美国密歇根大学傅剑平（Jianping Fu）等研究人员使用干细胞开发出模拟人上胚层和羊膜发育的可控模型。相关成果2019年9月11日在线发表在《自然》上。
研究人员报道了微流体装置中的人多能干细胞（hPSC）能够以高度可控和可扩展的方式概括孕体的外胚层和羊膜外胚层部分的发育标志事件，包括外胚层的腔内生成和由此产生的羊膜腔、双极胚囊的形成，以及原始生殖细胞和原始条纹细胞的特化。研究人员进一步发现羊膜外胚层样细胞作为信号中心起作用，以触发hPSC中类似原肠胚形成事件的发生。鉴于其可控性和可扩展性，微流体模型提供了强大的实验系统，从而能够推进对人类胚胎学和繁殖的认知。该模型可以帮助合理设计用于疾病建模和细胞治疗的hPSC的分化方案，以及用于预防妊娠失败和出生缺陷的高通量药物和毒性筛选。
据介绍，人类胚胎早期发育涉及广泛的谱系多样化、细胞命运特化和组织模式化。尽管其具有基础和临床重要性，早期人类胚胎发育仍然相对无法破译，因为种间分歧和人类胚胎样本的可获取性有限。
附：英文原文
Title:Controlled modelling of human epiblast and amnion development using stem cells
Author:Yi Zheng, Xufeng Xue, Yue Shao, Sicong Wang, Sajedeh Nasr Esfahani, Zida Li, Jonathon M. Muncie, Johnathon N. Lakins, Valerie M. Weaver, Deborah L. Gumucio, Jianping Fu
Issue&Volume: 2019-09-11
Abstract:Early human embryonic development involves extensive lineage diversification, cell-fate specification and tissue patterning1. Despite its basic and clinical importance, early human embryonic development remains relatively unexplained owing to interspecies divergence2,3 and limited accessibility to human embryo samples. Here we report that human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in a microfluidic device recapitulate, in a highly controllable and scalable fashion, landmarks of the development of the epiblast and amniotic ectoderm parts of the conceptus, including lumenogenesis of the epiblast and the resultant pro-amniotic cavity, formation of a bipolar embryonic sac, and specification of primordial germ cells and primitive streak cells. We further show that amniotic ectoderm-like cells function as a signalling centre to trigger the onset of gastrulation-like events in hPSCs. Given its controllability and scalability, the microfluidic model provides a powerful experimental system to advance knowledge of human embryology and reproduction. This model could assist in the rational design of differentiation protocols of hPSCs for disease modelling and cell therapy, and in high-throughput drug and toxicity screens to prevent pregnancy failure and birth defects.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1535-2
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1535-2
Nature：《自然》，创刊于1869年。隶属于施普林格·自然出版集团，最新IF：69.504
官方网址：http://www.nature.com/
投稿链接：http://www.nature.com/authors/submit_manuscript.html
本期文章：《自然》：Online/在线发表
