技术资料

Differentiation of human stem cells to hepatocytes is crucial for industrial applications as well as to develop new therapeutic strategies for liver disease. The protocol described here,using sequentially growth factors known to play a role in liver embryonic development,efficiently differentiates human embryonic stem cells (hESC) as well as human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) to hepatocytes by directing them through defined embryonic intermediates,namely,mesendoderm/definitive endoderm and hepatoblast and hepatocyte phenotype. After 28 days,the final differentiated progeny is a mixture of cells,comprising cells with characteristics of hepatoblasts and a smaller cell fraction with morphological and phenotypical features of mature hepatocytes. An extensive functional characterization of the stem cell progeny should be used to confirm that differentiated cells display functional characteristics of mature hepatocytes including albumin secretion,glycogen storage,and several detoxifying functions such as urea production,bilirubin conjugation,glutathione S-transferase activity,cytochrome activity and drug transporter activity. View Publication

Molecular beacons (MBs) are dual-labeled oligonucleotides that fluoresce only in the presence of complementary mRNA. The use of MBs to target specific mRNAs allows sorting of specific cells from a mixed cell population. In contrast to existing approaches that are limited by available surface markers or selectable metabolic characteristics,the MB-based method enables the isolation of a wide variety of cells. For example,the ability to purify specific cell types derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is important for basic research and therapeutics. In addition to providing a general protocol for MB design,validation and nucleofection into cells,we describe how to isolate a specific cell population from differentiating PSCs. By using this protocol,we have successfully isolated cardiomyocytes differentiated from mouse or human PSCs (hPSCs) with ∼ 97% purity,as confirmed by electrophysiology and immunocytochemistry. After designing MBs,their ordering and validation requires 2 weeks,and the isolation process requires 3 h. View Publication

Standardization of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) remains a major obstacle in regenerative medicine. Starting material and culture expansion affect cell preparations and render comparison between studies difficult. In contrast,induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) assimilate toward a ground state and may therefore give rise to more standardized cell preparations. We reprogrammed MSCs into iPSCs,which were subsequently redifferentiated toward MSCs. These iPS-MSCs revealed similar morphology,immunophenotype,in vitro differentiation potential,and gene expression profiles as primary MSCs. However,iPS-MSCs were impaired in suppressing T cell proliferation. DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles of iPSCs maintained donor-specific characteristics,whereas tissue-specific,senescence-associated,and age-related DNAm patterns were erased during reprogramming. iPS-MSCs reacquired senescence-associated DNAm during culture expansion,but they remained rejuvenated with regard to age-related DNAm. Overall,iPS-MSCs are similar to MSCs,but they reveal incomplete reacquisition of immunomodulatory function and MSC-specific DNAm patterns - particularly of DNAm patterns associated with tissue type and aging. View Publication

Dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (also known as A9 DA neurons) are the specific cell type that is lost in Parkinson's disease (PD). There is great interest in deriving A9 DA neurons from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for regenerative cell replacement therapy for PD. During neural development,A9 DA neurons originate from the floor plate (FP) precursors located at the ventral midline of the central nervous system. Here,we optimized the culture conditions for the stepwise differentiation of hPSCs to A9 DA neurons,which mimics embryonic DA neuron development. In our protocol,we first describe the efficient generation of FP precursor cells from hPSCs using a small molecule method,and then convert the FP cells to A9 DA neurons,which could be maintained in vitro for several months. This efficient,repeatable and controllable protocol works well in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) from normal persons and PD patients,in which one could derive A9 DA neurons to perform in vitro disease modeling and drug screening and in vivo cell transplantation therapy for PD. View Publication

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are characterized by pluripotency,defined as the developmental potential to generate cell lineages derived from all three primary germ layers. In the past decade,great progress has been made on the cell culture conditions,transcription factor programs and intracellular signaling pathways that control both murine and human ES cell fates. ES cells of mouse vs. human origin have distinct culture conditions,responding to some tyrosine kinase signaling pathways in opposite ways. Previous work has implicated the Src family of non-receptor protein-tyrosine kinases in mouse ES cell self-renewal and differentiation. Seven members of the Src kinase family are expressed in mouse ES cells,and individual family members appear to play distinct roles in regulating their developmental fate. Both Hck and c-Yes are important in self-renewal,while c-Src activity alone is sufficient to induce differentiation. While these findings implicate Src-family kinase signaling in mouse ES cell renewal and differentiation,the role of this kinase family in human ES cells is largely unknown. Here,we explored Src-family kinase expression patterns and signaling in human ES cells during self-renewal and differentiation. Of the eleven Src-related kinases in the human genome,Fyn,c-Yes,c-Src,Lyn,Lck and Hck were expressed in H1,H7 and H9 hES cells,while Fgr,Blk,Srm,Brk,and Frk transcripts were not detected. Of these,c-Yes,Lyn,and Hck transcript levels remained constant in self-renewing human ES cells vs. differentiated EBs,while c-Src and Fyn showed a modest increase in expression as a function of differentiation. In contrast,Lck expression levels dropped dramatically as a function of EB differentiation. To assess the role of overall Src-family kinase activity in human ES cell differentiation,cultures were treated with inhibitors specific for the Src kinase family. Remarkably,human ES cells maintained in the presence of the potent Src-family kinase inhibitor A-419259 retained the morphology of domed,pluripotent colonies and continued to express the self-renewal marker TRA-1-60 despite culture under differentiation conditions. Taken together,these observations support a role for Src-family kinase signaling in the regulation of human ES cell fate,and suggest that the activities of individual Src-family members are required for the initiation of the differentiation program. View Publication

