Vitamin C and L-Proline antagonistic effects capture alternative states in the pluripotency continuum [RNA-Seq]

Samples 1-4 report RNA-seq transcriptome profiling of the L-Proline- (L-Pro) and bFgf/ActivinA- (F/A) derived mCherry+/eGFP+ (yellow) ESC population, using the Illumina HiSeq platform. Whole-genome expression revealed that more than 1000 genes were significantly deregulated in L-Pro- and F/A-induced cells compared to control (mCherry+/eGFP- red cells) and the two population shared up to 75% of deregulated genes with the same deregulation trend. Specifically, the pluripotency-associated genes were downregulated either at similar level (Nanog, Klf2, Klf4 and Gbx2) or at lower levels (up to 10 times) (Dppa 2, 3, 4, 5a, Rex1, Esrrb) in F/A- compared to L-Pro-treated cells. Interestingly, mesendodermal-related genes (e.g. Brachyury, Cer1, Dkk1, Eomes, Foxa2, and Sox17) were induced in both conditions but at significant higher levels in F/A- compared to L-Pro-treated cells. The transcriptome analysis of mCherry+/eGFP+ (yellow) cells supported the idea that L-Pro mimics F/A in inducing a naïve to primed transition, and suggested that it exerted a milder (weaker) effect. Samples 5-14 report RNA-seq transcriptome profiling of the mir-290_mCherry/mir-302_eGFP dual reporter ESCs (DRESCs) bulk culture, grown in FBS/LIF ± VitaminC (VitC) and L-Proline (L-Pro) and compared them to the standard naive/2i and primed/bFgf/ActivinA-EpiSCs (F/A), using the Illumina HiSeq platform. Whole-genome expression identified around 7900 deregulated genes in the different conditions, (fold change=2 and pvalue<0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) placed VitC between 2i and untreated control, and L-Pro between control and F/A. Accordingly, a set of pluripotency-associated genes was expressed at higher level in 2i and VitC conditions, while downregulated in L-Pro and F/A, compared to control. Conversely, priming markers were downregulated in 2i and VitC and upregulated in L-Pro and F/A compared to control The transcriptome analysis supported that VitC- and L-Pro captured alternative pluripotency states that can be likely placed between naïve/2i and primed/F/A states. Overall design: RNA-seq profiling of ESCs grown in FBS/LIF ± VitC, 2i, L-Pro or F/A, using the Illumina HiSeq platform

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D'Aniello C, Habibi E, Cermola F, Paris D, Russo F, Fiorenzano A, Di Napoli G, Melck DJ, Cobellis G, Angelini C, Fico A, Blelloch R, Motta A, Stunnenberg HG, De Cesare D, Patriarca EJ, Minchiotti G