The exit of naïve pluripotency contains a metabolism-induced checkpoint for telomere homeostasis [RNA-seq]

During peri-implantation development, the pluripotent tissue of the early embryo undergoes profound cellular and biochemical reprogramming. These transformations are essential for subsequent development, yet how they are coordinated with the preservation of genome integrity remains poorly understood. Here, we uncover a telomere length checkpoint that is elicited by metabolic remodeling as mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) transition from the naïve to formative pluripotent state. We show that the exit of naïve pluripotency is marked by accelerated mitochondrial respiration and de novo lipogenesis, fueling lipid droplet accumulation required for tissue remodeling. Unexpectedly, these acute metabolic shifts trigger transient telomere shortening and activate ZSCAN4, a pluripotency-associated regulator of telomeres, followed by telomere re-elongation as cells adopt a more glycolytic metabolic profile. Our findings reveal a feedback mechanism in which metabolism-induced telomere stress engages ZSCAN4 as a protective response, thereby linking metabolic state to telomere homeostasis during early developmental progression. Overall design: Clones exhibiting varied lipid droplet sizes were isolated from bulk E14 mouse ESCs grown in routine FBS/LIF conditions. These were then passaged and expanded in the same culture conditions. RNA was then extracted from nine clones and sequenced to compare gene expression profiles.