技术资料

Aim: Reprogramming of somatic cells utilizing viral free methods provide a remarkable method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for regenerative medicine. In this study,we evaluate developmental ontogeny of cardiomyocytes following induced differentiation of hiPSCs. Main Methods: Fibroblasts were reprogrammed with episomal vectors to generate hiPSC and were subsequently differentiated to cardiomyocytes. Ontogenic development of cardiomyocytes was studied by real-time PCR. Key findings: Human iPSCs derived from episomal based vectors maintain classical pluripotency markers,generate teratomas and spontaneously differentiate into three germ layers in vitro. Cardiomyogenic induction of these hiPSCs efficiently generated cardiomyocytes. Ontogenic gene expression studies demonstrated that differentiation of cardiomyocytes was initiated by increased expression of mesodermal markers,followed by early cardiac committed markers,structural and ion channel genes. Furthermore,our correlation analysis of gene expression studies with human heart demonstrated that pivotal structural genes like cardiac troponin,actinin,myosin light chain maintained a high correlation with ion channel genes indicating coordinated activation of cardiac transcriptional machinery. Finally,microelectrode recordings show that these cardiomyocytes could respond aptly to pharmacologically active drugs. Cardiomyocytes showed a chronotropic response to isoproterenol,reduced Na+ influx with quinidine,prolongation of beating rate corrected field potential duration (cFPD) with E-4031 and reduced beating frequency and shortened cFPD with verapamil. Significance: Our study shows that viral free hiPSCs efficiently differentiate into cardiomyocytes with cardiac-specific molecular,structural,and functional properties that recapitulate developmental ontogeny of cardiogenesis. These results,coupled with the potential to generate patient-specific hiPSC lines hold great promise for the development of in vitro platform for drug pharmacogenomics; disease modeling and regenerative medicine. textcopyright 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. View Publication

Generating engraftable hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) is an ideal approach for obtaining induced HSCs for cell therapy. However,the path from PSCs to robustly induced HSCs (iHSCs) in vitro remains elusive. We hypothesize that the modification of hematopoietic niche cells by transcription factors facilitates the derivation of induced HSCs from PSCs. The Lhx2 transcription factor is expressed in fetal liver stromal cells but not in fetal blood cells. Knocking out Lhx2 leads to a fetal hematopoietic defect in a cell non-autonomous role. In this study,we demonstrate that the ectopic expression of Lhx2 in OP9 cells (OP9-Lhx2) accelerates the hematopoietic differentiation of PSCs. OP9-Lhx2 significantly increased the yields of hematopoietic progenitor cells via co-culture with PSCs in vitro. Interestingly,the co-injection of OP9-Lhx2 and PSCs into immune deficient mice also increased the proportion of hematopoietic progenitors via the formation of teratomas. The transplantation of phenotypic HSCs from OP9-Lhx2 teratomas but not from the OP9 control supported a transient repopulating capability. The upregulation of Apln gene by Lhx2 is correlated to the hematopoietic commitment property of OP9-Lhx2. Furthermore,the enforced expression of Apln in OP9 cells significantly increased the hematopoietic differentiation of PSCs. These results indicate that OP9-Lhx2 is a good cell line for regeneration of hematopoietic progenitors both in vitro and in vivo. View Publication

The growth factors that drive the division and differentiation of stem cells during early human embryogenesis are unknown. The secretion of endorphins,progesterone (P(4)),human chorionic gonadotropin,17beta-estradiol,and gonadotropin-releasing hormone by trophoblasts that lie adjacent to the embryoblast in the blastocyst suggests that these pregnancy-associated factors may directly signal the growth and development of the embryoblast. To test this hypothesis,we treated embryoblast-derived human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with ICI 174,864,a delta-opioid receptor antagonist,and RU-486 (mifepristone),a P(4) receptor competitive antagonist. Both antagonists potently inhibited the differentiation of hESC into embryoid bodies,an in vitro structure akin to the blastocyst containing all three germ layers. Furthermore,these agents prevented the differentiation of hESC aggregates into columnar neuroectodermal cells and their organization into neural tube-like rosettes as determined morphologically. Immunoblot analyses confirmed the obligatory role of these hormones; both antagonists inhibited nestin expression,an early marker of neural precursor cells normally detected during rosette formation. Conversely,addition of P(4) to hESC aggregates induced nestin expression and the formation of neuroectodermal rosettes. These results demonstrate that trophoblast-associated hormones induce blastulation and neurulation during early human embryogenesis. View Publication

