Lumen expansion facilitates epiblast-primitive endoderm fate specification in the mouse blastocyst formation

SummaryMouse blastocyst formation involves lumen formation and cell fate specification. While many studies have investigated how the blastocyst cell lineages are specified through genetics and signaling, studies into the potential role of the fluid lumen have yet to be conducted. We discover that blastocyst fluid emerges by secretion of cytoplasmic vesicles to intercellular space in addition to trans-epithelial flow. We observe that the beginning of epiblast and primitive endoderm spatial segregation directly follows lumen coalescence. Notably, we show that perturbing lumen expansion by pharmacological and biophysical means impair the specification and spatial segregation of primitive endoderm cells within the blastocyst. Combined, our results suggest that blastocyst lumen expansion plays a critical role in guiding cell fate specification and positioning. As epithelial tissues typically form lumina, lumen expansion may provide a general mechanism of cell fate control in many tissues.