Induction of Human Naïve Pluripotency Using 5i/L/A Medium

Prior to implantation, the cells in the mammalian epiblast constitute a naïve pluripotent state, which is distinguished by absence of lineage priming, freedom from epigenetic restriction, and expression of a unique set of transcription factors. However, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) derived under conventional conditions have exited this naïve state and acquired a more advanced “primed” pluripotent state that corresponds to the post-implantation epiblast. We have developed a cocktail comprising five kinase inhibitors and two growth factors (5i/L/A) that enables induction of defining features of naïve pluripotency in primed hESCs. These conditions can also be applied to induce naïve pluripotency in patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Here, we provide a detailed protocol for inducing naïve pluripotency in primed hESCs and iPSCs and methods for the routine validation of naïve identity. We also outline the use of two fluorescent reporter systems to track acquisition of naïve identity in live cells: (a) a GFP reporter linked to an endogenous OCT4 allele in which the primed-specific proximal enhancer has been deleted (OCT4-ΔPE-GFP); and (b) a dual-color reporter system targeted to both alleles of an X-linked gene that reports on the status of the X chromosome in female cells (MECP2-GFP/tdTomato). The conditions described herein have given insight into various aspects of naïve human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including their unique transposon transcription profile, X chromosome status, and extraembryonic potential.