Monochorionic Twinning in Bioengineered Human Embryo Models.

Autor: Luijkx DG; MERLN Institute of Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department for Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, Maastricht, 6229ET, The Netherlands., Ak A; MERLN Institute of Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department for Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, Maastricht, 6229ET, The Netherlands., Guo G; Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QD, UK., van Blitterswijk CA; MERLN Institute of Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department for Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, Maastricht, 6229ET, The Netherlands., Giselbrecht S; MERLN Institute of Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department for Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, Maastricht, 6229ET, The Netherlands., Vrij EJ; MERLN Institute of Technology-Inspired Regenerative Medicine, Department for Instructive Biomaterials Engineering (IBE), Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, Maastricht, 6229ET, The Netherlands.; Gynaecology, Women Mother Child Centre, Maastricht University Medical Centre+ (MUMC+), P. Debyelaan 25, Maastricht, 6202AZ, The Netherlands.; GROW - Research Institute for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Universiteitssingel 40, Maastricht, 6229ET, The Netherlands.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Advanced materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) [Adv Mater] 2024 Jun; Vol. 36 (25), pp. e2313306. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Apr 18.
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202313306
Abstrakt: Monochorionic twinning of human embryos increases the risk of complications during pregnancy. The rarity of such twinning events, combined with ethical constraints in human embryo research, makes investigating the mechanisms behind twinning practically infeasible. As a result, there is a significant knowledge gap regarding the origins and early phenotypic presentation of monochorionic twin embryos. In this study, a microthermoformed-based microwell screening platform is used to identify conditions that efficiently induce monochorionic twins in human stem cell-based blastocyst models, termed "twin blastoids". These twin blastoids contain a cystic GATA3+ trophectoderm-like epithelium encasing two distinct inner cell masses (ICMs). Morphological and morphokinetic analyses reveal that twinning occurs during the cavitation phase via splitting of the OCT4+ pluripotent core. Notably, each ICM in twin blastoids contains its own NR2F2+ polar trophectoderm-like region, ready for implantation. This is functionally tested in a microfluidic chip-based implantation assay with epithelial endometrium cells. Under defined flow regimes, twin blastoids show increased adhesion capacity compared to singleton blastoids, suggestive of increased implantation potential. In conclusion, the development of technology enabling large-scale formation of twin blastoids, coupled with high-sensitivity readout capabilities, presents an unprecedented opportunity for systematically exploring monochorionic twin formation and its impact on embryonic development.
(© 2024 The Authors. Advanced Materials published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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