmark event, upon which the EPI acquires epithelial polarity (Enders et al, 1986; Bedzhov and Zernicka-Goetz, 2014) and the regulatory network governing pluripotency is reconfigured (Boroviak et al, 2015; Nakamura et al, 2016)
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