技术资料

In recent years,several studies have shed light into the processes that regulate epidermal specification and homeostasis. We previously showed that a broad-spectrum γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT promoted early keratinocyte specification in human embryonic stem cells triggered to undergo ectoderm specification. Here,we show that DAPT accelerates human embryonic stem cell differentiation and induces expression of the ectoderm protein AP2. Furthermore,we utilize RNA sequencing to identify several candidate regulators of ectoderm specification including those involved in epithelial and epidermal development in human embryonic stem cells. Genes associated with transcriptional regulation and growth factor activity are significantly enriched upon DAPT treatment during specification of human embryonic stem cells to the ectoderm lineage. The human ectoderm cell signature identified in this study contains several genes expressed in ectodermal and epithelial tissues. Importantly,these genes are also associated with skin disorders and ectodermal defects,providing a platform for understanding the biology of human epidermal keratinocyte development under diseased and homeostatic conditions. View Publication

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells have the dual ability to self-renew and differentiate into specialized cell types. However,in order to realize the full potential of these cells it is important to understand how the genes responsible for their unique characteristics are regulated. In this study we examine the regulation of the tropomyosin-related kinase (TRK) genes which encode for receptors important in hES cell survival and self-renewal. Although the TRK genes have been studied in many neuronal cell types,the regulation of these genes in hES cells is unclear. Our study demonstrates a novel regulatory relationship between the TRKC gene and the transcription factor SOX2. Our results found that hES cells highly express full-length and truncated forms of the TRKC gene. However,examination of the related TRKB gene showed a lower overall expression of both full-length and truncated forms. Through RNA interference,we knocked down expression levels of SOX2 in hES cells and examined the expression of TRKC,as well as TRKB. Upon loss of SOX2 we found that TRKC mRNA levels were significantly downregulated but TRKB levels remained unchanged,demonstrating an important regulatory dependence on SOX2 by TRKC. We also found that TRKC protein levels were also decreased after SOX2 knock down. Further analysis found the regulatory region of TRKC to be highly conserved among many mammals with potential SOX binding motifs. We confirmed a specific binding motif as a site that SOX2 utilizes to directly interact with the TRKC regulatory region. In addition,we found that SOX2 drives expression of the TRKC gene by activating a luciferase reporter construct containing the TRKC regulatory region and the SOX binding motif. View Publication

Genetic reprogramming of somatic cells to a pluripotent state (induced pluripotent stem cells or iPSCs) by over-expression of specific genes has been accomplished using mouse and human cells. However,it is still unclear how similar human iPSCs are to human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs). Here,we describe the transcriptional profile of human iPSCs generated without viral vectors or genomic insertions,revealing that these cells are in general similar to hESCs but with significant differences. For the generation of human iPSCs without viral vectors or genomic insertions,pluripotent factors Oct4 and Nanog were cloned in episomal vectors and transfected into human fetal neural progenitor cells. The transient expression of these two factors,or from Oct4 alone,resulted in efficient generation of human iPSCs. The reprogramming strategy described here revealed a potential transcriptional signature for human iPSCs yet retaining the gene expression of donor cells in human reprogrammed cells free of viral and transgene interference. Moreover,the episomal reprogramming strategy represents a safe way to generate human iPSCs for clinical purposes and basic research. View Publication

Surface ectoderm (SE) cells give rise to structures including the epidermis and ectodermal associated appendages such as hair,eye,and the mammary gland. In this study,we validate a protocol that utilizes BMP4 and the $$-secretase inhibitor DAPT to induce SE differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). hiPSC-differentiated SE cells expressed markers suggesting their commitment to the SE lineage. Computational analyses using integrated quantitative transcriptomic and proteomic profiling reveal that TGF$$ superfamily signaling pathways are preferentially activated in SE cells compared with hiPSCs. SE differentiation can be enhanced by selectively blocking TGF$$-RI signaling. We also show that SE cells and neural ectoderm cells possess distinct gene expression patterns and signaling networks as indicated by functional Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Our findings advance current understanding of early human SE cell development and pave the way for modeling of SE-derived tissue development,studying disease pathogenesis,and development of regenerative medicine approaches. View Publication

