Scientific Resources

Long-term in vitro culture of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) traditionally requires a fibroblast feeder cell layer. Using feeder cells in hESC cultures is highly laborious and limits large-scale hESC production for potential application in regenerative medicine. Replacing feeder cells with defined human extracellular matrix (ECM) components or synthetic biomaterials would be ideal for large-scale production of clinical-grade hESCs. We tested and compared different feeder cell-free hESC culture methods based on different human ECM proteins,human and animal sera matrices,and a Matrigel matrix. Also selected biomaterials were tested for feeder cell-free propagation of undifferentiated hESCs. The matrices were tested together with conventional and modified hESC culture media,human foreskin fibroblast-conditioned culture medium,chemically defined medium,TeSR1,and modified TeSR1 media. The results showed the undefined,xenogeneic Matrigel to be a superior matrix for hESC culture compared with the purified human ECM proteins,serum matrices,and the biomaterials tested. A long-term,feeder cell-free culture system was successful on Matrigel in combination with mTeSR1 culture medium,but a xeno-free,fully defined,and reproducible feeder cell-free hESC culture method still remains to be developed. View Publication

Using endothelial cells for therapeutic angiogenesis/vasculogenesis of ischemia diseases has led to exploring human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) as a potentially unlimited source for endothelial progenitor cells. With their capacity for self-renewal and pluripotency,hESCs and their derived endothelial cells (hESC-ECs) may be more advantageous than other endothelial cells obtained from diseased populations. However,hESC-ECs' poor differentiation efficiency and poorly characterized in vivo function after transplantation present significant challenges for their future clinical application. This review will focus on the differentiation pathways of hESCs and their therapeutic potential for vascular diseases,as well as the monitoring of transplanted cells' fate via molecular imaging. Finally,cell enhancement strategies to improve the engraftment efficiency of hESC-ECs will be discussed. View Publication

The discovery of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has dramatically increased the tools available to medical scientists interested in regenerative medicine. However,direct injection of hESCs,and cells differentiated from hESCs,into living organisms has thus far been hampered by significant cell death,teratoma formation,and host immune rejection. Understanding the in vivo hESC behavior after transplantation requires novel imaging techniques to longitudinally monitor hESC localization,proliferation,and viability. Molecular imaging has given investigators a high-throughput,inexpensive,and sensitive means for tracking in vivo cell proliferation over days,weeks,and even months. This advancement has significantly increased the understanding of the spatio-temporal kinetics of hESC engraftment,proliferation,and teratoma-formation in living subjects. A major advance in molecular imaging has been the extension of noninvasive reporter gene assays from molecular and cellular biology into in vivo multi-modality imaging platforms. These reporter genes,under control of engineered promoters and enhancers that take advantage of the host cell s transcriptional machinery,are introduced into cells using a variety of vector and non-vector methods. Once in the cell,reporter genes can be transcribed either constitutively or only under specific biological or cellular conditions,depending on the type of promoter used. Transcription and translation of reporter genes into bioactive proteins is then detected with sensitive,noninvasive instrumentation (e.g.,CCD cameras) using signal-generating probes such as D-luciferin. To avoid the need for excitatory light to track stem cells in vivo as is required for fluorescence imaging,bioluminescence reporter gene imaging systems require only an exogenously administered probe to induce light emission. Firefly luciferase,derived from the firefly Photinus pyralis,encodes an enzyme that catalyzes D-luciferin to the optically active metabolite,oxyluciferin. Optical activity can then be monitored with an external CCD camera. Stably transduced cells that carry the reporter construct within their chromosomal DNA will pass the reporter construct DNA to daughter cells,allowing for longitudinal monitoring of hESC survival and proliferation in vivo. Furthermore,because expression of the reporter gene product is required for signal generation,only viable parent and daughter cells will create bioluminescence signal; apoptotic or dead cells will not. In this video,the specific materials and methods needed for tracking stem cell proliferation and teratoma formation with bioluminescence imaging will be described. View Publication

Large-scale manufacture of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is prerequisite to their widespread use in biomedical applications. However,current hESC culture strategies are labor-intensive and employ highly variable processes,presenting challenges for scaled production and commercial development. Here we demonstrate that passaging of the hESC lines,HUES7,and NOTT1,with trypsin in feeder-free conditions,is compatible with complete automation on the CompacT SelecT,a commercially available and industrially relevant robotic platform. Pluripotency was successfully retained,as evidenced by consistent proliferation during serial passage,expression of stem cell markers (OCT4,NANOG,TRA1-81,and SSEA-4),stable karyotype,and multi-germlayer differentiation in vitro,including to pharmacologically responsive cardiomyocytes. Automation of hESC culture will expedite cell-use in clinical,scientific,and industrial applications. View Publication

BACKGROUND Efficient slow freezing protocols within serum-free and feeder-free culture systems are crucial for the clinical application of human embryonic stem (hES) cells. Frequently,however,hES cells must be cryopreserved as clumps when using conventional slow freezing protocols,leading to lower survival rates during freeze-thaw and limiting their recovery and growth efficiency after thawing,as well as limiting downstream applications that require single cell suspensions. We describe a novel method to increase freeze-thaw survival and proliferation rate of single hES cells in serum-free and feeder-free culture conditions. METHODS hES cells maintained on Matrigel-coated dishes were dissociated into single cells with Accutase and slow freezing. After thawing at 37 degrees C,cells were cultured in mTeSR medium supplemented with 10 microM of Rho-associated kinase inhibitor Y-27632 for 1 day. RESULTS The use of Y-27632 and Accutase significantly increases the survival of single hES cells after thawing compared with a control group (P textless 0.01). Furthermore,by treatment of hES cell aggregates with EGTA to disrupt cell-cell interaction,we show that Y-27632 treatment does not directly affect hES cell apoptosis. Even in the presence of Y-27632,hES cells deficient in cell-cell interaction undergo apoptosis. Y-27632-treated freeze-thawed hES cells retain typical morphology,stable karyotype,expression of pluripotency markers and the potential to differentiate into derivatives of all three germ layers after long-term culture. CONCLUSIONS The method described here allows for cryopreservation of single hES cells in serum-free and feeder-free conditions and therefore we believe this method will be ideal for current and future hES cell applications that are targeted towards a therapeutic end-point. View Publication

