Pten-mediated Gsk3β modulates the naïve pluripotency maintenance in embryonic stem cells
Wuming Wang, Gang Lü, Xianwei Su, Chengcheng Tang, Hongjian Li, Zhiqiang Xiong, Chi‐Kwan Leung, Man Sze Wong, Hongbin Liu, Jinlong Ma, Hoi‐Hung Cheung, Hsiang‐Fu Kung, Zi‐Jiang Chen, Wai‐Yee Chan
Abstract
Abstract Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are isolated from the inner cell mass of blastocysts, and they exist in different states of pluripotency—naïve and primed states. Pten is a well-known tumor suppressor. Here, we generated Pten −/− mouse ESCs with the CRISPR-Cas9 system and verified that Pten −/− ESCs maintained naïve pluripotency by blocking Gsk3β activity. Serum/LIF and 2i (MAPK and GSK3 inhibitors) conditions are commonly used for ESC maintenance. We show that the Pten-inhibitor SF1670 contributed to sustaining mouse ESCs and that Pten activation by the S380A, T382A, and T383A mutations (Pten-A3) suppressed the pluripotency of ESCs. The in vivo teratoma formation ability of SF1670-treated ESCs increased, while the Pten-A3 mutations suppressed teratoma formation. Furthermore, the embryoid bodies derived from Pten -deficient ESCs or SF1670-treated wild-type ESCs showed greater expression of ectoderm and pluripotency markers. These results suggest that Pten-mediated Gsk3β modulates the naïve pluripotency of ESCs and that Pten ablation regulates the lineage-specific differentiation.