While distinct stem cell phenotypes follow global changes in chromatin marks,single-cell chromatin technologies are unable to resolve or predict stem cell fates. We propose the first such use of optical high content nanoscopy of histone epigenetic marks (epi-marks) in stem cells to classify emergent cell states. By combining nanoscopy with epi-mark textural image informatics,we developed a novel approach,termed EDICTS (Epi-mark Descriptor Imaging of Cell Transitional States),to discern chromatin organizational changes,demarcate lineage gradations across a range of stem cell types and robustly track lineage restriction kinetics. We demonstrate the utility of EDICTS by predicting the lineage progression of stem cells cultured on biomaterial substrates with graded nanotopographies and mechanical stiffness,thus parsing the role of specific biophysical cues as sensitive epigenetic drivers. We also demonstrate the unique power of EDICTS to resolve cellular states based on epi-marks that cannot be detected via mass spectrometry based methods for quantifying the abundance of histone post-translational modifications. Overall,EDICTS represents a powerful new methodology to predict single cell lineage decisions by integrating high content super-resolution nanoscopy and imaging informatics of the nuclear organization of epi-marks. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Methylation of CpG dinucleotides is a fundamental mechanism of epigenetic regulation in eukaryotic genomes. Development of methods for rapid genome wide methylation profiling will greatly facilitate both hypothesis and discovery driven research in the field of epigenetics. In this regard,a single molecule approach to methylation profiling offers several unique advantages that include elimination of chemical DNA modification steps and PCR amplification. RESULTS: A single molecule approach is presented for the discernment of methylation profiles,based on optical mapping. We report results from a series of pilot studies demonstrating the capabilities of optical mapping as a platform for methylation profiling of whole genomes. Optical mapping was used to discern the methylation profile from both an engineered and wild type Escherichia coli. Furthermore,the methylation status of selected loci within the genome of human embryonic stem cells was profiled using optical mapping. CONCLUSION: The optical mapping platform effectively detects DNA methylation patterns. Due to single molecule detection,optical mapping offers significant advantages over other technologies. This advantage stems from obviation of DNA modification steps,such as bisulfite treatment,and the ability of the platform to assay repeat dense regions within mammalian genomes inaccessible to techniques using array-hybridization technologies. View Publication

Microfluidic systems create significant opportunities to establish highly controlled microenvironmental conditions for screening pluripotent stem cell fate. However,since cell fate is crucially dependent on this microenvironment,it remains unclear as to whether continual perfusion of culture medium supports pluripotent stem cell maintenance in feeder-free,chemically defined conditions,and further,whether optimum perfusion conditions exist for subsequent use of human embryonic stem cell (hESCs) in other microfludic systems. To investigate this,we designed microbioreactors based on resistive flow to screen hESCs under a linear range of flowrates. We report that at low rates (conditions where glucose transport is convection-limited with Péclet number textless1),cells are affected by apparent nutrient depletion and waste accumulation,evidenced by reduced cell expansion and altered morphology. At higher rates,cells are spontaneously washed out,and display morphological changes which may be indicative of early-stage differentiation. However,between these thresholds exists a narrow range of flowrates in which hESCs expand comparably to the equivalent static culture system,with regular morphology and maintenance of the pluripotency marker TG30 in textgreater95% of cells over 7 days. For MEL1 hESCs the optimum flowrate also coincided with the time-averaged medium exchange rate in static cultures,which may therefore provide a good first estimate of appropriate perfusion rates. Overall,we demonstrate hESCs can be maintained in microbioreactors under continual flow for up to 7 days,a critical outcome for the future development of microbioreactor-based screening systems and assays for hESC culture. View Publication

Efficient strategies for precise genome editing in human-induced pluripotent cells (hiPSCs) will enable sophisticated genome engineering for research and clinical purposes. The development of programmable sequence-specific nucleases such as Transcription Activator-Like Effectors Nucleases (TALENs) and Cas9-gRNA allows genetic modifications to be made more efficiently at targeted sites of interest. However,many opportunities remain to optimize these tools and to enlarge their spheres of application. We present several improvements: First,we developed functional re-coded TALEs (reTALEs),which not only enable simple one-pot TALE synthesis but also allow TALE-based applications to be performed using lentiviral vectors. We then compared genome-editing efficiencies in hiPSCs mediated by 15 pairs of reTALENs and Cas9-gRNA targeting CCR5 and optimized ssODN design in conjunction with both methods for introducing specific mutations. We found Cas9-gRNA achieved 7-8× higher non-homologous end joining efficiencies (3%) than reTALENs (0.4%) and moderately superior homology-directed repair efficiencies (1.0 versus 0.6%) when combined with ssODN donors in hiPSCs. Using the optimal design,we demonstrated a streamlined process to generated seamlessly genome corrected hiPSCs within 3 weeks. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the potential for unlimited expansion and differentiation into cell types of all three germ layers. Cryopreservation is a key process for successful application of hPSCs. However,the current conventional method leads to poor recovery of hPSCs after thawing. Here,we demonstrate a highly efficient recovery method for hPSC cryopreservation by slow freezing and single-cell dissociation. After confirming hPSC survivability after freeze-thawing,we found that hPSCs that were freeze-thawed as colonies showed markedly decreased survival,whereas freeze-thawed single hPSCs retained the majority of their viability. These observations indicated that hPSCs should be cryopreserved as single cells. Freeze-thawed single hPSCs efficiently adhered and survived in the absence of a ROCK inhibitor by optimization of the seeding density. The high recovery rate enabled conventional colony passaging for subculture within 3 days post-thawing. The improved method was also adapted to a xeno-free culture system. Moreover,the cell recovery postcryopreservation was highly supported by coating culture surfaces with human laminin-521 that promotes adhesion of dissociated single hPSCs. This simplified but highly efficient cryopreservation method allows easy handling of cells and bulk storage of high-quality hPSCs. View Publication

