技术资料

Wnt signaling plays essential roles in both embryonic pattern formation and postembryonic tissue homoestasis. High levels of Wnt activity repress foregut identity and facilitate hindgut fate through forming a gradient of Wnt signaling activity along the anterior-posterior axis. Here,we examined the mechanisms of Wnt signaling in hindgut development by differentiating human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into the hindgut progenitors. We observed severe morphological changes when Wnt signaling was blocked by using Wnt antagonist Dkk1. We performed deep-transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and identified 240 Wnt-activated genes and 2023 Wnt-repressed genes,respectively. Clusters of Wnt targets showed enrichment in specific biological functions,such as gastrointestinal or skeletal development" in the Wnt-activated targets and "neural or immune system development" in the Wnt-repressed targets. Moreover� View Publication

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is a potential unlimited ex vivo source of ventricular (V) cardiomyocytes (CMs),but hESC-VCMs and their engineered tissues display immature traits. In adult VCMs,sarcolemmal (sarc) and mitochondrial (mito) ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels play crucial roles in excitability and cardioprotection. In this study,we aim to investigate the biological roles and use of sarcKATP and mitoKATP in hESC-VCM. We showed that SarcIK,ATP in single hESC-VCMs was dormant under baseline conditions,but became markedly activated by cyanide (CN) or the known opener P1075 with a current density that was ˜8-fold smaller than adult; These effects were reversible upon washout or the addition of GLI or HMR1098. Interestingly,sarcIK,ATP displayed a ˜3-fold increase after treatment with hypoxia (5% O2). MitoIK,ATP was absent in hESC-VCMs. However,the thyroid hormone T3 up-regulated mitoIK,ATP,conferring diazoxide protective effect on T3-treated hESC-VCMs. When assessed using a multi-cellular engineered 3D ventricular cardiac micro-tissue (hvCMT) system,T3 substantially enhanced the developed tension by 3-folds. Diazoxide also attenuated the decrease in contractility induced by simulated ischemia (1% O2). We conclude that hypoxia and T3 enhance the functionality of hESC-VCMs and their engineered tissues by selectively acting on sarc and mitoIK,ATP. View Publication

Mitochondria are critical to neurogenesis,but the mechanisms of mitochondria in neurogenesis have not been well explored. We fully characterized mitochondrial alterations and function in relation to the development of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons. Following directed differentiation of hiPSCs to DA neurons,mitochondria in these neurons exhibit pronounced changes during differentiation,including mature neurophysiology characterization and functional synaptic network formation. Inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory chains via application of complex IV inhibitor KCN (potassium cyanide) or complex I inhibitor rotenone restricted neurogenesis of DA neurons. These results demonstrated the direct importance of mitochondrial development and bioenergetics in DA neuronal differentiation. Our study also provides a neurophysiologic model of mitochondrial involvement in neurogenesis,which will enhance our understanding of the role of mitochondrial dysfunctions in neurodegenerative diseases. View Publication

Wnt signaling is a key regulator of vertebrate heart development; however,specific roles for human cardiomyocyte development remain uncertain. Here we use human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to analyze systematically in human cardiomyocyte development the expression of endogenous Wnt signaling components,monitor pathway activity,and dissect stage-specific requirements for canonical and noncanonical Wnt signaling mechanisms using small-molecule inhibitors. Our analysis suggests that WNT3 and WNT8A,via FZD7 and canonical signaling,regulate BRACHYURY expression and mesoderm induction; that WNT5A/5B,via ROR2 and noncanonical signaling,regulate MESP1 expression and cardiovascular development; and that later in development WNT2,WNT5A/5B,and WNT11,via FZD4 and FZD6,regulate functional cardiomyocyte differentiation via noncanonical Wnt signaling. Our findings confirm in human development previously proposed roles for canonical Wnt signaling in sequential stages of vertebrate cardiomyogenesis,and identify more precise roles for noncanonical signaling and for individual Wnt signal and Wnt receptor genes in human cardiomyocyte development. View Publication

The mechanisms of how signaling pathways are coordinated and integrated for the maintenance of the self-renewal of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and the acquisition of pluripotency in reprogramming are still only partly understood. CDK1 is a key regulator of mitosis. Recently,CDK1 has been shown to be involved in regulating self-renewal of stem cells,even though the mechanistic role of how CDK1 regulates pluripotency is unknown. In this report,we aim to understand how CDK1 can control pluripotency by reducing CDK1 activity to a level that has no effect on cell cycle progression. We demonstrated that high levels of CDK1 is associated with the pluripotency stage of hESCs; and decreased CDK1 activity to a level without perturbing the cell cycle is sufficient to induce differentiation. CDK1 specifically targets the phosphorylation of PDK1 and consequently the activity of PI3K/Akt and its effectors ERK and GSK3β. Evidence of the reversion of inactive CDK1-mediated differentiation by the inhibition of Akt signaling effectors suggests that the CDK1-PDK1-PI3K/Akt kinase cascade is a functional signaling pathway for the pluripotency of hESCs. Moreover,cyclin B1-CDK1 complexes promote somatic reprogramming efficiency,probably by regulating the maturation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs),as cyclin B1 stimulates a higher cellular level of LIN28A,suggesting that monitoring iPSC factors could be a new path for the enhancement of reprogramming efficiency. Together,we demonstrate an essential role for the CDK1-PDK1-PI3K/Akt kinase signaling pathway in the regulation of self-renewal,differentiation,and somatic reprogramming,which provides a novel kinase cascade mechanism for pluripotency control and acquisition.Cell Death and Differentiation advance online publication,16 September 2016; doi:10.1038/cdd.2016.84. View Publication