The derivation of three-dimensional (3D) stratified neural retina from pluripotent stem cells has permitted investigations of human photoreceptors. We have generated a H9 human embryonic stem cell subclone that carries a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter under the control of the promoter of cone-rod homeobox (CRX),an established marker of postmitotic photoreceptor precursors. The CRXp-GFP reporter replicates endogenous CRX expression in vitro when the H9 subclone is induced to form self-organizing 3D retina-like tissue. At day 37,CRX+ photoreceptors appear in the basal or middle part of neural retina and migrate to apical side by day 67. Temporal and spatial patterns of retinal cell type markers recapitulate the predicted sequence of development. Cone gene expression is concomitant with CRX,whereas rod differentiation factor neural retina leucine zipper protein (NRL) is first observed at day 67. At day 90,robust expression of NRL and its target nuclear receptor NR2E3 is evident in many CRX+ cells,while minimal S-opsin and no rhodopsin or L/M-opsin is present. The transcriptome profile,by RNA-seq,of developing human photoreceptors is remarkably concordant with mRNA and immunohistochemistry data available for human fetal retina although many targets of CRX,including phototransduction genes,exhibit a significant delay in expression. We report on temporal changes in gene signatures,including expression of cell surface markers and transcription factors; these expression changes should assist in isolation of photoreceptors at distinct stages of differentiation and in delineating coexpression networks. Our studies establish the first global expression database of developing human photoreceptors,providing a reference map for functional studies in retinal cultures. View Publication

Fibroblasts from patients with Type I bipolar disorder (BPD) and their unaffected siblings were obtained from an Old Order Amish pedigree with a high incidence of BPD and reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Established iPSCs were subsequently differentiated into neuroprogenitors (NPs) and then to neurons. Transcriptomic microarray analysis was conducted on RNA samples from iPSCs,NPs and neurons matured in culture for either 2 weeks (termed early neurons,E) or 4 weeks (termed late neurons,L). Global RNA profiling indicated that BPD and control iPSCs differentiated into NPs and neurons at a similar rate,enabling studies of differentially expressed genes in neurons from controls and BPD cases. Significant disease-associated differences in gene expression were observed only in L neurons. Specifically,328 genes were differentially expressed between BPD and control L neurons including GAD1,glutamate decarboxylase 1 (2.5 fold) and SCN4B,the voltage gated type IV sodium channel beta subunit (-14.6 fold). Quantitative RT-PCR confirmed the up-regulation of GAD1 in BPD compared to control L neurons. Gene Ontology,GeneGo and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis of differentially regulated genes in L neurons suggest that alterations in RNA biosynthesis and metabolism,protein trafficking as well as receptor signaling pathways may play an important role in the pathophysiology of BPD. View Publication

The effort and cost of obtaining neurons for large-scale screens has limited drug discovery in neuroscience. To overcome these obstacles,we fabricated arrays of releasable polystyrene micro-rafts to generate thousands of uniform,mobile neuron mini-cultures. These mini-cultures sustain synaptically-active neurons which can be easily transferred,thus increasing screening throughput by textgreater30-fold. Compared to conventional methods,micro-raft cultures exhibited significantly improved neuronal viability and sample-to-sample consistency. We validated the screening utility of these mini-cultures for both mouse neurons and human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons by successfully detecting disease-related defects in synaptic transmission and identifying candidate small molecule therapeutics. This affordable high-throughput approach has the potential to transform drug discovery in neuroscience. View Publication

