Complex haploinsufficiency in pluripotent cells yields somatic cells with DNA methylation abnormalities and pluripotency induction defects.

A complete knockout of a single key pluripotency gene may drastically affect embryonic stem cell function and epigenetic reprogramming. In contrast, elimination of only one allele of a single pluripotency gene is mostly considered harmless to the cell. To understand whether complex haploinsufficiency exists in pluripotent cells, we simultaneously eliminated a single allele in different combinations of two pluripotency genes (i.e., Nanog+/-;Sall4+/-, Nanog+/-;Utf1+/-, Nanog+/-;Esrrb+/- and Sox2+/-;Sall4+/-). Although these double heterozygous mutant lines similarly contribute to chimeras, fibroblasts derived from these systems show a significant decrease in their ability to induce pluripotency. Tracing the stochastic expression of Sall4 and Nanog at early phases of reprogramming could not explain the seen delay or blockage. Further exploration identifies abnormal methylation around pluripotent and developmental genes in the double heterozygous mutant fibroblasts, which could be rescued by hypomethylating agent or high OSKM levels. This study emphasizes the importance of maintaining two intact alleles for pluripotency induction.

Direct Induction of the Three Pre-implantation Blastocyst Cell Types from Fibroblasts.

Following fertilization, totipotent cells undergo asymmetric cell divisions, resulting in three distinct cell types in the late pre-implantation blastocyst: epiblast (Epi), primitive endoderm (PrE), and trophectoderm (TE). Here, we aim to understand whether these three cell types can be induced from fibroblasts by one combination of transcription factors. By utilizing a sophisticated fluorescent knockin reporter system, we identified a combination of five transcription factors, Gata3, Eomes, Tfap2c, Myc, and Esrrb, that can reprogram fibroblasts into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), induced trophoblast stem cells (iTSCs), and induced extraembryonic endoderm stem cells (iXENs), concomitantly. In-depth transcriptomic, chromatin, and epigenetic analyses provide insights into the molecular mechanisms that underlie the reprogramming process toward the three cell types. Mechanistically, we show that the interplay between Esrrb and Eomes during the reprogramming process determines cell fate, where high levels of Esrrb induce a XEN-like state that drives pluripotency and high levels of Eomes drive trophectodermal fate.

Breaking the Ceiling of Human Maximal Life span.

While average human life expectancy has increased dramatically in the last century, the maximum life span has only modestly increased. These observations prompted the notion that human life span might have reached its maximal natural limit of ~115 years. To evaluate this hypothesis, we conducted a systematic analysis of all-cause human mortality throughout the 20th century. Our analyses revealed that, once cause of death is accounted for, there is a proportional increase in both median age of death and maximum life span. To examine whether pathway targeted aging interventions affected both median and maximum life span, we analyzed hundreds of interventions performed in multiple organisms (yeast, worms, flies, and rodents). Three criteria: median, maximum, and last survivor life spans were all significantly extended, and to a similar extent. Altogether, these findings suggest that targeting the biological/genetic causes of aging can allow breaking the currently observed ceiling of human maximal life span.

Moving towards totipotency without a single miR-acle.

Totipotency is the ability of a single cell to form an entire embryo, including extraembryonic tissues, an ability we have yet to recapitalize, in vitro. In a recent paper published in Science, Choi et al. showed that pluripotent stem cells lacking microRNA miR-34a, have an expanded cell fate potential allowing differentiation into not only embryonic but also extraembryonic lineages.

Extensive Nuclear Reprogramming Underlies Lineage Conversion into Functional Trophoblast Stem-like Cells.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) undergo extensive nuclear reprogramming and are generally indistinguishable from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in their functional capacity and transcriptome and DNA methylation profiles. However, direct conversion of cells from one lineage to another often yields incompletely reprogrammed, functionally compromised cells, raising the question of whether pluripotency is required to achieve a high degree of nuclear reprogramming. Here, we show that transient expression of Gata3, Eomes, and Tfap2c in mouse fibroblasts induces stable, transgene-independent trophoblast stem-like cells (iTSCs). iTSCs possess transcriptional profiles highly similar to blastocyst-derived TSCs, with comparable methylation and H3K27ac patterns and genome-wide H2A.X deposition. iTSCs generate trophoectodermal lineages upon differentiation, form hemorrhagic lesions, and contribute to developing placentas in chimera assays, indicating a high degree of nuclear reprogramming, with no evidence of passage through a transient pluripotent state. Together, these data demonstrate that extensive nuclear reprogramming can be achieved independently of pluripotency.

The yeast forkhead HCM1 controls life span independent of calorie restriction.

Regulation of life span by members of the forkhead transcription factor family of proteins is one of the most highly investigated pathways in the field of aging. Nevertheless, despite the existence of forkhead family homologues in yeast, our knowledge of these proteins' role in yeast longevity is limited. Here, we show that yeast Hcm1p forkhead is the closest homologue of the worm PHA-4 forkhead, which regulates Caenorhabditis elegans life span. Overexpressing the yeast forkhead HCM1 or its deficiency resulted in a significant extension or reduction in yeast replicative life span, respectively. HCM1 regulates stress resistance, significantly increases the mRNA levels of several stress response genes including the catalase enzymes CTA1 and CTT1, and positively regulates life span independently of calorie restriction. Thus, HCM1 is a key regulator of life span, through a mechanism independent of calorie restriction.

Multiple pathways regulating the calorie restriction response in yeast.

In yeast, SIR2 overexpression or calorie restriction (CR) results in life-span extension. It was previously suggested that CR activates Sir2 by reducing the levels of Sir2 inhibitors, NADH, or nicotinamide. Whereas NADH reduction is associated with an increase in respiration, nicotinamide clearance is induced by the upregulation of PNC1. Here, we show that, consistent with the hormesis hypothesis, PNC1 is part of a transcriptional stress response module consisting of 39 genes that increases under various stresses. Under high CR (0.1% glucose), Pnc1 becomes activated and its levels increase. However, low CR (0.5% glucose) increases yeast life span without PNC1 induction or activation of any transcriptional stress response. Instead, microarray analysis of low CR shows that the messenger RNA levels of iron transport genes increase, suggesting that this mode of CR is regulated by a shift toward respiration and lowering NADH levels. Thus, at least two pathways regulate the CR response in yeast.