Oxidative phosphorylation safeguards pluripotency via UDP-N-acetylglucosamine

ABSTRACT The roles of mitochondrial respiration in pluripotency remain largely unknown. We show here that mouse ESC mitochondria possess superior respiration capacity compared to somatic cell mitochondria, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) generates the majority of cellular ATP in ESCs. Inhibition of OXPHOS results in extensive pluripotency and metabolic gene expression reprogram, leading to disruption of self-renewal and pluripotency. Metabolomics profiling identifies UDP-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) as one of the most significantly decreased metabolites in response to OXPHOS inhibition. The loss of ESC identity induced by OXPHOS inhibition can be ameliorated by directly adding GlcNAc both in vitro and in vivo . This work demonstrates that mitochondrial respiration, but not glycolysis, produces the majority of ATP in ESCs, and uncovers a novel mechanism whereby mitochondrial respiration is coupled with the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway to generate UDP-GlcNAc for ESC identity maintenance. SIGNIFICANCE Oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and glycolysis are the two major pathways for generating ATP in mammalian cells. It is widely assumed that somatic cells utilize OXPHOS, whereas embryonic stem cells (ESCs) utilize glycolysis with low mitochondrial respiration rates even under aerobic conditions. However, the relative contribution of OXPHOS and glycolysis to ATP generation in ESCs, and the role of mitochondrial respiration in regulating ESC identity, have remained unclear. In this study, Cao et al demonstrate that mouse ESC mitochondria have a significantly higher respiration capacity than somatic cell mitochondria. Oxidative phosphorylation produces the majority of cellular ATP in mESCs and is coupled with the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway to generate UDP-GlcNAc for pluripotency maintenance. These findings define the function and mechanism of OXPHOS in regulating pluripotency, and challenge the traditional concept that mESCs rely on glycolysis over OXPHOS for their major supply of energy. HIGHLIGHTS ESC mitochondria have a significantly higher respiration capability than somatic cell mitochondria OXPHOS, but not glycolysis, produces the majority of cellular ATP in ESCs OXPHOS inhibition induces a decrease in O-GlcNAcylation and the expression of pluripotency genes in blastocysts that can be partially rescued by adding GlcNAc OXPHOS is coupled with the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway for UDP-GlcNAc biosynthesis to maintain ESC identity