Cell
Volume 186, Issue 10, 11 May 2023, Pages 2092-2110.e23
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Article
Ex utero monkey embryogenesis from blastocyst to early organogenesis

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.04.020Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • A 3D culture system supports cynomolgus monkey embryo development until 25 d.p.f.

  • Cultured monkey embryos initiate early organogenesis and recapitulate key events

  • Neural induction, yolk sac hematopoiesis, and early germ cell development are seen

  • scRNA-seq shows the developmental trajectory of early monkey organogenesis

Summary

The third and fourth weeks of gestation in primates are marked by several developmental milestones, including gastrulation and the formation of organ primordia. However, our understanding of this period is limited due to restricted access to in vivo embryos. To address this gap, we developed an embedded 3D culture system that allows for the extended ex utero culture of cynomolgus monkey embryos for up to 25 days post-fertilization. Morphological, histological, and single-cell RNA-sequencing analyses demonstrate that ex utero cultured monkey embryos largely recapitulated key events of in vivo development. With this platform, we were able to delineate lineage trajectories and genetic programs involved in neural induction, lateral plate mesoderm differentiation, yolk sac hematopoiesis, primitive gut, and primordial germ-cell-like cell development in monkeys. Our embedded 3D culture system provides a robust and reproducible platform for growing monkey embryos from blastocysts to early organogenesis and studying primate embryogenesis ex utero.

Keywords

cynomolgus monkey
embryo ex utero culture
organogenesis
yolk sac hematopoiesis
primitive gut
primordial germ-cell-like cell

Data and code availability

  • All scRNA-seq datasets were deposited at the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) under accession number GEO: GSE207534. The gene expression matrix and cell annotation for each figure can be accessed on figshare: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.22146638.

  • This paper does not report original code, however available software packages used for analysis are described in the STAR Methods section and key resources table.

  • Any additional information required to reanalyze the data reported in this paper is available from the lead contact upon request.

Cited by (0)

12

These authors contributed equally

13

Lead contact