EMBRYONIC STEM-CELLS DERIVED FROM MORULAE, INNER CELL MASS, AND BLASTOCYSTS OF MINK - COMPARISONS OF THEIR PLURIPOTENCIES

A characterization of cell lines that we derived from morulae (three l ines), blastocysts (two lines), and the inner cell mass (ICM) is given . The karyotype of all the lines was normal; the genotype of four line s was XX, and four lines were genotypically XY. The pluripotencies and commitment status of the derived lines were estimated. First, there w ere not less than two-thirds of cells in the populations of the lines derived from morulae and the ICM with both Xs active; 70-100% of cells of the blastocyst-derived lines had one of the Xs in an inactive stat e. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) in the lin es (genotype XX) derived from morulae and ICM was found to be twofold higher than in lines with genotype XY, and G6PD activity was the same in the blastocyst-derived XX lines and XY lines. Second, when injected intraperitoneally into athymic mice, morulae- and ICM-derived cells g ave rise to simple and complex embryoid bodies (EB) resembling to typi cal 'cystic'' mouse EBs. Third, when injected subcutaneously to athymi c mice, the ICM- or morula-derived cells gave rise to typical teratoma s containing derivatives of the three germ layers and components of or ganogenesis. Comparisons of cell lines of different derivations demons trated that the pluripotencies of the ES cells derived from morulae or the ICM are higher than those of blastocyst derivation. (C) 1993 Wile y-Liss, Inc.