Epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) derived from postimplantation epiblast are pluripotent stem cells, epigenetically distinct from embryonic stem cells (ESCs), which are widely used in reprogramming studies. Recent achieved haploid cell lines in mammalian species open a new era for high‐throughput genetic screening, due to their homozygous phenotypes. Here, we report the generation of mouse haploid EpiSCs (haEpiSCs) from postimplantation chimeric embryos at embryonic day 6.5 (E6.5). These cells maintain one set of chromosomes, express EpiSC‐specific genes, and have potentials to differentiate into three germ layers. We also develop a massive mutagenesis protocol with haEpiSCs, and subsequently perform reprogramming selection using this genome‐wide mutation library. Multiple modules related to various pathways are implicated. The validation experiments prove that knockout of Hst3st3b1 (one of the candidates) can promote reprogramming of EpiSCs to the ground state efficiently. Our results open the feasibility of utilizing haEpiSCs to elucidate fundamental biological processes including cell fate alternations.
Mouse haploid epiblast stem cells (haEpiSCs) can be derived from E6.5 postimplantation chimeric epiblast, which are pluripotent with a single genome. Genome‐scale gene trapping in haEpiSCs provides a platform to uncover essential genes regulating cellular reprograming. Knocking out one of the candidate genes, Hs3st3b1, greatly improves the efficiency of reprogramming from EpiSCs to embryonic stem cells.