Human pluripotent stem cells such as embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent
stem cells (iPSCs) provide unprecedented opportunities for cell therapies against intractable …

Mammalian fertilization begins with the fusion of two specialized gametes, followed by major
epigenetic remodeling leading to the formation of a totipotent embryo. During the …

Cellular reprogramming can manipulate the identity of cells to generate the desired cell
types,–. The use of cell intrinsic components, including oocyte cytoplasm and transcription …

Trophoblasts are extraembryonic cells that are essential for maintaining pregnancy. Human
trophoblasts arise from the morula as trophectoderm (TE), which, after implantation …

Current understandings of cell specification in early mammalian pre-implantation
development are based mainly on mouse studies. The first lineage differentiation event …

Cells undergo a major epigenome reconfiguration when reprogrammed to human induced
pluripotent stem cells (hiPS cells). However, the epigenomes of hiPS cells and human …

Trophoblast organoids derived from placental villi provide a 3D model system of human
placental development, but access to first-trimester tissues is limited. Here, we report that …

Pluripotent cells emerge as a naive founder population in the blastocyst, acquire capacity for
germline and soma formation, and then undergo lineage priming. Mouse embryonic stem …

Understanding lineage specification during human pre-implantation development is a
gateway to improving assisted reproductive technologies and stem cell research. Here we …

The activation of the embryonic genome marks the first major wave of transcription in the
developing organism. Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in mouse 2-cell embryos and 8-cell …