Mouse embryonic dorsal root ganglia contain pluripotent stem cells that show features similar to embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.

In the present study, we showed that the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in the mouse embryo contains pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) that have developmental capacities equivalent to those of embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Mouse embryonic DRG cells expressed pluripotency-related transcription factors [octamer-binding transcription factor 4, SRY (sex determining region Y)-box containing gene (Sox) 2, and Nanog] that play essential roles in maintaining the pluripotency of ES cells. Furthermore, the DRG cells differentiated into ectoderm-, mesoderm- and endoderm-derived cells. In addition, these cells produced primordial germ cell-like cells and embryoid body-like spheres. We also showed that the combination of leukemia inhibitor factor/bone morphogenetic protein 2/fibroblast growth factor 2 effectively promoted maintenance of the pluripotency of the PSCs present in DRGs, as well as that of neural crest-derived stem cells (NCSCs) in DRGs, which were previously shown to be present there. Furthermore, the expression of pluripotency-related transcription factors in the DRG cells was regulated by chromodomain helicase DNA-binding protein 7 and Sox10, which are indispensable for the formation of NCSCs, and vice versa. These findings support the possibility that PSCs in mouse embryonic DRGs are NCSCs.