Instruct: Identify the main category of Biorxiv papers based on the titles and abstracts
Query: Efficient differentiation of human primordial germ cells through geometric control reveals a key role for NODAL signaling Human primordial germ cells (hPGCs) form around the time of implantation and are the precursors of eggs and sperm. Many aspects of hPGC specification remain poorly understood. Here we show that micropatterned human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) treated with BMP4 give rise to hPGC-like cells (hPGCLC) and use these as a quantitatively reproducible and simple in vitro model to interrogate this important developmental event. We characterize micropatterned hPSCs up to 96h for the first time and show that hPGCLC populations are stable and continue to mature. By perturbing signaling during hPGCLC differentiation, we identify a previously unappreciated role for NODAL signaling and find that the relative timing and duration of BMP and NODAL signaling are critical parameters controlling the number of hPGCLCs. We formulate a mathematical model for a network of cross-repressive fates driven by NODAL and BMP signaling which predicts the measured fate patterns after signaling perturbations. Finally, we show that hPSC colony size dictates the efficiency of hPGCLC specification, which led us to dramatically improve the efficiency of hPGCLC differentiation over current protocols.
6
The categories of this paper are: plant
8
The categories of this paper are: genomics
1
The categories of this paper are: bioinformatics
20
The categories of this paper are: pharmacology
26
The categories of this paper are: biochemistry
3
The categories of this paper are: evolutionary
30
The categories of this paper are: scientific
19
The categories of this paper are: epidemiology
10
The categories of this paper are: and
25
The categories of this paper are: bioengineering
18
The categories of this paper are: systems
5
The categories of this paper are: cell
11
The categories of this paper are: cognition
29
The categories of this paper are: education
24
The categories of this paper are: cancer
23
The categories of this paper are: immunology