An extended model for culture-dependent heterogenous gene expression and proliferation dynamics in mouse embryonic stem cells

Abstract

Modelling gene expression and proliferation dynamics of pluripotent stem cells Mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) are pluripotent cells, having the potential to turn into most other cell types. A team led by Lucia Marucci at the University of Bristol, and involving collaborators from the University of Sheffield, developed mathematical models to describe temporal dynamics of pluripotency genes in mESCs under different culture conditions. The team shows that the combination of feedback loops in the underlying gene regulatory networks, noise, and culture conditions fine-tunes gene expression dynamics and, consequently, the fate of mESCs. Experimental and modelling results highlight the interplay between pluripotency gene dynamics and cellular proliferation. Understanding the dynamical mechanisms that influence the fate of mESCs could guide the optimisation of culture protocols in both pluripotency and differentiation.