Single cell RNA-sequencing reveals the existence of naïve and primed pluripotency in pre-implantation rhesus monkey embryos

Abstract

Naïve pluripotency exists in epiblast cells of the mouse pre-implantation embryos. However, whether the naïve pluripotency is transient or non-existent 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 naïve pluripotency, whereas they display a continuum of primed pluripotency characteristics at the late- and hatched-blastocyst stages. Moreover, we identified some potential regulators that might play roles in the transition from naïve to primed pluripotency. Thus, our study suggests the transient existence of naïve pluripotency in primates and proposes an ideal time-window for derivation of primate embryonic stem cells with naive pluripotency.