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells represent a potential source for cell replacement therapy of many degenerative diseases. Most frequently,hES cell lines are derived from surplus embryos from assisted reproduction cycles,independent of their quality or morphology. Here,we show that hES cell lines can be obtained from poor-quality blastocysts with the same efficiency as that obtained from good- or intermediate-quality blastocysts. Furthermore,we show that the self-renewal,pluripotency,and differentiation ability of hES cell lines derived from either source are comparable. Finally,we present a simple and reproducible embryoid body-based protocol for the differentiation of hES cells into functional cardiomyocytes. The five new hES cell lines derived here should widen the spectrum of available resources for investigating the biology of hES cells and advancing toward efficient strategies of regenerative medicine. View Publication

Recently it has been demonstrated that CD30 expression was rather specific for transformed than for normal human ES cells and therefore CD30 maybe suggested as a potential marker for human ES cells bearing chromosomal abnormalities. Using immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR analysis we examined �?¡D30 expression in 10 hESCs lines with normal and abberant karyotypes. All hESC lines expressed CD30 antigen and RNA in undifferentiated state whether cell line beared chromosomal abnormalities or not. In contrast to previous notions our data demonstrate that CD30 could be considered as marker of undifferentiated hESCs without respect to karyotype changes. 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

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells can be maintained in an undifferentiated state if the culture medium is first conditioned on a layer of mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF) feeder cells. Here we show that human ES cell proliferation is coordinated by MEF-secreted heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG) in conditioned medium (CM). These HSPG and other heparinoids can stabilize basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF2) in unconditioned medium at levels comparable to those observed in CM. They also directly mediate binding of FGF2 to the human ES cell surface,and their removal from CM impairs proliferation. Finally,we have developed a purification scheme for MEF-secreted HSPG in CM. Using column chromatography,immunoblotting,and mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis,we have identified multiple HSPG species in CM. The results demonstrate that HSPG are key signaling cofactors in CM-based human ES cell culture. View Publication

With their unique ability to differentiate into all cell types,embryonic stem (ES) cells hold great therapeutic promise. To improve the efficiency of embryoid body (EB)-mediated ES cell differentiation,we studied murine EBs on the basis of their size and found that EBs with an intermediate size (diameter 100-300 microm) are the most proliferative,hold the greatest differentiation potential,and have the lowest rate of cell death. In an attempt to promote the formation of this subpopulation,we surveyed several biocompatible substrates with different surface chemical parameters and identified a strong correlation between hydrophobicity and EB development. Using self-assembled monolayers of various lengths of alkanethiolates on gold substrates,we directly tested this correlation and found that surfaces that exhibit increasing hydrophobicity enrich for the intermediate-size EBs. When this approach was applied to the human ES cell system,similar phenomena were observed. Our data demonstrate that hydrophobic surfaces serve as a platform to deliver uniform EB populations and may significantly improve the efficiency of ES cell differentiation. View Publication

The developmental potential of human ES cells makes them an important tool in developmental,pharmacological,and clinical research. For human ES cell technology to be fully exploited,however,culture efficiency must be improved,large-scale culture enabled,and safety ensured. Traditional human ES cell culture systems have relied on serum products and mouse feeder layers,which limit the scale,present biological variability,and expose the cells to potential contaminants. Defined,feeder-independent culture systems improve the safety and efficiency of ES cell technology,enabling translational research. The protocols herein are designed with the standard research laboratory in mind. They contain recipes for the formulation of mTeSR (a defined medium for human ES cell culture) and detailed protocols for the culture,transfer,and passage of cells grown in these feeder-independent conditions. They provide a basis for routine feeder-independent culture,and a starting point for additional optimization of culture conditions. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are a potentially inexhaustible source of cells for replacement therapy. However,successful preclinical and clinical progress requires efficient and controlled differentiation towards the specific differentiated cell fate. METHODS: We previously developed a strategy to generate blast cells (BCs) from hESCs that were capable of differentiating into vascular structures as well as into all hematopoietic cell lineages. Although the BCs were shown to repair damaged vasculature in multiple animal models,the large-scale generation of cells under these conditions was challenging. Here we report a simpler and more efficient method for robust generation of hemangioblastic progenitors. RESULTS: In addition to eliminating several expensive factors that are unnecessary,we demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4 and VEGF are necessary and sufficient to induce hemangioblastic commitment and development from hESCs during early stages of differentiation. BMP-4 and VEGF significantly upregulate T-brachyury,KDR,CD31 and Lmo2 gene expression,while dramatically downregulating Oct-4 expression. The addition of basic FGF during growth and expansion was found to further enhance BC development,consistently generating approximately 1 x 10(8) BCs from one six well plate of hESCs. CONCLUSION: This new method represents a significantly improved system for generating hemangioblasts from hESCs,and although simplified,results in an eightfold increase in cell yield. View Publication