Bi-potential hPSC-derived Müllerian duct-like cells for full-thickness and functional endometrium regeneration

• Published in: npj Regenerative medicine Vol. 7; no. 1; p. 68
• Main Authors: Gong, Lin, Nie, Nanfang, Shen, Xilin, Zhang, Jingwei, Li, Yu, Liu, Yixiao, Xu, Jiaqi, Jiang, Wei, Liu, Yanshan, Liu, Hua, Wu, Bingbing, Zou, XiaoHui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group 23.11.2022; Nature Publishing Group UK; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: Endometrium; Genes; Injuries; Laboratories; Regenerative medicine; Stem cells
• ISSN: 2057-3995; 2057-3995
• DOI: 10.1038/s41536-022-00263-2

Abstract Stem cell-based tissue regeneration strategies are promising treatments for severe endometrial injuries. However, there are few appropriate seed cells for regenerating a full-thickness endometrium, which mainly consists of epithelia and stroma. Müllerian ducts in female embryonic development develop into endometrial epithelia and stroma. Hence, we first generated human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC)-derived Müllerian duct-like cells (MDLCs) using a defined and effective protocol. The MDLCs are bi-potent, can gradually differentiate into endometrial epithelial and stromal cells, and reconstitute full-thickness endometrium in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, MDLCs showed the in situ repair capabilities of reconstructing endometrial structure and recovering pregnancy function in full-thickness endometrial injury rats, and their differentiation fate was revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). Our study provides a strategy for hPSC differentiation into endometrial lineages and an alternative seed cell for injured endometrial regeneration.