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A single small molecule-based human embryo model reveals a requirement for V-ATPase in mammalian blastocyst cavitation

GSE236961 Homo sapiens (human) RNA-seq (gene expression) 18 samples Submitted 2026/03/11 Platform GPL24676
At a glance

RNA-seq (gene expression) · human · 18 samples

What it is
RNA-seq (gene expression)Gene activity measured by sequencing. The summary does not mention single-cell work, so this is most likely bulk: one average per sample, the usual starting point for comparing groups.
Organism
Homo sapiens (human)
Samples
18 samples: 18 samples, each with a distinct title — no replicated groupsGroups are read from the sample names, not from the paper. Check the list below.
Data you can get
A processed table (series matrix) and supplementary files from NCBI; the raw sequencing reads from ENA. Which of these hold counts depends on the study, so check the file list.
Summary (written by the submitters)
Human naïve pluripotent stem cells (nPSCs) can be induced by various combinations of signaling factors to generate blastocyst-like structures, termed blastoids. Despite rapid progress in human blastoid models, their potential to uncover fundamental mechanisms of early human development remains limited, leaving key morphogenetic processes poorly understood.
Read the full summary ↓
Here, we describe a simple and robust system in which dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) alone induces blastoid formation from human nPSCs. This model recapitulates key pre- and post-implantation features and exhibits enhanced polar trophectoderm (TE) organization, more efficient attachment within an implantation-relevant window, improved epiblast lumenogenesis associated with amniotic cavity formation, and more robust, sustained expansion of embryonic lineages following attachment. Using this system, we reveal a previously unrecognized mechanism underlying TE cavitation and identify lysosome-associated genes — particularly subunits of the proton pump V-ATPase — as essential regulators of blastoid cavitation. DMSO treatment upregulates key V-ATPase 2 subunits (ATP6V0A4 and ATP6V1B1), which are also enriched in the TE of human embryos. Genetic or pharmacological inhibition of V-ATPase activity disrupts lysosomal acidification, blocks intracellular vacuole formation, and impairs blastoid cavitation, whereas overexpression of V-ATPase subunits rescues this phenotype. Furthermore, genetic and pharmacological perturbations of V-ATPase function significantly compromise cavitation in both mouse and human blastocysts. Finally, DMSO treatment induces membrane biomechanical changes characteristic of early embryonic development, suggesting a mode of action distinct from conventional small-molecule, signaling pathway- based induction strategies. This simple DMSO-based blastoid model recapitulates key aspects of human blastocyst development and reveals a conserved requirement for V- ATPase-mediated lysosomal acidification during early mammalian embryogenesis.
This dataset
Open GSE236961 in finder → Find more human RNA-seq datasets →
Download · which file do I need?

Direct links to NCBI and ENA, no account and no request form. Pick by what you want to do: take the small processed table to look, the supplementary files to re-analyse, or the original raw data to start over.

1 · Just have a look

Processed table

The series matrix: one table of values per sample as the submitters processed it. The smallest download, and it opens in Excel or R. Start here to see what the data look like.

Series matrix ↓
2 · Re-analyse it

Supplementary files

The count tables and other files the authors uploaded. Take only the samples you need, or the whole study as GSE236961_RAW.tar (it can run to tens of gigabytes).

All supplementary files ↗ Whole study · RAW.tar ↓
3 · Start from the raw reads

Raw sequencing reads

The original FASTQ files, straight from the sequencer, held at ENA. Large, and you align them yourself, so only choose this if you need to re-process the study from scratch.

Raw reads on ENA ↗

What the files usually look like: For RNA-seq the counts are usually a table among the supplementary files (look for 'counts', 'expression', 'FPKM' or 'TPM' in the file name). The series matrix of a sequencing study is sometimes nearly empty.

Also filed as BioProject PRJNA993191 and SRA study SRP448363. Searching any of these in the dataset finder brings you back here.

NCBI GEO page ↗
Study design
18 samples, each with a distinct title — no replicated groups

Any grouping that defines a comparison lives in the sample characteristics, which GEO records separately from the titles.

How we read this: Read from 18 sample titles: 18 distinct titles with little repetition. These groups are guessed from the sample names, not taken from the paper, so check them against the sample list below before relying on them.

Samples in this study
Datasets on a similar topic

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Metadata from NCBI GEO, cached and refreshed periodically — the NCBI page above is authoritative. Downloads link straight to NCBI/ENA; nothing is proxied through BioTransfer.