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Obtaining functional human cells through interspecies chimerism with human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) remains unsuccessful due to its extremely low efficiency. Here, we show that hPSCs failed to differentiate and contribute teratoma in the presence of mouse PSCs (mPSCs), while MYCN, a pro-growth factor, dramatically promotes hPSC contributions in teratoma co-formation by hPSCs/mPSCs. MYCN combined with BCL2 (M/B) greatly enhanced conventional hPSCs to integrate into pre-implantation embryos of different species, such as mice, rabbits, and pigs, and substantially contributed to mouse post-implantation chimera in embryonic and extra-embryonic tissues. Strikingly, M/B-hPSCs injected into pre-implantation Flk-1

Obesity is among the strongest risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2D). The CREBRF missense allele rs373863828 (p. Arg457Gln, p. R457Q) is associated with increased body mass index but reduced risk of T2D in people of Pacific ancestry. To investigate the functional consequences of the CREBRF variant, we introduced the corresponding human mutation R457Q into the porcine genome. The CREBRF

Interspecies chimera through blastocyst complementation could be an alternative approach to create human organs in animals by using human pluripotent stem cells. A mismatch of the major histocompatibility complex of vascular endothelial cells between the human and host animal will cause graft rejection in the transplanted organs. Therefore, to achieve a transplantable organ in animals without rejection, creation of vascular endothelial cells derived from humans within the organ is necessary. In this study, to explore whether donor xeno-pluripotent stem cells can compensate for blood vasculature in host animals, we generated rat-mouse chimeras by injection of rat embryonic stem cells (rESCs) into mouse blastocysts with deficiency of Flk-1 protein, which is associated with endothelial and hematopoietic cell development. We found that rESCs could differentiate into vascular endothelial and hematopoietic cells in the rat-mouse chimeras. The whole yolk sac (YS) of Flk-1EGFP/EGFP rat-mouse chimera was full of rat blood vasculature. Rat genes related to vascular endothelial cells, arteries, and veins, blood vessels formation process, as well as hematopoietic cells, were highly expressed in the YS. Our results suggested that rat vascular endothelial cells could undergo proliferation, migration, and self-assembly to form blood vasculature and that hematopoietic cells could differentiate into B cells, T cells, and myeloid cells in rat-mouse chimeras, which was able to rescue early embryonic lethality caused by Flk-1 deficiency in mouse.

Obesity is one of the most important risk factors for type 2 diabetes (T2DM). The CREBRF missense allele of rs373863828 (p.Arg457Gln) is associated with increased body mass index (BMI), yet reduced risk of T2DM in people with Pacific ancestry. To investigate the functional consequences of the CREBRF variant, we introduced the corresponding human mutation p.Arg457Gln into porcine genome by using a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologous recombination (HR)-dependent approach. The CREBRF p.Arg457Gln pig models displayed dramatically increased fat deposition, yet improved sensitivity to insulin. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses of subcutaneous white adipose tissues showed that the CREBRF p.Arg457Gln mutation promoted preadipocyte differentiation, which indicated that obesity was caused by increased number (hyperplasia) rather than size (hypertrophy) of adipocytes. In addition, the oxidative capacity decreased in the adipose tissue of pigs with CREBRF p.Arg457Gln variant. The pre-oxidative metabolite content (4-HNE and MDA) significantly decreased, while activity of antioxidant enzymes (GPX, SOD, and CAT) increased, thereby repressing oxidative metabolism of adipose tissue and reducing level of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The low reactive oxygen species could prevent insulin resistance and reduce risk of obesity-induced type 2 diabetes. This study provides further mechanistic insights into favourable adiposity resulting from CREBRF p.Arg457Gln.