Activation of FGFR(IIIc) isoforms promotes activin-induced mesendoderm development in mouse embryonic stem cells and reduces Sox17 coexpression in EpCAM+ cells.

Activin induces the formation of definitive endoderm from mouse ES cells dependent on active fibroblast growth factor (Fgf) signaling. Here we report that Fgf4 is dispensable for activin A-induced differentiation of mouse ES cells into endoderm. We find that Fgf4(-/-) cells readily differentiate into definitive endoderm without exogenous administration of Fgf4. Additionally, we investigate the spatio-temporal dynamics of Fgf receptor (FGFR) isoform distribution in activin A-treated ES cell cultures and find that FGFR(III)c isoforms are expressed in DE as well as non-DE populations, whereas FGFR2(III)b and FGFR4 are found specifically enriched in the DE fraction. Ligands that preferentially activate the FGFR(III)c isoforms induce mesendoderm markers T and Gsc, but reduce expression of the DE marker Sox17 in activin-induced EpCAM(+) cells. In contrast, ligands specifically activating FGFR(III)b isoforms have no effect on either population. Activation of FGFR(III)c isoforms results in a strong mitogenic effect on activin A-induced ES cell progeny early in the differentiation period whereas activation of FGFR(III)b isoforms has only a moderate mitogenic effect confined to the late differentiation period. We conclude that FGFR(III)c-isoform activation selectively drives the differentiation of mES cells toward mesendoderm and that Fgf4 is dispensable for the differentiation into definitive endoderm.