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from human urine-derived cells (hUCs) provides a convenient and non-invasive way to obtain patient-specific iPSCs. However,many isolated hUCs exhibit very poor proliferation and are difficult to reprogram. In this study,we optimized reprogramming approaches for hUCs with very poor proliferation. We report here that a compound cocktail containing cyclic pifithrin-a (a P53 inhibitor),A-83-01,CHIR99021,thiazovivin,NaB,and PD0325901 significantly improves the reprogramming efficiency (170-fold more) for hUCs. In addition,we showed that replacement of Matrigel with autologous hUC feeders can overcome the reprogramming failure due to the massive cell death that occurs during delivery of reprogramming factors. In summary,we describe improved approaches to enable iPSC generation from hUCs that were otherwise difficult to reprogram,a valuable asset for banking patient-specific iPSCs. 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

In mice there are two families of MHC class I-specific receptors,namely the Ly49 and CD94/NKG2 receptors. The latter receptors recognize the nonclassical MHC class I Qa-1(b) and are thought to be responsible for the recognition of missing-self and the maintenance of self-tolerance of fetal and neonatal NK cells that do not express Ly49. Currently,how NK cells acquire individual CD94/NKG2 receptors during their development is not known. In this study,we have established a multistep culture method to induce differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into the NK cell lineage and examined the acquisition of CD94/NKG2 by NK cells as they differentiate from ES cells in vitro. ES-derived NK (ES-NK) cells express NK cell-associated proteins and they kill certain tumor cell lines as well as MHC class I-deficient lymphoblasts. They express CD94/NKG2 heterodimers,but not Ly49 molecules,and their cytotoxicity is inhibited by Qa-1(b) on target cells. Using RT-PCR analysis,we also report that the acquisition of these individual receptor gene expressions during different stages of differentiation from ES cells to NK cells follows a predetermined order,with their order of acquisition being first CD94; subsequently NKG2D,NKG2A,and NKG2E; and finally,NKG2C. Single-cell RT-PCR showed coexpression of CD94 and NKG2 genes in most ES-NK cells,and flow cytometric analysis also detected CD94/NKG2 on most ES-NK cells,suggesting that the acquisition of these receptors by ES-NK cells in vitro is nonstochastic,orderly,and cumulative. View Publication

The purpose of this study was to examine the in vitro and in vivo osteogenic potential of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) against that of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hBMMSCs). Embryoid bodies (EBs),which were formed from undifferentiated hiPSCs,were dissociated into single cells and underwent osteogenic differentiation using the same medium as hBMMSCs for 14 days. Osteoinduced hiPSCs were implanted on the critical-size calvarial defects and long bone segmental defects in rats. The healing of defects was evaluated after 8 weeks and 12 weeks of implantation,respectively. Osteoinduced hiPSCs showed relatively lower and delayed in vitro expressions of the osteogenic marker COL1A1 and bone sialoprotein,as well as a weaker osteogenic differentiation through alkaline phosphatase staining and mineralization through Alizarin red staining compared with hBMMSCs. Calvarial defects treated with osteoinduced hiPSCs had comparable quality of new bone formation,including full restoration of bone width and robust formation of trabeculae,to those treated with hBMMSCs. Both osteoinduced hiPSCs and hBMMSCs persisted in regenerated bone after 8 weeks of implantation. In critical-size long bone segmental defects,osteoinduced hiPSC treatment also led to healing of segmental defects comparable to osteoinduced hBMMSC treatment after 12 weeks. In conclusion,despite delayed in vitro osteogenesis,hiPSCs have an in vivo osteogenic potential as good as hBMMSCs. View Publication