RT Journal
A1 Liu, Denghui
A1 Wang, Xinyi
A1 He, Dajian
A1 Sun, Chunli
A1 He, Xiechao
A1 Yan, Lanzhen
A1 Li, Yizhou
A1 Han, Jing-Dong J.
A1 Zheng, Ping
T1 Single-cell RNA-sequencing reveals the existence of naive and primed pluripotency in pre-implantation rhesus monkey embryos
JF Genome Research 
JO Genome Research 
YR 2018 
FD October 01 
VO 28 
IS 10 
SP 1481 
OP 1493 
DO 10.1101/gr.233437.117 
UL http://genome.cshlp.org/content/28/10/1481.abstract 
AB Naive pluripotency exists in epiblast cells of mouse pre-implantation embryos. However, whether the naive pluripotency is transient or nonexistent in primate embryos remains unclear. Using RNA-seq in single blastomeres from 16-cell embryos through to hatched blastocysts of rhesus monkey, we constructed the lineage segregation roadmap in which the specification of trophectoderm, epiblast, and primitive endoderm is initiated simultaneously at the early blastocyst stage. Importantly, we uncovered the existence of distinct pluripotent states in monkey pre-implantation embryos. At the early- and middle-blastocyst stages, the epiblast cells have the transcriptome features of naive pluripotency, whereas they display a continuum of primed pluripotency characteristics at the late and hatched blastocyst stages. Moreover, we identified potential regulators that might play roles in the transition from naive to primed pluripotency. Thus, our study suggests the transient existence of naive pluripotency in primates and proposes an ideal time window for derivation of primate embryonic stem cells with naive pluripotency.