技术资料

Synthetic materials that promote the growth or differentiation of cells have advanced the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Most functional biomaterials are based on a handful of peptide sequences derived from protein ligands for cell surface receptors. Because few proteins possess short peptide sequences that alone can engage cell surface receptors,the repertoire of receptors that can be targeted with this approach is limited. Materials that bind diverse classes of receptors,however,may be needed to guide cell growth and differentiation. To provide access to such new materials,we utilized phage display to identify novel peptides that bind to the surface of pluripotent cells. Using human embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells as bait,approximately 3 x 10(4) potential cell-binding phage clones were isolated. The pool was narrowed using an enzyme-linked immunoassay: 370 clones were tested,and seven cell-binding peptides were identified. Of these,six sequences possess EC cell-binding ability. Specifically,when displayed by self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of alkanethiols on gold,they mediate cell adhesion. The corresponding soluble peptides block this adhesion,indicating that the identified peptide sequences are specific. They also are functional. Synthetic surfaces displaying phage-derived peptides support growth of undifferentiated human embryonic stem (ES) cells. When these cells were cultured on SAMs presenting the sequence TVKHRPDALHPQ or LTTAPKLPKVTR in a chemically defined medium (mTeSR),they expressed markers of pluripotency at levels similar to those of cells cultured on Matrigel. Our results indicate that this screening strategy is a productive avenue for the generation of materials that control the growth and differentiation of cells. View Publication

Populations of cells create local environments that lead to emergent heterogeneity. This is particularly evident with human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs): microenvironmental heterogeneity limits hPSC cell fate control. We developed a high-throughput platform to screen hPSCs in configurable microenvironments in which we optimized colony size,cell density and other parameters to achieve rapid and robust cell fate responses to exogenous cues. We used this platform to perform single-cell protein expression profiling,revealing that Oct4 and Sox2 costaining discriminates pluripotent,neuroectoderm,primitive streak and extraembryonic cell fates. We applied this Oct4-Sox2 code to analyze dose responses of 27 developmental factors to obtain lineage-specific concentration optima and to quantify cell line–specific endogenous signaling pathway activation and differentiation bias. We demonstrated that short-term responses predict definitive endoderm induction efficiency and can be used to rescue differentiation of cell lines reticent to cardiac induction. This platform will facilitate high-throughput hPSC-based screening and quantification of lineage-induction bias. View Publication

Retroviral vectors constitute the most efficient system to deliver and integrate foreign genes into mammalian cells. We have developed a producer cell line that yields high titers of amphotropic retroviral vectors carrying the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene,a codon humanized,red-shifted variant of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene,which can be used as a selectable marker. We have used a hybrid vector that has been shown to efficiently drive gene expression in hematopoietic cells. Virtually all murine and human cell lines and primary human hematopoietic cells tested were transduced with varying efficiency after incubation with vector-containing supernatants. Human CD34(+) cells obtained from cord blood or aphereses products were transduced using a protocol that involves daily addition of vector-containing supernatants for 6 consecutive days. At day 6,up to 16% of the cells expressed EGFP,as assessed by flow cytometry. Sorted EGFP-expressing cells were able to produce fluorescent hematopoietic colonies. EGFP's main advantages are its fast flow cytometry determination and the possibility of cell sorting and simultaneous evaluation of the transduction efficiency along with other phenotypic markers. View Publication

Multigene delivery and subsequent cellular expression is emerging as a key technology required in diverse research fields including,synthetic and structural biology,cellular reprogramming and functional pharmaceutical screening. Current viral delivery systems such as retro- and adenoviruses suffer from limited DNA cargo capacity,thus impeding unrestricted multigene expression. We developed MultiPrime,a modular,non-cytotoxic,non-integrating,baculovirus-based vector system expediting highly efficient transient multigene expression from a variety of promoters. MultiPrime viruses efficiently transduce a wide range of cell types,including non-dividing primary neurons and induced-pluripotent stem cells (iPS). We show that MultiPrime can be used for reprogramming,and for genome editing and engineering by CRISPR/Cas9. Moreover,we implemented dual-host-specific cassettes enabling multiprotein expression in insect and mammalian cells using a single reagent. Our experiments establish MultiPrime as a powerful and highly efficient tool,to deliver multiple genes for a wide range of applications in primary and established mammalian cells. View Publication

The RNA-guided nuclease Cas9 can be reengineered as a programmable transcription factor. However,modest levels of gene activation have limited potential applications. We describe an improved transcriptional regulator obtained through the rational design of a tripartite activator,VP64-p65-Rta (VPR),fused to nuclease-null Cas9. We demonstrate its utility in activating endogenous coding and noncoding genes,targeting several genes simultaneously and stimulating neuronal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). View Publication