PURPOSE To model keratoconus (KC) using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) generated from fibroblasts of both KC and normal human corneal stroma by a viral method. METHODS Both normal and KC corneal fibroblasts from four human donors were reprogramed directly by delivering reprogramming factors in a single virus using 2A self-cleaving" peptides� View Publication

Williams syndrome is a genetic neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by an uncommon hypersociability and a mosaic of retained and compromised linguistic and cognitive abilities. Nearly all clinically diagnosed individuals with Williams syndrome lack precisely the same set of genes,with breakpoints in chromosome band 7q11.23 (refs 1-5). The contribution of specific genes to the neuroanatomical and functional alterations,leading to behavioural pathologies in humans,remains largely unexplored. Here we investigate neural progenitor cells and cortical neurons derived from Williams syndrome and typically developing induced pluripotent stem cells. Neural progenitor cells in Williams syndrome have an increased doubling time and apoptosis compared with typically developing neural progenitor cells. Using an individual with atypical Williams syndrome,we narrowed this cellular phenotype to a single gene candidate,frizzled 9 (FZD9). At the neuronal stage,layer V/VI cortical neurons derived from Williams syndrome were characterized by longer total dendrites,increased numbers of spines and synapses,aberrant calcium oscillation and altered network connectivity. Morphometric alterations observed in neurons from Williams syndrome were validated after Golgi staining of post-mortem layer V/VI cortical neurons. This model of human induced pluripotent stem cells fills the current knowledge gap in the cellular biology of Williams syndrome and could lead to further insights into the molecular mechanism underlying the disorder and the human social brain. View Publication

Erasure of epigenetic memory is required to convert somatic cells towards pluripotency. Reactivation of the inactive X chromosome (Xi) has been used to model epigenetic reprogramming in mouse,but human studies are hampered by Xi epigenetic instability and difficulties in tracking partially reprogrammed iPSCs. Here we use cell fusion to examine the earliest events in the reprogramming-induced Xi reactivation of human female fibroblasts. We show that a rapid and widespread loss of Xi-associated H3K27me3 and XIST occurs in fused cells and precedes the bi-allelic expression of selected Xi-genes by many heterokaryons (30-50%). After cell division,RNA-FISH and RNA-seq analyses confirm that Xi reactivation remains partial and that induction of human pluripotency-specific XACT transcripts is rare (1%). These data effectively separate pre- and post-mitotic events in reprogramming-induced Xi reactivation and reveal a complex hierarchy of epigenetic changes that are required to reactivate the genes on the human Xi chromosome. View Publication

Insights into the expression of pacemaker-speci�?c markers in human induced pluripotent stemcell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocyte subtypes can facilitate the enrichment and track differentia-tion and maturation of hiPSC-derived pacemaker-like cardiomyocytes. To date,no study hasdirectly assessed gene expression in each pacemaker-,atria-,and ventricular-like cardiomyocytesubtype derived from hiPSCs since currently the subtypes of these immature cardiomyocytescan only be identi�?ed by action potential pro�?les. Traditional acquisition of action potentialsusing patch-clamp recordings renders the cells unviable for subsequent analysis. We circum-vented these issues by acquiring the action potential pro�?le of a single cell optically followedby assessment of protein expression through immunostaining in that same cell. Our same-single-cell analysis for the �?rst time revealed expression of proposed pacemaker-speci�?cmarkers—hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-modulated (HCN)4 channel and Islet(Isl)1—at the protein level in all three hiPSC-derived cardiomyocyte subtypes. HCN4 expressionwas found to be higher in pacemaker-like hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes than atrial- andventricular-like subtypes but its downregulation over time in all subtypes diminished the differ-ences. Isl1 expression in pacemaker-like hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes was initially not statisti-cally different than the contractile subtypes but did become statistically higher than ventricular-like cells with time. Our observations suggest that although HCN4 and Isl1 are differentiallyexpressed in hiPSC-derived pacemaker-like relative to ventricular-like cardiomyocytes,thesemarkers alone are insuf�?cient in identifying hiPSC-derived pacemaker-like cardiomyocytes. View Publication

