O-234 The guinea pig embryo: a potential new model for human development
Authors: Canizo J , Zhao C , Vandal K , Biondic S , Petropoulos S 
Published: June 2022

Study question

Is the guinea pig a good model for human preimplantation embryo development?

Summary answer

Preimplantation guinea pig embryos better recapitulate the human embryo compared to the mouse, offering a promising new model to study preimplantation, naive pluripotency and infertility.

What is known already

Mouse embryos have historically been used to model reproduction, but caution is warranted as several discrepancies with the human exist during preimplantation. Guinea pigs have been a long standing model of human development and are known to better recapitulate placentation and brain development compared to the mouse. We now speculate that guinea pigs may also represent a superior animal model to study preimplantation development. However, to date, guinea pig preimplantation embryos remain to be investigated in great detail. We now aim to assess the developmental dynamics of the guinea pig preimplantation embryo with cross-species comparisons to both human and mouse.

Study design, size, duration

In vivo guinea pig embryos were flushed 3-6 days post-fertilization (N = 10-12/ time point). Embryos (embryonic day (E)3-6 were collected and processed for downstream experiments.

Participants/materials, setting, methods

Immunofluorescence of Sox2 (epiblast (EPI) marker), Sox17 and Gata6 (primitive endoderm (PE) marker) and Cdx2 and Gata3 (trophectoderm (TE)) was performed. Cells were counted and the dynamics of lineage marker expression and blastocyst formation were determined. In parallel, scRNA-seq (Smartseq2) of guinea pig embryos was performed.

Main results and the role of chance

At the compacted morula stage (late E4.25-E4.75), similar to the human and in contrast to the mouse, we observe co-expression Sox2, Gata6 and Gata3, with no detection of Sox17 and Cdx2. Similar to the human, blastocyst formation begins between E5.0-E5.25. By mid-blastocysts (E5.25-E5.5), cells are poised for lineage specification with a high number of cells co-expressing Sox2/Sox17, and no cells co-expressing markers of all three lineages. By late blastocyst, E5.5-E5.75, specification of all three lineages is achieved and no co-expression Sox2/Sox17/Cdx2 or Sox2/Gata6/Gata3 is observed. Further, similar to the human and in contrast to the mouse, there is a disconnect between morphology and lineage specification in the early blastocyst. These data suggest that signaling pathways governing lineage specification in the human and guinea pig differ compared to the mouse. Finally, cross-species analysis of scRNA-seq revealed conserved pluripotency gene signatures between the human and guinea pig embryos, suggesting that the guinea pig may also contain naive stem cells and that plasticity of these lineages may be more similar to the human compared to the mouse.

Limitations, reasons for caution

Our model only explores similarities/differences between the human and guinea pig preimplantation embryo with regards to timing of development and lineage segregation.

Wider implications of the findings

In addition to helping us understand human preimplantation development, this new model may serve to examine the longer-term consequences of preimplantation exposures. Further, insights from this study have broad application in the fields of Reproduction, Development, ART and Stem cell biology.

Trial registration number

NA