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The advent of the human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology has transformed biomedical research,providing new tools for human disease modeling,drug development,and regenerative medicine. To fulfill its unique potential in the cardiovascular field,efficient methods should be developed for high-resolution,large-scale,long-term,and serial functional cellular phenotyping of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). To achieve this goal,we combined the hiPSC technology with genetically encoded voltage (ArcLight) and calcium (GCaMP5G) fluorescent indicators. Expression of ArcLight and GCaMP5G in hiPSC-CMs permitted to reliably follow changes in transmembrane potential and intracellular calcium levels,respectively. This allowed monitoring short- and long-term changes in action-potential and calcium-handling properties and the development of arrhythmias in response to several pharmaceutical agents and in hiPSC-CMs derived from patients with different inherited arrhythmogenic syndromes. Combining genetically encoded fluorescent reporters with hiPSC-CMs may bring a unique value to the study of inherited disorders,developmental biology,and drug development and testing. View Publication

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells that have an immunosuppressive effect. The biological stability of MSCs in serum-free medium during long-term culture in vitro has not been elucidated clearly. The morphology,immunophenotype and multi-lineage potential were analyzed at passages 3,5,10,15,20,and 25 (P3,P5,P10,P15,P20,and P25,respectively). The cell cycle distribution,apoptosis,and karyotype of human umbilical cord-derived (hUC)-MSCs were analyzed at P3,P5,P10,P15,P20,and P25. From P3 to P25,the three defining biological properties of hUC-MSCs [adherence to plastic,specific surface antigen expression,multipotent differentiation potential] met the standards proposed by the International Society for Cellular Therapy for definition of MSCs. The cell cycle distribution analysis at the P25 showed that the percentage of cells at G0/G1 was increased,compared with the cells at P3 (P textless 0.05). Cells at P25 displayed an increase in the apoptosis rate (to 183 %),compared to those at P3 (P textless 0.01). Within subculture generations 3-20 (P3-P20),the differences between the cell apoptotic rates were not statistically significant (P textgreater 0.05). There were no detectable chromosome eliminations,displacements,or chromosomal imbalances,as assessed by the karyotyping guidelines of the International System for Human Cytogenetic Nomenclature (ISCN,2009). Long-term culture affects the biological stability of MSCs in serum-free MesenCult-XF medium. MSCs can be expanded up to the 25th passage without chromosomal changes by G-band. The best biological activity period and stability appeared between the third to 20th generations. View Publication

A robust method for culturing human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells under chemically defined and xeno-free conditions is an important tool for stem cell research and for the development of regenerative medicine. Here,we describe a protocol for monolayer culturing of Oct-4-positive hPS cells on a specific laminin-521 (LN-521) isoform,under xeno-free and chemically defined conditions. The cells are dispersed into single-cell suspension and then plated on LN-521 isoform at densities higher than 5,000 cells per cm²,where they attach,migrate and survive by forming small monolayer cell groups. The cells avidly divide and expand horizontally until the entire dish is covered by a confluent monolayer. LN-521,in combination with E-cadherin,allows cloning of individual hPS cells in separate wells of 96-well plates without the presence of rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitors or any other inhibitors of anoikis. Characterization of cells maintained for several months in culture reveals pluripotency with a minimal degree of genetic abnormalities. 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

Mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells will give rise to all of the cells of the adult mouse,but they failed to rejoin half of the DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) produced by high doses of ionizing radiation. A deficiency in DNA-PK(cs) appears to be responsible since mES cells expressed textless10% of the level of mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) although Ku70/80 protein levels were higher than MEFs. However,the low level of DNA-PK(cs) found in wild-type cells appeared sufficient to allow rejoining of dsb after doses textless20Gy even in G1 phase cells. Inhibition of DNA-PK(cs) with wortmannin and NU7026 still sensitized mES cells to radiation confirming the importance of the residual DNA-PK(cs) at low doses. In contrast to wild-type cells,mES cells lacking H2AX,a histone protein involved in the DNA damage response,were radiosensitive but they rejoined double-strand breaks more rapidly. Consistent with more rapid dsb rejoining,H2AX(-/-) mES cells also expressed 6 times more DNA-PK(cs) than wild-type mES cells. Similar results were obtained for ATM(-/-) mES cells. Differentiation of mES cells led to an increase in DNA-PK(cs),an increase in dsb rejoining rate,and a decrease in Ku70/80. Unlike mouse ES,human ES cells were proficient in rejoining of dsb and expressed high levels of DNA-PK(cs). These results confirm the importance of homologous recombination in the accurate repair of double-strand breaks in mES cells,they help explain the chromosome abnormalities associated with deficiencies in H2AX and ATM,and they add to the growing list of differences in the way rodent and human cells deal with DNA damage. View Publication