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have enormous potential in regenerative medicine and disease modeling. It is now felt that clinical trials should be performed with iPSCs derived with non-integrative constructs. Numerous studies,however,including those describing disease models,are still being published using cells derived from iPSCs generated with integrative constructs. Our experimental work presents the first evidence of spontaneous transgene reactivation in vitro in several cellular types. Our results show that the transgenes were predominantly silent in parent iPSCs,but in mesenchymal and endothelial iPSC derivatives,the transgenes experienced random up-regulation of Nanog and c-Myc. Additionally,we provide evidence of spontaneous secondary reprogramming and reversion to pluripotency in mesenchymal stem cells derived from iPSCs. These findings strongly suggest that the studies,which utilize cellular products derived from iPSCs generated with retro- or lentiviruses,should be evaluated with consideration of the possibility of transgene reactivation. The in vitro model described here provides insight into the earliest events of culture transformation and suggests the hypothesis that reversion to pluripotency may be responsible for the development of tumors in cell replacement experiments. The main goal of this work,however,is to communicate the possibility of transgene reactivation in retro- or lenti- iPSC derivatives and the associated loss of cellular fidelity in vitro,which may impact the outcomes of disease modeling and related experimentation. View Publication

Demonstrates efficient reprogramming of iPS cells from CD34+ stem cells enriched from a small volume of peripheral blood. View Publication

Optimization of pluripotent stem cell expansion and differentiation is facilitated by biological tools that permit non-invasive and dynamic monitoring of pluripotency,and the ability to select for an undifferentiated input cell population. Here we report on the generation and characterisation of clonal human embryonic stem (HES3,H9) and human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (UQEW01i-epifibC11) that have been stably modified with an artificial EOS(C3+) promoter driving expression of EGFP and puromycin resistance-conferring proteins. We show that EGFP expression faithfully reports on the pluripotency status of the cells in these lines and that antibiotic selection allows for an efficient elimination of differentiated cells from the cultures. We demonstrate that the extinction of the expression of the pluripotency reporter during differentiation closely correlates with the decrease in expression of conventional pluripotency markers,such as OCT4 (POU5F1),TRA-1-60 and SSEA4 when screening across conditions with various levels of pluripotency-maintaining or differentiation-inducing signals. We further illustrate the utility of these lines for real-time monitoring of pluripotency in embryoid bodies and microfluidic bioreactors. View Publication

Human (h) induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a potentially abundant source of blood cells,but how best to select iPSC clones suitable for this purpose from among the many clones that can be simultaneously established from an identical source is not clear. Using an in vitro culture system yielding a hematopoietic niche that concentrates hematopoietic progenitors,we show that the pattern of c-MYC reactivation after reprogramming influences platelet generation from hiPSCs. During differentiation,reduction of c-MYC expression after initial reactivation of c-MYC expression in selected hiPSC clones was associated with more efficient in vitro generation of CD41a(+)CD42b(+) platelets. This effect was recapitulated in virus integration-free hiPSCs using a doxycycline-controlled c-MYC expression vector. In vivo imaging revealed that these CD42b(+) platelets were present in thrombi after laser-induced vessel wall injury. In contrast,sustained and excessive c-MYC expression in megakaryocytes was accompanied by increased p14 (ARF) and p16 (INK4A) expression,decreased GATA1 expression,and impaired production of functional platelets. These findings suggest that the pattern of c-MYC expression,particularly its later decline,is key to producing functional platelets from selected iPSC clones. View Publication

The discovery of human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) has sparked great interest in the potential treatment of patients with their own in vitro differentiated cells. Recently,knockout of the Tumor Protein 53 (p53) gene was reported to facilitate reprogramming but unfortunately also led to genomic instability. Here,we report that transient suppression of p53 during nonintegrative reprogramming of human fibroblasts leads to a significant increase in expression of pluripotency markers and overall number of iPSC colonies,due to downstream suppression of p21,without affecting apoptosis and DNA damage. Stable iPSC lines generated with or without p53 suppression showed comparable expression of pluripotency markers and methylation patterns,displayed normal karyotypes,contained between 0 and 5 genomic copy number variations and produced functional neurons in vitro. In conclusion,transient p53 suppression increases reprogramming efficiency without affecting genomic stability,rendering the method suitable for in vitro mechanistic studies with the possibility for future clinical translation. View Publication