Product Information

To harness the potential of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs),an abundant supply of their progenies is required. Here,hPSC expansion as matrix-independent aggregates in suspension culture was combined with cardiomyogenic differentiation using chemical Wnt pathway modulators. A multiwell screen was scaled up to stirred Erlenmeyer flasks and subsequently to tank bioreactors,applying controlled feeding strategies (batch and cyclic perfusion). Cardiomyogenesis was sensitive to the GSK3 inhibitor CHIR99021 concentration,whereas the aggregate size was no prevailing factor across culture platforms. However,in bioreactors,the pattern of aggregate formation in the expansion phase dominated subsequent differentiation. Global profiling revealed a culture-dependent expression of BMP agonists/antagonists,suggesting their decisive role in cell-fate determination. Furthermore,metallothionein was discovered as a potentially stress-related marker in hPSCs. In 100 ml bioreactors,the production of 40 million predominantly ventricular-like cardiomyocytes (up to 85% purity) was enabled that were directly applicable to bioartificial cardiac tissue formation. View Publication

The recent identification of hemogenic endothelium (HE) in human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) cultures presents opportunities to investigate signaling pathways that are essential for blood development from endothelium and provides an exploratory platform for de novo generation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). However,the use of poorly defined human or animal components limits the utility of the current differentiation systems for studying specific growth factors required for HE induction and manufacturing clinical-grade therapeutic blood cells. Here,we identified chemically defined conditions required to produce HE from hPSCs growing in Essential 8 (E8) medium and showed that Tenascin C (TenC),an extracellular matrix protein associated with HSC niches,strongly promotes HE and definitive hematopoiesis in this system. hPSCs differentiated in chemically defined conditions undergo stages of development similar to those previously described in hPSCs cocultured on OP9 feeders,including the formation of VE-Cadherin(+)CD73(-)CD235a/CD43(-) HE and hematopoietic progenitors with myeloid and T lymphoid potential. View Publication

OBJECTIVE Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a group of inherited peripheral neuropathies associated with mutations or copy number variations in over 70 genes encoding proteins with fundamental roles in the development and function of Schwann cells and peripheral axons. Here,we used iPSC-derived cells to identify common pathophysiological mechanisms in axonal CMT. METHODS iPSC lines from patients with two distinct forms of axonal CMT (CMT2A and CMT2E) were differentiated into spinal cord motor neurons and used to study axonal structure and function and electrophysiological properties in vitro. RESULTS iPSC-derived motor neurons exhibited gene and protein expression,ultrastructural and electrophysiological features of mature primary spinal cord motor neurons. Cytoskeletal abnormalities were found in neurons from a CMT2E (NEFL) patient and corroborated by a mouse model of the same NEFL point mutation. Abnormalities in mitochondrial trafficking were found in neurons derived from this patient,but were only mildly present in neurons from a CMT2A (MFN2) patient. Novel electrophysiological abnormalities,including reduced action potential threshold and abnormal channel current properties were observed in motor neurons derived from both of these patients. INTERPRETATION Human iPSC-derived motor neurons from axonal CMT patients replicated key pathophysiological features observed in other models of MFN2 and NEFL mutations,including abnormal cytoskeletal and mitochondrial dynamics. Electrophysiological abnormalities found in axonal CMT iPSC-derived human motor neurons suggest that these cells are hyperexcitable and have altered sodium and calcium channel kinetics. These findings may provide a new therapeutic target for this group of heterogeneous inherited neuropathies. View Publication

Receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa-B ligand (RANKL) is a critical osteoclastogenic factor expressed in bone marrow stromal/osteoblast lineage cells. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) levels are elevated in pathologic conditions such as multiple myeloma and inflammatory arthritis,and have been positively correlated with osteolytic markers. Osteoprotegerin (OPG) which inhibits osteoclastogenesis is a decoy receptor for RANKL and also known to interact with TRAIL. Herein,we show that TRAIL increases DR5 and DcR1 receptors but no change in the levels of DR4 and DcR2 expression in human bone marrow derived stromal/preosteoblast (SAKA-T) cell line. We further demonstrated that TRAIL treatment significantly decreased OPG mRNA expression. Interestingly,TRAIL treatment induced RANKL mRNA expression in these cells. In addition,TRAIL significantly increased NF-kB and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activity. Human transcription factor array screening by real-time RT-PCR identified TRAIL up-regulation of the signal transducers and activators of the transcription (STAT)-6 expression in SAKA-T cells. TRAIL stimulation induced p-STAT-6 expression in human bone marrow derived primary stromal/preosteoblast cells. Confocal microscopy analysis further revealed p-STAT-6 nuclear localization in SAKA-T cells. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay confirmed p-STAT-6 binding to the hRANKL gene distal promoter region. In addition,siRNA suppression of STAT-6 expression inhibits TRAIL increased hRANKL gene promoter activity. Thus,our results suggest that TRAIL induces RANKL expression through a STAT-6 dependent transcriptional regulatory mechanism in bone marrow stromal/preosteoblast cells. View Publication

