Abstract
The self-renewal and pluripotency features of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) make them a great tool to study early mammalian development. Various signaling pathways that shape early mammalian development can be mimicked for in vitro mESC differentiation toward primitive lineages first and more specialized cell types later. Since the precise nature of the molecular mechanisms and the crosstalk between these signaling pathways is yet to be fully understood, there is a high level of variability in the efficiency and synchronicity among available differentiation protocols. Commitment of mESCs toward mesoderm, endoderm, or neuroectoderm lineages happens over only a few days and is highly efficient. Here, we provide protocols for the directed differentiation of mESCs toward these lineages in vitro.