Pluripotent ES cells can be used to generate a wide variety of cell populations in vitro in a manner resembling embryonic development. Recent advances in controlling ES cell differentiation,combined with the power of genetic and biochemical manipulation,are providing insights into cell biology and the determination of cell fate. View Publication

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have successfully been derived from somatic fibroblasts through transfection of synthetic modified mRNA encoding transcription factors. This technique obviates the use of recombinant DNA and viral vectors in cellular reprogramming. The present study derived iPSC from adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (of a 50-year-old female patient) by utilizing a similar technique,but with defined culture medium without feeder cells,during both reprogramming and propagation. Clonal selection was performed to yield 12 putative iPSC lines from individual colonies of nascent reprogrammed cells,starting from 150,000 cells. However,only seven lines maintained their undifferentiated state after 10 continuous serial passages. These seven lines were then subjected to a rigorous battery of analyses to confirm their identity as iPSC. These tests included immunostaining,flow cytometry,qRT-PCR,in vitro differentiation assay,and teratoma formation assay within SCID mice. Positive results were consistently observed in all analyses,thus verifying the cells as fully reprogrammed iPSC. While all 7 iPSC lines displayed normal karyogram up to passage 13,chromosomal anomalies occurred in 4 of 7 lines with extended in vitro culture beyond 24 serial passages. Only three lines retained normal karyotype of 46,XX. The remaining four lines displayed mosaicism of normal and abnormal karyotypes. Hence,this study successfully derived iPSC from abundant and easily accessible adipose tissues of a middle-aged patient; utilizing a mRNA-based integration-free technique under feeder-free conditions. This is a step forward in translating iPSC into personalized regenerative medicine within the clinic. ?? 2013 Elsevier Inc. View Publication

Mesenchymal stem or stromal cells (MSCs) have many potential therapeutic applications including therapies for cancers and tissue damages caused by cancers or radical cancer treatments. However,tissue-derived MSCs such as bone marrow MSCs (BM-MSCs) may promote cancer progression and have considerable donor variations and limited expandability. These issues hinder the potential applications of MSCs,especially those in cancer patients. To circumvent these issues,we derived MSCs from transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) efficiently with a modified protocol that eliminated the need of flow cytometric sorting. Our iPSC-derived MSCs were readily expandable,but still underwent senescence after prolonged culture and did not form teratomas. These iPSC-derived MSCs homed to cancers with efficiencies similar to BM-MSCs but were much less prone than BM-MSCs to promote the epithelial-mesenchymal transition,invasion,stemness,and growth of cancer cells. The observations were probably explained by the much lower expression of receptors for interleukin-1 and TGFβ,downstream protumor factors,and hyaluronan and its cofactor TSG6,which all contribute to the protumor effects of BM-MSCs. The data suggest that iPSC-derived MSCs prepared with the modified protocol are a safer and better alternative to BM-MSCs for therapeutic applications in cancer patients. The protocol is scalable and can be used to prepare the large number of cells required for off-the-shelf" therapies and bioengineering applications." View Publication