BACKGROUND Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold tremendous potential,both as a biological tool to uncover the pathophysiology of disease by creating relevant human cell models and as a source of cells for cell-based therapeutic applications. Studying the reprogramming process will also provide significant insight into tissue development. OBJECTIVE We sought to characterize the derivation of iPSC lines from nasal epithelial cells (NECs) isolated from nasal mucosa samples of children,a highly relevant and easily accessible tissue for pediatric populations. METHODS We performed detailed comparative analysis on the transcriptomes and methylomes of NECs,iPSCs derived from NECs (NEC-iPSCs),and embryonic stem cells (ESCs). RESULTS NEC-iPSCs express pluripotent cell markers,can differentiate into all 3 germ layers in vivo and in vitro,and have a transcriptome and methylome remarkably similar to those of ESCs. However,residual DNA methylation marks exist,which are differentially methylated between NEC-iPSCs and ESCs. A subset of these methylation markers related to epithelium development and asthma and specific to NEC-iPSCs persisted after several passages in vitro,suggesting the retention of an epigenetic memory of their tissue of origin. Our analysis also identified novel candidate genes with dynamic gene expression and DNA methylation changes during reprogramming,which are indicative of possible roles in airway epithelium development. CONCLUSION NECs are an excellent tissue source to generate iPSCs in pediatric asthmatic patients,and detailed characterization of the resulting iPSC lines would help us better understand the reprogramming process and retention of epigenetic memory. View Publication

The promise of genetic reprogramming has prompted initiatives to develop banks of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from diverse sources. Sentinel assays for pluripotency could maximize available resources for generating iPSCs. Neural rosettes represent a primitive neural tissue that is unique to differentiating PSCs and commonly used to identify derivative neural/stem progenitors. Here,neural rosettes were used as a sentinel assay for pluripotency in selection of candidates to advance to validation assays. Candidate iPSCs were generated from independent populations of amniotic cells with episomal vectors. Phase imaging of living back up cultures showed neural rosettes in 2 of the 5 candidate populations. Rosettes were immunopositive for the Sox1,Sox2,Pax6 and Pax7 transcription factors that govern neural development in the earliest stage of development and for the Isl1/2 and Otx2 transcription factors that are expressed in the dorsal and ventral domains,respectively,of the neural tube in vivo. Dissociation of rosettes produced cultures of differentiation competent neural/stem progenitors that generated immature neurons that were immunopositive for βIII-tubulin and glia that were immunopositive for GFAP. Subsequent validation assays of selected candidates showed induced expression of endogenous pluripotency genes,epigenetic modification of chromatin and formation of teratomas in immunodeficient mice that contained derivatives of the 3 embryonic germ layers. Validated lines were vector-free and maintained a normal karyotype for more than 60 passages. The credibility of rosette assembly as a sentinel assay for PSCs is supported by coordinate loss of nuclear-localized pluripotency factors Oct4 and Nanog in neural rosettes that emerge spontaneously in cultures of self-renewing validated lines. Taken together,these findings demonstrate value in neural rosettes as sentinels for pluripotency and selection of promising candidates for advance to validation assays. View Publication

CRISPR/Cas9 has demonstrated a high-efficiency in site-specific gene targeting. However,potential off-target effects of the Cas9 nuclease represent a major safety concern for any therapeutic application. Here,we knock out the Tafazzin gene by CRISPR/Cas9 in human-induced pluripotent stem cells with 54% efficiency. We combine whole-genome sequencing and deep-targeted sequencing to characterise the off-target effects of Cas9 editing. Whole-genome sequencing of Cas9-modified hiPSC clones detects neither gross genomic alterations nor elevated mutation rates. Deep sequencing of in silico predicted off-target sites in a population of Cas9-treated cells further confirms high specificity of Cas9. However,we identify a single high-efficiency off-target site that is generated by a common germline single-nucleotide variant (SNV) in our experiment. Based on in silico analysis,we estimate a likelihood of SNVs creating off-target sites in a human genome to be ˜1.5-8.5%,depending on the genome and site-selection method,but also note that mutations might be generated at these sites only at low rates and may not have functional consequences. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of highly specific clonal ex vivo gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 and highlights the value of whole-genome sequencing before personalised CRISPR design. View Publication