For years,our ability to study pathological changes in neurological diseases has been hampered by the lack of relevant models until the recent groundbreaking work from Yamanaka's group showing that it is feasible to generate induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human somatic cells and to redirect the fate of these iPSCs into differentiated cells. In particular,much interest has focused on the ability to differentiate human iPSCs into neuronal progenitors and functional neurons for relevance to a large number of pathologies including mental retardation and behavioral or degenerative syndromes. Current differentiation protocols are time-consuming and generate limited amounts of cells,hindering use on a large scale. We describe a feeder-free method relying on the use of a chemically defined medium that overcomes the need for embryoid body formation and neuronal rosette isolation for neuronal precursors and terminally differentiated neuron production. Four days after induction,expression of markers of the neurectoderm lineage is detectable. Between 4 and 7 days,neuronal precursors can be expanded,frozen,and thawed without loss of proliferation and differentiation capacities or further differentiated. Terminal differentiation into the different subtypes of mature neurons found in the human brain were observed. At 6-35 days after induction,cells express typical voltage-gated and ionotrophic receptors for GABA,glycine,and acetylcholine. This specific and efficient single-step strategy in a chemically defined medium allows the production of mature neurons in 20-40 days with multiple applications,especially for modeling human pathologies. View Publication

The fine analysis of cell components during the generation of pluripotent cells and their comparison to bone fide human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are valuable tools to understand their biological behavior. In this report,human mesenchymal cells (hMSCs) generated from the human ES cell line H9,were reprogrammed back to induced pluripotent state using Oct-4,Sox2,Nanog,and Lin28 transgenes. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs) were analyzed using electron microscopy and compared with regard to the original hESCs and the hMSCs from which they were derived. This analysis shows that hIPSCs and the original hESCs are morphologically undistinguishable but differ from the hMSCs with respect to the presence of several morphological features of undifferentiated cells at both the cytoplasmic (ribosomes,lipid droplets,glycogen,scarce reticulum) and nuclear levels (features of nuclear plasticity,presence of euchromatin,reticulated nucleoli). We show that hIPSC colonies generated this way presented epithelial aspects with specialized junctions highlighting morphological criteria of the mesenchymal-epithelial transition in cells engaged in a successful reprogramming process. Electron microscopic analysis revealed also specific morphological aspects of partially reprogrammed cells. These results highlight the valuable use of electron microscopy for a better knowledge of the morphological aspects of IPSC and cellular reprogramming. View Publication

Various strategies have been published enabling cardiomyocyte differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. However the complex nature of signaling pathways involved as well as line-to-line variability compromises the application of a particular protocol to robustly obtain cardiomyocytes from multiple iPS lines. Hence it is necessary to identify optimized protocols with alternative combinations of specific growth factors and small molecules to enhance the robustness of cardiac differentiation. Here we focus on systematic modulation of BMP and WNT signaling to enhance cardiac differentiation. Moreover,we improve the efficacy of cardiac differentiation by enrichment via lactate. Using our protocol we show efficient derivation of cardiomyocytes from multiple human iPS lines. In particular we demonstrate cardiomyocyte differentiation within 15 days with an efficiency of up to 95 % as judged by flow cytometry staining against cardiac troponin T. Cardiomyocytes derived were functionally validated by alpha-actinin staining,transmission electron microscopy as well as electrophysiological analysis. We expect our protocol to provide a robust basis for scale-up production of functional iPS cell-derived cardiomyocytes that can be used for cell replacement therapy and disease modeling. View Publication

SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 3 (SHANK3) haploinsufficiency is causative for the neurological features of Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMDS),including a high risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used unbiased,quantitative proteomics to identify changes in the phosphoproteome of Shank3-deficient neurons. Down-regulation of protein kinase B (PKB/Akt)-mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling resulted from enhanced phosphorylation and activation of serine/threonine protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) regulatory subunit,B56β,due to increased steady-state levels of its kinase,Cdc2-like kinase 2 (CLK2). Pharmacological and genetic activation of Akt or inhibition of CLK2 relieved synaptic deficits in Shank3-deficient and PMDS patient-derived neurons. CLK2 inhibition also restored normal sociability in a Shank3-deficient mouse model. Our study thereby provides a novel mechanistic and potentially therapeutic understanding of deregulated signaling downstream of Shank3 deficiency. View Publication

Human hepatocytes are extensively needed in drug discovery and development. Stem cell-derived hepatocytes are expected to be an improved and continuous model of human liver to study drug candidates. Generation of endoderm-derived hepatocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs),including human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells,is a complex,challenging process requiring specific signals from soluble factors and insoluble matrices at each developmental stage. In this study,we used human liver progenitor HepaRG-derived acellular matrix (ACM) as a hepatic progenitor-specific matrix to induce hepatic commitment of hPSC-derived definitive endoderm (DE) cells. The DE cells showed much better attachment to the HepaRG ACM than other matrices tested and then differentiated towards hepatic cells,which expressed hepatocyte-specific makers. We demonstrate that Matrigel overlay induced hepatocyte phenotype and inhibited biliary epithelial differentiation in two hPSC lines studied. In conclusion,our study demonstrates that the HepaRG ACM,a hepatic progenitor-specific matrix,plays an important role in the hepatic differentiation of hPSCs. View Publication

textlessptextgreater Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a most promising approach to the development of a hepatocyte transplantable mass sufficient to induce long-term correction of inherited liver metabolic diseases,thus avoiding liver transplantation. Their intrinsic self-renewal ability and potential to differentiate into any of the three germ layers identify iPSC as the most promising cell-based therapeutics,but also as drivers of tumor development. Teratoma development currently represents the gold standard to assess iPSC pluripotency. We analyzed the tumorigenic potential of iPSC generated from human hepatocytes (HEP-iPSC) and compared their immunohistochemical profiles to that of tumors developed from fibroblast and hematopoietic stem cell-derived iPSC. HEP-iPSC generated tumors significantly presented more malignant morphological features than reprogrammed fibroblasts or CD34+ iPSC. Moreover,the protooncogene textlessitalictextgreatermyctextless/italictextgreater showed the strongest expression in HEP-iPSC,compared to only faint expression in the other cell subsets. Random integration of transgenes and the use of potent protooncogenes such as textlessitalictextgreatermyctextless/italictextgreater might be a risk factor for malignant tumor development if hepatocytes are used for reprogramming. Nonviral vector delivery systems or reprogramming of cells obtained from less invasive harvesting methods would represent interesting options for future developments in stem cell-based approaches for liver metabolic diseases. textless/ptextgreater View Publication

Encapsulation of donor islets using a hydrogel material is a well-studied strategy for islet transplantation,which protects donor islets from the host immune response. Replacement of donor islets by human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derived islets will also require a means of immune-isolating hESCs by encapsulation. However,a critical consideration of hESC differentiation is the effect of surrounding biophysical environment,in this case capsule biophysical properties,on differentiation. The objective of this study,thus,was to evaluate the effect of capsule properties on growth,viability,and differentiation of encapsulated hESCs throughout pancreatic induction. It was observed that even in the presence of soluble chemical cues for pancreatic induction,substrate properties can significantly modulate pancreatic differentiation,hence necessitating careful tuning of capsule properties. Capsules in the range of 4-7. kPa supported cell growth and viability,whereas capsules of higher stiffness suppressed cell growth. While an increase in capsule stiffness enhanced differentiation at the intermediate definitive endoderm (DE) stage,increased stiffness strongly suppressed pancreatic progenitor (PP) induction. Signaling pathway analysis indicated an increase in pSMAD/pAKT levels with substrate stiffness likely the cause of enhancement of DE differentiation. In contrast,sonic hedgehog inhibition was more efficient under softer gel conditions,which is necessary for successful PP differentiation. Statement of Significance: Cell replacement therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D),affecting millions of people worldwide,requires the immunoisolation of insulin-producing islets by encapsulation with a semi-impermeable material. Due to the shortage of donor islets,human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) derived islets are an attractive alternative. However,properties of the encapsulating substrate are known to influence hPSC cell fate. In this work,we determine the effect of substrate stiffness on growth and pancreatic fate of encapsulated hPSCs. We precisely identify the range of substrate properties conducive for pancreatic cell fate,and also the mechanism by which substrate properties modify the cell signaling pathways and hence cell fate. Such information will be critical in driving regenerative cell therapy for long term treatment of T1D. View Publication