PI3K/AKT signaling controls ICM maturation and proper epiblast and primitive endoderm specification in mice

The inner cell mass (ICM) of early mouse embryos is specified into epiblast (Epi) and primitive endoderm (PrE) lineages during blastocyst formation. The antagonistic transcription factors (TFs) NANOG and GATA-binding protein 6 (GATA6) in combination with fibroblast growth factor (FGF)/extracellular-signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling are central actors in ICM fate choice. However, what initiates the specification of ICM progenitors into Epi or PrE and whether other factors are involved in this process has not been fully understood yet. Here, we show that phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (AKT) is constitutively active during preimplantation development. Using pharmacological inhibition, we demonstrate that PI3K/AKT enables the formation of a functional ICM capable of giving rise to both the Epi and the PrE: it maintains the expression of the TF NANOG, which specifies the Epi, and confers responsiveness to FGF4, which is essential for PrE specification. Our work thus identifies PI3K/AKT signaling as an upstream regulator controlling the molecular events required for both Epi and PrE specification.