How BMP signaling integrates into and destabilizes the pluripotency circuitry of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to initiate differentiation into individual germ layers is a long-standing puzzle. Here we report muscle segment homeobox 2 (MSX2),a homeobox transcription factor of msh family,as a direct target gene of BMP signaling and a master mediator of hPSCs' differentiation to mesendoderm. Enforced expression of MSX2 suffices to abolish pluripotency and induce directed mesendoderm differentiation of hPSCs,while MSX2 depletion impairs mesendoderm induction. MSX2 is a direct target gene of the BMP pathway in hPSCs,and can be synergistically activated by Wnt signals via LEF1 during mesendoderm induction. Furthermore,MSX2 destabilizes the pluripotency circuitry through direct binding to the SOX2 promoter and repression of SOX2 transcription,while MSX2 controls mesendoderm lineage commitment by simultaneous suppression of SOX2 and induction of NODAL expression through direct binding and activation of the Nodal promoter. Interestingly,SOX2 can promote the degradation of MSX2 protein,suggesting a mutual antagonism between the two lineage-specifying factors in the control of stem cell fate. Together,our findings reveal crucial new mechanisms of destabilizing pluripotency and directing lineage commitment in hPSCs. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Anaemia and microcytosis are common post kidney transplantation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential role of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition in the development of anaemia and microcytosis in healthy animals and in human erythroid cultures in vitro. METHODS: Rats with normal kidney function were treated with sirolimus (n = 7) or vehicle (n = 8) for 15 weeks. Hemograms were determined thereafter. In the sirolimus withdrawal part of the study,rats received sirolimus (SRL) for 67 days (n = 4) 1 mg/kg three times per week or for 30 days (n = 4) and were observed until Day 120. Hemograms were performed regularly. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy controls (HC; n = 8),kidney transplant patients with sirolimus treatment with (SRL + MC; n = 8) or without microcytosis (SRL - MC; n = 8) were isolated and cultured in the absence or presence of SRL (5 ng/mL). RESULTS: SRL-treated animals had a reduced mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and elevated erythrocyte count compared with control animals after 15 weeks of treatment. This effect was evident as early as 4 weeks (MCV: 61.5 ± 1.8 versus 57 ± 1.7 fL; P = 0.0156; Red blood count 7.4 ± 0.3 × 10(9)/L versus 8.6 ± 0.5 × 10(9)/L; P = 0.0156) and was reversible 90 days after SRL withdrawal. SRL in the culture medium of erythroid cultures led to fewer colonies in cultures from HC as well as from kidney transplant patients (without SRL: 34.2 ± 11.4 versus with SRL: 27.5 ± 9.9 BFU-E-derived colonies P = 0.03),regardless if the cultures were derived from recipients with normocytic or with microcytic erythrocytes. The presence of tacrolimus in the culture medium had no influence on the number and size of colonies. CONCLUSION: mTOR inhibition induces microcytosis and polyglobulia,but not anaemia in healthy rats. This might be caused by growth inhibition of erythroid precursor cells. View Publication

Despite the recent identification of the transcriptional regulatory circuitry involving SOX2,NANOG,and OCT-4,the intracellular signaling networks that control pluripotency of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) remain largely undefined. Here,we demonstrate an essential role for the serine/threonine protein kinase mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in regulating hESC long-term undifferentiated growth. Inhibition of mTOR impairs pluripotency,prevents cell proliferation,and enhances mesoderm and endoderm activities in hESCs. At the molecular level,mTOR integrates signals from extrinsic pluripotency-supporting factors and represses the transcriptional activities of a subset of developmental and growth-inhibitory genes,as revealed by genome-wide microarray analyses. Repression of the developmental genes by mTOR is necessary for the maintenance of hESC pluripotency. These results uncover a novel signaling mechanism by which mTOR controls fate decisions in hESCs. Our findings may contribute to effective strategies for tissue repair and regeneration. View Publication

Deciding to exit pluripotency and undergo differentiation is of singular importance for pluripotent cells,including embryonic stem cells (ESCs). The molecular mechanisms for these decisions to differentiate,as well as reversing those decisions during induced pluripotency (iPS),have focused largely on transcriptomic controls. Here,we explore the role of translational control for the maintenance of pluripotency and the decisions to differentiate. Global protein translation is significantly reduced in hESCs compared to their differentiated progeny. Furthermore,p70 S6K activation is restricted in hESCs compared to differentiated fibroblast-like cells. Disruption of p70 S6K-mediated translation by rapamycin or siRNA knockdown in undifferentiated hESCs does not alter cell viability or expression of the pluripotency markers Oct4 and Nanog. However,expression of constitutively active p70 S6K,but not wild-type p70 S6K,induces differentiation. Additionally,hESCs exhibit high levels of the mTORC1/p70 S6K inhibitory complex TSC1/TSC2 and preferentially express more rapamycin insensitive mTORC2 compared to differentiated cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of both TSC2 and Rictor elevates p70 S6K activation and induces differentiation of hESCs. These results suggest that hESCs tightly regulate mTORC1/p70 S6K-mediated protein translation to maintain a pluripotent state as well as implicate a novel role for protein synthesis as a driving force behind hESC differentiation. View Publication