Transcriptional impacts of lipids on hESC

Pluripotent stem cells can be maintained in a continuum of cellular states with distinct features. Exogenous lipid supplements are commonly utilized to shift the balance of global metabolism relieving the dependence on de novo lipogenesis. However, it is largely unexplored how specific lipid components regulate metabolism and pluripotency state. In this study, we investigate the impact of lipid supplements on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), and report that signaling lipid lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is the key component to shift the metabolic landscape in lipid supplement AlbuMAX. Although the maintenance of ERK phosphorylation and primed pluripotency is independent of exogenous lipids, LPA increases ERK phosphorylation, especially upon niche disintegration. We further demonstrate that LPA leads to distinctive transcriptome profile that is not associated with de novo lipogenesis. We also show that LPA causes unique and reversible phenotypes in cell cycle, morphology and mitochondria. This study reveals an LPA -induced primed state that allow people to drastically alter cell physiology for basic research and stem cell applications with hESCs. Total RNA obtained from H1 hESC cultured in E8 medium and E8 medium supplemented with 1.6% AlbuMAX, 1% Albumin, 1% CDL, 0.1x hCDL, 1 μM LPA and 1 μM LPA + 1% Albumin. Samples were collected after 2 days.