摘要
Redox state mediates embryonic stem cell(ESC)differentiation and thus offers an important complementary approach to understanding the pluripotency of stem cells.NADH redox ratio(NADH/(Fp t NADH)),where NADH is the reduced form of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide and Fp is the oxidizedflavoproteins,has been established as a sensitive indicator of mitochondrial redox state.In this paper,we report our redox imaging data on the mitochondrial redox state of mouse ESC(mESC)colonies and the implications thereof.The low-temperature NADH/Fp redox scanner was employed to image mESC colonies grown on a feeder layer of gamma-irradiated mouse embryonicfibroblasts(MEFs)on glass cover slips.The result showed significant heterogeneity in the mitochondrial redox state within individual mESC colonies(size:~200-440μm),exhibiting a core with a more reduced state than the periphery.This more reduced state positively correlates with the expression pattern of Oct4,a well-established marker of pluripotency.Our observation is thefirst to show the heterogeneity in the mitochondrial redox state within a mESC colony,suggesting that mitochondrial redox state should be further investigated as a potential new biomarker for the stemness of embryonic stem cells.
基金
provided by the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at University of Pennsylvania with an IRM pilot grant(L.Z.Li).
