Rapid retinoic acid-induced trophoblast cell model from human induced pluripotent stem cells

A limited number of accessible and representative models of human trophoblast cells currently exist for the study of placentation. Current stem cell models involve either a transition through a naïve stem cell state or precise dynamic control of multiple growth factors and small-molecule cues. Here, we demonstrated that a simple five-day treatment of human induced pluripotent stem cells with two small molecules, retinoic acid (RA) and Wnt agonist CHIR 99021 (CHIR), resulted in rapid, synergistic upregulation of CDX2. Transcriptomic analysis of RA + CHIR-treated cells showed high similarity to primary trophectoderm cells. Multipotency was verified via further differentiation towards cells with syncytiotrophoblast or extravillous trophoblast features. RA + CHIR-treated cells were also assessed for the established criteria defining a trophoblast cell model, and they possess all the features necessary to be considered valid. Collectively, our data demonstrate a facile, scalable method for generating functional trophoblast-like cells in vitro to better understand the placenta.