BACKGROUND The Activin A and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathways are critical regulators of the immune system and of bone formation. Inappropriate activation of these pathways,as in conditions of congenital heterotopic ossification,are thought to activate an osteogenic program in endothelial cells. However,if and how this occurs in human endothelial cells remains unclear. METHODS We used a new directed differentiation protocol to create human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived endothelial cells (iECs) from patients with fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP),a congenital disease of heterotopic ossification caused by an activating R206H mutation in the Activin A type I receptor (ACVR1). This strategy allowed the direct assay of the cell-autonomous effects of ACVR1 R206H in the endogenous locus without the use of transgenic expression. These cells were challenged with BMP or Activin A ligand,and tested for their ability to activate osteogenesis,extracellular matrix production,and differential downstream signaling in the BMP/Activin A pathways. RESULTS We found that FOP iECs could form in conditions with low or absent BMP4. These conditions are not normally permissive in control cells. FOP iECs cultured in mineralization media showed increased alkaline phosphatase staining,suggesting formation of immature osteoblasts,but failed to show mature osteoblastic features. However,FOP iECs expressed more fibroblastic genes and Collagen 1/2 compared to control iECs,suggesting a mechanism for the tissue fibrosis seen in early heterotopic lesions. Finally,FOP iECs showed increased SMAD1/5/8 signaling upon BMP4 stimulation. Contrary to FOP hiPSCs,FOP iECs did not show a significant increase in SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation upon Activin A stimulation,suggesting that the ACVR1 R206H mutation has a cell type-specific effect. In addition,we found that the expression of ACVR1 and type II receptors were different in hiPSCs and iECs,which could explain the cell type-specific SMAD signaling. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the ACVR1 R206H mutation may not directly increase the formation of mature chondrogenic or osteogenic cells by FOP iECs. Our results also show that BMP can induce endothelial cell dysfunction,increase expression of fibrogenic matrix proteins,and cause differential downstream signaling of the ACVR1 R206H mutation. This iPSC model provides new insight into how human endothelial cells may contribute to the pathogenesis of heterotopic ossification. View Publication

Pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) have great potential in the development of new therapies for cardiovascular disease. In particular,human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) may prove especially advantageous due to their pluripotency,their self-renewal potential,and their ability to create patient-specific cell lines. Unfortunately,pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs are immature,with characteristics more closely resembling fetal CMs than adult CMs,and this immaturity has limited their use in drug screening and cell-based therapies. Extracellular matrix (ECM) influences cellular behavior and maturation,as does the geometry of the environment-two-dimensional (2D) versus three-dimensional (3D). We therefore tested the hypothesis that native cardiac ECM and 3D cultures might enhance the maturation of iPSC-derived CMs in vitro. We demonstrate that maturation of iPSC-derived CMs was enhanced when cells were seeded into a 3D cardiac ECM scaffold,compared with 2D culture. 3D cardiac ECM promoted increased expression of calcium-handling genes,Junctin,CaV1.2,NCX1,HCN4,SERCA2a,Triadin,and CASQ2. Consistent with this,we find that iPSC-derived CMs in 3D adult cardiac ECM show increased calcium signaling (amplitude) and kinetics (maximum upstroke and downstroke) compared with cells in 2D. Cells in 3D culture were also more responsive to caffeine,likely reflecting an increased availability of calcium in the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Taken together,these studies provide novel strategies for maturing iPSC-derived CMs that may have applications in drug screening and transplantation therapies to treat heart disease. View Publication

Objective Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is an autosomal recessive trinucleotide repeat expansion disorder caused by epigenetic silencing of the frataxin gene (FXN). Current research suggests that damage and variation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) contribute to the molecular pathogenesis of FRDA. We sought to establish the extent of the mutation burden across the mitochondrial genome in FRDA cells and investigate the molecular mechanisms connecting FXN downregulation and the acquisition of mtDNA damage. Methods Damage and mutation load in mtDNA of a panel of FRDA and control fibroblasts were determined using qPCR and next-generation MiSeq sequencing,respectively. The capacity of FRDA and control cells to repair oxidative lesions in their mtDNA was measured using a quantitative DNA damage assay. Comprehensive RNA sequencing gene expression analyses were conducted to assess the status of DNA repair and metabolism genes in FRDA cells. Results Acute or prolonged downregulation of FXN expression resulted in a significant increase in mtDNA damage that translated to a significant elevation of mutation load in mtDNA. The predominant mutations identified throughout the mtDNA were CtextgreaterT,GtextgreaterA transitions (P = 0.007). Low FXN expression reduced capacity to repair oxidative damage in mtDNA. Downregulation of FXN expression strongly correlated (r = 0.73) with decreased levels of base excision repair (BER) DNA glycosylase NTHL1. Interpretation Downregulation of FXN expression in FRDA cells elevates mtDNA damage,increases mutation load of the mitochondrial genome,and diminishes DNA repair capacity. Progressive accumulation of mtDNA mutations in vulnerable FRDA patient cells reduces mitochondrial fitness ultimately leading to cell death. View Publication