Research note: Harnessing the potential of chicken blastodermal cells as a new frontier in poultry science and biotechnology – Establishment of embryonic stem cells and their differentiability towards Schwann cell-like cell lineages

The nervous system's regenerative potential has sparked interest in exploring novel approaches to generate Schwann cell-like cells (SC-LCs) from chicken blastoderm (B)-derived embryonic stem cells (B-ESCs). This study investigates the hypothesis that specific growth factors, when used during ex-ovo culture, can induce the differentiation of chicken B-ESCs into cells resembling Schwann cells (SCs). Blastodermal cells (BCs) were isolated from in vivo-fertilized eggs at stage X followed by 14-d proliferative culture (PRC) of B-ESCs and subsequent 14-d glial/neurolemmogenic differentiation culture (DFC). Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses were applied to identify ESC-related markers and SC-specific proteins. Ultimately, slender or triangular cells resembling early SCs, designated as SC-LCs, were generated. Pluripotency-related markers OCT4, SOX2, SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60 were detected in B-ESCs, while SC-specific markers such as GFAP and S-100β were identified in neurolemmogenically differentiated B-ESC derivatives (SC-LCs). The current study demonstrates, for the first time, the successful differentiation of chicken B-ESCs into SC-LCs through ex-ovo sequential culture. After PRC termination, B-ESCs exhibited pluripotent characteristics as shown by the presence of OCT4, SOX2, SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60 markers. Subsequent DFC led to the acquisition of SC-like morphology by B-ESCs, confirmed by the expression of SC-specific markers GFAP and S-100β in the resulting SC-LCs. These findings highlight the potential of B-ESCs as a valuable source for propagating SC-LCs, with implications for regenerative medicine and neural/glial tissue engineering applications. Further research exploring the functional attributes of B-ESC-derived SC-LCs is required to elucidate their therapeutic potential in nerve reconstruction/repair.