Activin A in combination with ERK1/2 MAPK pathway inhibition sustains propagation of mouse embryonic stem cells

The combination of Wnt pathway activation by the GSK3 inhibitor and ERK pathway inhibition by the MEK inhibitor, which is known as 2i is a well-established method to maintain mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) self-renewal. Here we show that Activin A also has the ability to promote naive pluripotency of mESCs when combined with the MEK inhibitor PD0325901. mESCs were efficiently propagated in a medium containing both Activin A and the MEK inhibitor (PD0325901). mESCs cultured in Activin+PD retained a pluripotency state that expresses high levels of naive pluripotency-related transcription factors and is able to differentiate into three germ layers under appropriate conditions. They also showed naive pluripotency features, including the preferential usage of the Oct4 distal enhancer and the self-renewal response to Wnt pathway activation. Our finding provides another way to maintain the naive pluripotency state and reveals a role of Activin/Nodal/TGF- signaling in stabilizing self-renewal gene regulatory networks in mESCs.

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Ashida Y, Nakajima-Koyama M, Hirota A, Yamamoto T, Nishida E