Rapid and robust directed differentiation of mouse epiblast stem cells into definitive endoderm and forebrain organoids

Directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is a powerful model system for deconstructing embryonic development. Although mice are the most advanced mammalian model system for genetic studies of embryonic development, state-of-the-art protocols for directed differentiation of mouse PSCs into defined lineages require additional steps and generates target cell types with lower purity than analogous protocols for human PSCs, limiting their application as models for mechanistic studies of development. Here, we examine the potential of mouse epiblast stem cells cultured in media containing Wnt pathway inhibitors as a starting point for directed differentiation. As a proof of concept, we focused our efforts on two specific cell/tissue types that have proven difficult to generate efficiently and reproducibly from mouse embryonic stem cells: definitive endoderm and neural organoids. We present new protocols for rapid generation of nearly pure definitive endoderm and forebrain-patterned neural organoids that model the development of prethalamic and hippocampal neurons. These differentiation models present new possibilities for combining mouse genetic tools with in vitro differentiation to characterize molecular and cellular mechanisms of embryonic development.