Expansion of pluripotent stem cells in defined media devoid of animal-derived feeder cells to generate multilayered three-dimensional (3D) bulk preparations or spheroids,rather than two-dimensional (2D) monolayers,is advantageous for many regenerative,biological or disease-modelling studies. Here we show that electrospun polymer matrices comprised of nanofibres that mimic the architecture of the natural fibrous extracellular matrix allow for feeder-free expansion of pluripotent human induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs) and human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) into multilayered 3D 'patty-like' spheroid structures in defined xeno-free culture medium. The observation that IPSCs and HESCs readily revert to 2D growth in the absence of the synthetic nanofibre membranes suggests that this 3D expansion behaviour is mediated by the physical microenvironment and artificial niche provided by the nanofibres only. Importantly,we could show that such 3D growth as patties maintained the pluripotency of cells as long as they were kept on nanofibres. The generation of complex multilayered 3D structures consisting of only pluripotent cells on biodegradable nanofibre matrices of the desired shape and size will enable both industrial-scale expansion and intricate organ-tissue engineering applications with human pluripotent stem cells,where simultaneous coupling of differentiation pathways of all germ layers from one stem cell source may be required for organ formation. View Publication

The fate decisions of human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells are governed by soluble and insoluble signals from the microenvironment. Many hPS cell differentiation protocols use Matrigel,a complex and undefined substrate that engages multiple adhesion and signaling receptors. Using defined surfaces programmed to engage specific cell-surface ligands (i.e.,glycosaminoglycans and integrins),the contribution of specific matrix signals can be dissected. For ectoderm and motor neuron differentiation,peptide-modified surfaces that can engage both glycosaminoglycans and integrins are effective. In contrast,surfaces that interact selectively with glycosaminoglycans are superior to Matrigel in promoting hPS cell differentiation to definitive endoderm and mesoderm. The modular surfaces were used to elucidate the signaling pathways underlying these differences. Matrigel promotes integrin signaling,which in turn inhibits mesendoderm differentiation. The data indicate that integrin-activating surfaces stimulate Akt signaling via integrin-linked kinase (ILK),which is antagonistic to endoderm differentiation. The ability to attribute cellular responses to specific interactions between the cell and the substrate offers new opportunities for revealing and controlling the pathways governing cell fate. View Publication

BACKGROUND: Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into potentially unlimited lineages of cell types for use in autologous cell therapy. However,the efficiency of the differentiation procedure and subsequent function of the iPSC-derived cells may be influenced by epigenetic factors that the iPSCs retain from their tissues of origin; thus,iPSC-derived cells may be more effective for treatment of myocardial injury if the iPSCs were engineered from cardiac-lineage cells,rather than dermal fibroblasts. METHODS AND RESULTS: We show that human cardiac iPSCs (hciPSCs) can be generated from cardiac fibroblasts and subsequently differentiated into exceptionally pure (textgreater92%) sheets of cardiomyocytes (CMs). The hciPSCs passed through all the normal stages of differentiation before assuming a CM identity. When using the fibrin gel-enhanced delivery of hciPSC-CM sheets at the site of injury in infarcted mouse hearts,the engraftment rate was 31.91%+/-5.75% at Day 28 post transplantation. The hciPSC-CM in the sheet also appeared to develop a more mature,structurally aligned phenotype 28 days after transplantation and was associated with significant improvements in cardiac function,vascularity,and reduction in apoptosis. CONCLUSIONS: These data strongly support the potential of hciPSC-CM sheet transplantation for the treatment of heart with acute myocardial infarction. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) - including embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) - are very promising candidates for cell therapies,tissue engineering,high throughput pharmacology screens,and toxicity testing. These applications require large numbers of high quality cells; however,scalable production of human pluripotent stem cells and their derivatives at a high density and under well-defined conditions has been a challenge. We recently reported a simple,efficient,fully defined,scalable,and good manufacturing practice (GMP) compatible 3D culture system based on a thermoreversible hydrogel for hPSC expansion and differentiation. Here,we describe additional design rationale and characterization of this system. For instance,we have determined that culturing hPSCs as a suspension in a liquid medium can exhibit lower volumetric yields due to cell agglomeration and possible shear force-induced cell loss. By contrast,using hydrogels as 3D scaffolds for culturing hPSCs reduces aggregation and may insulate from shear forces. Additionally,hydrogel-based 3D culture systems can support efficient hPSC expansion and differentiation at a high density if compatible with hPSC biology. Finally,there are considerable opportunities for future development to further enhance hydrogel-based 3D culture systems for producing hPSCs and their progeny. View Publication

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) provide a potentially replenishable source for the production of transfusable platelets. Here,we describe a method to generate megakaryocytes (MKs) and functional platelets from iPSCs in a scalable manner under serum/feeder-free conditions. The method also permits the cryopreservation of MK progenitors,enabling a rapid surge" capacity when large numbers of platelets are needed. Ultrastructural/morphological analyses show no major differences between iPSC platelets and human blood platelets. iPSC platelets form aggregates� View Publication