Differential expression pattern of Twist1 in mouse preimplantation embryos suggests its multiple roles during early development.

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to understand Twist-related protein 1 (Twist1) spatiotemporal expression patterns and functions during early embryo development.

Methods: We performed whole-mount double immunofluorescence staining and reverse transcription (RT)-PCR analysis of the Twist1 protein and gene throughout the preimplantation development in mice.

Results: We determined that after compaction, the expression of Twist1 becomes developmentally differentiated and targeted in the inner cells of embryos. In blastocysts at E4.5, uniform staining of the inner cell mass was apparent, and it had been gradually translocated to the nucleus of hatched embryonic cells at E4.75. Furthermore, the effect of potential regulators of Twist on its expression level during blastocyst development was also sought. Accordingly, Twist1 expression appeared to be upregulated in both mRNA and protein level following culture of embryos in the presence of high glucose.

Conclusions: Our study revealed the dynamic Twist localization within the early stage of embryo. The results are discussed in terms of potential roles of Twist1 in the processes of lineage segregation, hatching, and implantation in post-compaction embryos and in blastocysts.