INTRODUCTION: Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability,but treatment options are severely limited. Cell therapy offers an attractive strategy for regenerating lost tissues and enhancing the endogenous healing process. In this study,we investigated the use of human embryonic stem cell-derived neural precursors as a cell therapy in a murine stroke model.backslashnbackslashnMETHODS: Neural precursors were derived from human embryonic stem cells by using a fully adherent SMAD inhibition protocol employing small molecules. The efficiency of neural induction and the ability of these cells to further differentiate into neurons were assessed by using immunocytochemistry. Whole-cell patch-clamp recording was used to demonstrate the electrophysiological activity of human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons. Neural precursors were transplanted into the core and penumbra regions of a focal ischemic stroke in the barrel cortex of mice. Animals received injections of bromodeoxyuridine to track regeneration. Neural differentiation of the transplanted cells and regenerative markers were measured by using immunohistochemistry. The adhesive removal test was used to determine functional improvement after stroke and intervention.backslashnbackslashnRESULTS: After 11 days of neural induction by using the small-molecule protocol,over 95% of human embryonic stem-derived cells expressed at least one neural marker. Further in vitro differentiation yielded cells that stained for mature neuronal markers and exhibited high-amplitude,repetitive action potentials in response to depolarization. Neuronal differentiation also occurred after transplantation into the ischemic cortex. A greater level of bromodeoxyuridine co-localization with neurons was observed in the penumbra region of animals receiving cell transplantation. Transplantation also improved sensory recovery in transplant animals over that in control animals.backslashnbackslashnCONCLUSIONS: Human embryonic stem cell-derived neural precursors derived by using a highly efficient small-molecule SMAD inhibition protocol can differentiate into electrophysiologically functional neurons in vitro. These cells also differentiate into neurons in vivo,enhance regenerative activities,and improve sensory recovery after ischemic stroke. View Publication

Ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has been explored in the fields of stem cell biology,gene therapy,and clinical transplantation. Here,we demonstrate efficient ex vivo expansion of HSCs measured by long-term severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) repopulating cells (SRCs) from human cord blood CD133-sorted cells using a soluble form of Delta1. After a 3-week culture on immobilized Delta1 supplemented with stem cell factor,thrombopoietin,Flt-3 ligand,interleukin (IL)-3,and IL-6/soluble IL-6 receptor chimeric protein (FP6) in a serum- and stromal cell-free condition,we achieved approximately sixfold expansion of SRCs when evaluated by limiting dilution/transplantation assays. The maintenance of full multipotency and self-renewal capacity during culture was confirmed by transplantation to nonobese diabetic/SCID/gammac(null) mice,which showed myeloid,B,T,and natural killer cells as well as CD133(+)CD34(+) cells,and hematopoietic reconstitution in the secondary recipients. Interestingly,the CD133-sorted cells contained approximately 4.5 times more SRCs than the CD34-sorted cells. The present study provides a promising method to expand HSCs and encourages future trials on clinical transplantation. View Publication

Cardiovascular progenitor cells (CVPCs) derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs),including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs),hold great promise for the study of cardiovascular development and cell-based therapy of heart diseases,but their applications are challenged by the difficulties in their efficient generation and stable maintenance. This study aims to develop chemically defined systems for robust generation and stable propagation of hPSC-derived CVPCs by modulating the key early developmental pathways involved in human cardiovascular specification and CVPC self-renewal. Herein we report that a combination of bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4),glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) inhibitor CHIR99021 and ascorbic acid is sufficient to rapidly convert monolayer-cultured hPSCs,including hESCs and hiPSCs,into homogeneous CVPCs in a chemically defined medium under feeder- and serum-free culture conditions. These CVPCs stably self-renewed under feeder- and serum-free conditions and expanded over 10(7)-fold when the differentiation-inducing signals from BMP,GSK3 and Activin/Nodal pathways were simultaneously eliminated. Furthermore,these CVPCs exhibited expected genome-wide molecular features of CVPCs,retained potentials to generate major cardiovascular lineages including cardiomyocytes,smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in vitro,and were non-tumorigenic in vivo. Altogether,the established systems reported here permit efficient generation and stable maintenance of hPSC-derived CVPCs,which represent a powerful tool to study early embryonic cardiovascular development and provide a potentially safe source of cells for myocardial regenerative medicine. View Publication

Clinical application of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is limited by the low efficiency of iPSC derivation and the fact that most protocols modify the genome to effect cellular reprogramming. Moreover,safe and effective means of directing the fate of patient-specific iPSCs toward clinically useful cell types are lacking. Here we describe a simple,nonintegrating strategy for reprogramming cell fate based on administration of synthetic mRNA modified to overcome innate antiviral responses. We show that this approach can reprogram multiple human cell types to pluripotency with efficiencies that greatly surpass established protocols. We further show that the same technology can be used to efficiently direct the differentiation of RNA-induced pluripotent stem cells (RiPSCs) into terminally differentiated myogenic cells. This technology represents a safe,efficient strategy for somatic cell reprogramming and directing cell fate that has broad applicability for basic research,disease modeling,and regenerative medicine. ?? 2010 Elsevier Inc. View Publication

Differences in global levels of histone acetylation occur in normal and cancer cells,although the reason why cells regulate these levels has been unclear. Here we demonstrate a role for histone acetylation in regulating intracellular pH (pH(i)). As pH(i) decreases,histones are globally deacetylated by histone deacetylases (HDACs),and the released acetate anions are coexported with protons out of the cell by monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs),preventing further reductions in pH(i). Conversely,global histone acetylation increases as pH(i) rises,such as when resting cells are induced to proliferate. Inhibition of HDACs or MCTs decreases acetate export and lowers pH(i),particularly compromising pH(i) maintenance in acidic environments. Global deacetylation at low pH is reflected at a genomic level by decreased abundance and extensive redistribution of acetylation throughout the genome. Thus,acetylation of chromatin functions as a rheostat to regulate pH(i) with important implications for mechanism of action and therapeutic use of HDAC inhibitors. View Publication