Distinct roles for isoforms of the catalytic subunit of class-IA PI3K in the regulation of behaviour of murine embryonic stem cells

Self-renewal of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) is essential for maintenance of pluripotency, which is defined as the ability to differentiate into any specialised cell type comprising the adult organism. Understanding the mechanisms that regulate ESC self-renewal and proliferation is required before ESCs can fulfil their potential in regenerative therapies, and murine ESCs (mESCs) have been widely used as a model. Members of the class-IA phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) family of lipid kinases regulate a variety of physiological responses, including cell migration, proliferation and survival. PI3Ks have been reported to regulate both proliferation and self-renewal of mESCs. Here we investigate the contribution of specific class-IA PI3K isoforms to the regulation of mESC fate using small-molecule inhibitors with selectivity for particular class-IA PI3K catalytic isoforms, and siRNA-mediated knockdown. Pharmacological inhibition or knockdown of p110 promoted mESC differentiation, accompanied by a decrease in expression of Nanog. By comparison, pharmacological inhibition or siRNA-mediated knockdown of p110 had no effect on mESC self-renewal per se, but instead appeared to reduce proliferation, which was accompanied by inhibition of leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) and insulin-induced PI3K signalling. Our results suggest that PI3Ks contribute to the regulation of both mESC pluripotency and proliferation by differential coupling to selected p110 catalytic isoforms.