Publications by authors named "K Niakan"
The human blastocyst contains the pluripotent epiblast from which human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can be derived. ACTIVIN/NODAL signaling maintains expression of the transcription factor NANOG and in vitro propagation of hESCs. It is unknown whether this reflects a functional requirement for epiblast development in human embryos.
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- Many mammals, including mice, can delay development between conception and birth by entering a dormant state during the blastocyst stage.
- Research shows that reducing the mTOR signaling pathway activity can induce this dormant state in human pluripotent stem cells and blastoids, leading to limited growth and development.
- This discovery suggests that humans also have the ability to enter dormancy around the blastocyst stage, which could have important implications for reproductive therapies.
During the first week of development, human embryos form a blastocyst composed of an inner cell mass and trophectoderm (TE) cells, the latter of which are progenitors of placental trophoblast. Here, we investigated the expression of transcripts in the human TE from early to late blastocyst stages. We identified enrichment of the transcription factors GATA2, GATA3, TFAP2C and KLF5 and characterised their protein expression dynamics across TE development.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell fate decisions in early mammalian embryos are tightly regulated processes crucial for proper development. While FGF signaling plays key roles in early embryo patterning, its downstream effectors remain poorly understood. Our study demonstrates that the transcription factors and are critical mediators of FGF signaling in cell lineage specification and maturation in mouse embryos.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBone morphogenic protein (BMP) signaling plays an essential and highly conserved role in embryo axial patterning in animal species. However, in mammalian embryos, which develop inside the mother, early development includes a preimplantation stage, which does not occur in externally developing embryos. During preimplantation, the epiblast is segregated from extra-embryonic lineages that enable implantation and development in utero.
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