Rat post-implantation epiblast-derived pluripotent stem cells produce functional germ cells.

In mammals, pluripotent cells transit through a continuum of distinct molecular and functional states en route to initiating lineage specification. Capturing pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) mirroring pluripotent states provides accessible models to study the pluripotency program and mechanisms underlying lineage restriction. Here, we develop optimal culture conditions to derive and propagate post-implantation epiblast-derived PSCs (EpiSCs) in rats, a valuable model for biomedical research.

Functional primordial germ cell-like cells from pluripotent stem cells in rats.

The in vitro generation of germ cells from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can have a substantial effect on future reproductive medicine and animal breeding. A decade ago, in vitro gametogenesis was established in the mouse. However, induction of primordial germ cell-like cells (PGCLCs) to produce gametes has not been achieved in any other species.

Generation of Tfap2c-T2A-tdTomato knock-in reporter rats via adeno-associated virus-mediated efficient gene targeting.

Gene editing in mammalian zygotes enables us to generate genetically modified animals rapidly and efficiently. In this study, we compare multiple gene targeting strategies in rat zygotes by generating a novel knock-in reporter rat line to visualize the expression pattern of transcription factor AP-2 gamma (Tfap2c). The targeting vector is designed to replace the stop codon of Tfap2c with T2A-tdTomato sequence.