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The current in vitro or in vivo intestinal fibrosis models have many limitations. Recent advancements in the isolation and culturing of organoids has led to development of various three-dimensional (3D) intestinal disease models with in vivo physiology. In this study,we generated an organoid-based epithelial to mesenchymal transition (OEMT) model,which could be used as a novel intestinal fibrosis model. Intestinal epithelial organoids (IEOs) were isolated and cultured from the small intestines of normal mice. IEOs were treated with transforming growth factor- β1 (TGF-β1) or Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) to evaluate their phenotypic change. Raw 264.7 cells (macrophage) stimulated with lipopolysaccharide were co-cultured with IEOs in growth media with or without TGF-β1. TGF-β1 alone slightly induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in the IEOs but mainly disrupted them. Macrophage released cytokines synergistically induced mesenchymal phenotypic changes in TGF-β1 stimulated intestinal organoids. TNF-α and TGF-β1 synergistically induced proliferation of mesenchymal cells as well as EMT in the IEOs. We generated a novel OEMT model based on our finding that TNF-α and TGF-β synergistically induce type 2 EMT in IEOs. This 3D EMT model with in vivo physiology could be used to study EMT associated intestinal fibrosis. View Publication

iPSC-derived cells (from induced pluripotent stem cells) are a useful source that provide a powerful and widely accepted tool for the study of various types of human cells in vitro. Indeed,iPSC-derived cells from patients with hereditary diseases have been shown to reproduce the hallmarks of these diseases in vitro,phenotypes that can then also be manipulated in vitro. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is often used to characterize the progress of iPSC differentiation,validate mature cell types and to determine levels of pathological markers. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) is used to quantify mRNA levels. This method requires some way of normalizing the data,typically by relating the obtained levels of gene expression to the levels of expression of a house keeping gene"� View Publication

Congenital heart defects are the most common birth defect. The limiting factor in tissue engineering repair strategies is an autologous source of functional cardiomyocytes. Amniotic fluid contains an ideal cell source for prenatal harvest and use in correction of congenital heart defects. This study aims to investigate the potential of amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSC) to undergo non-viral reprogramming into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) followed by growth-factor-free differentiation into functional cardiomyocytes. AFSC from human second trimester amniotic fluid were transfected by non-viral vesicle fusion with modified mRNA of OCT4,KLF4,SOX2,LIN28,cMYC and nuclear GFP over 18 days,then differentiated using inhibitors of GSK3 followed 48 hours later by inhibition of WNT. AFSC-derived iPSC had high expression of OCT4,NANOG,TRA-1-60,and TRA-1-81 after 18 days of mRNA transfection and formed teratomas containing mesodermal,ectodermal,and endodermal germ layers in immunodeficient mice. By Day 30 of cardiomyocyte differentiation,cells contracted spontaneously,expressed connexin 43 and β-myosin heavy chain organized in sarcomeric banding patterns,expressed cardiac troponin T and β-myosin heavy chain,showed upregulation of NKX2.5,ISL-1 and cardiac troponin T with downregulation of POU5F1,and displayed calcium and voltage transients similar to those in developing cardiomyocytes. These results demonstrate that cells from human amniotic fluid can be differentiated through a pluripotent state into functional cardiomyocytes. View Publication

The ability to create 3D tissues from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is poised to revolutionize stem cell research and regenerative medicine,including individualized,patient-specific stem cell-based treatments. There are,however,few examples of tissue engineering using iPSCs. Their culture and differentiation is predominantly planar for monolayer cell support or induction of self-organizing embryoids (EBs) and organoids. Bioprinting iPSCs with advanced biomaterials promises to augment efforts to develop 3D tissues,ideally comprising direct-write printing of cells for encapsulation,proliferation,and differentiation. Here,such a method,employing a clinically amenable polysaccharide-based bioink,is described as the first example of bioprinting human iPSCs for in situ expansion and sequential differentiation. Specifically,There are extrusion printed the bioink including iPSCs,alginate (Al; 5% weight/volume [w/v]),carboxymethyl-chitosan (5% w/v),and agarose (Ag; 1.5% w/v),crosslinked the bioink in calcium chloride for a stable and porous construct,proliferated the iPSCs within the construct and differentiated the same iPSCs into either EBs comprising cells of three germ lineages-endoderm,ectoderm,and mesoderm,or more homogeneous neural tissues containing functional migrating neurons and neuroglia. This defined,scalable,and versatile platform is envisaged being useful in iPSC research and translation for pharmaceuticals development and regenerative medicine. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (HPSCs) cultured in conditions that maintain pluripotency via FGF and TGFβ signaling have been described as being in a primed state. These cells have been shown to exhibit characteristics more closely related to mouse epiblast-derived stem cells than to so called naïve mouse PSCs said to possess a more ground state pluripotency that mimics the early mouse embryo inner cell mass. Initial attempts to create culture conditions favorable for generation of naïve HPSCs from primed HPSCs has required the use of mouse embryonic fibroblasts as a feeder layer to support this transition. A protocol for the routine derivation and maintenance of naïve HPSCs in completely defined conditions is highly desirable for stem cell researchers to enhance the study and clinical translation of naïve HPSCs. Here we describe a standard protocol for transitioning primed HPSCs to a naïve state using commercial RSet media and xeno-free recombinant vitronectin. View Publication

Recent reports have documented the differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells toward the skeletal myogenic lineage using transgene- and cell purification-free approaches. Although these protocols generate myocytes,they have not demonstrated scalability,safety,and in vivo engraftment,which are key aspects for their future clinical application. Here we recapitulate one prominent protocol,and show that it gives rise to a heterogeneous cell population containing myocytes and other cell types. Upon transplantation,the majority of human donor cells could not contribute to myofiber formation. As a proof-of-principle,we incorporated the inducible PAX7 lentiviral system into this protocol,which then enabled scalable expansion of a homogeneous population of skeletal myogenic progenitors capable of forming myofibers in vivo. Our findings demonstrate the methods for scalable expansion of PAX7(+) myogenic progenitors and their purification are critical for practical application to cell replacement treatment of muscle degenerative diseases. View Publication

Microglia,the immune cells of the brain,are crucial to proper development and maintenance of the CNS,and their involvement in numerous neurological disorders is increasingly being recognized. To improve our understanding of human microglial biology,we devised a chemically defined protocol to generate human microglia from pluripotent stem cells. Myeloid progenitors expressing CD14/CX3CR1 were generated within 30 days of differentiation from both embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Further differentiation of the progenitors resulted in ramified microglia with highly motile processes,expressing typical microglial markers. Analyses of gene expression and cytokine release showed close similarities between iPSC-derived (iPSC-MG) and human primary microglia as well as clear distinctions from macrophages. iPSC-MG were able to phagocytose and responded to ADP by producing intracellular Ca(2+) transients,whereas macrophages lacked such response. The differentiation protocol was highly reproducible across several pluripotent stem cell lines. View Publication

Recent studies using defined transcription factors to convert skin fibroblasts into chondrocytes have raised the question of whether osteo-chondroprogenitors expressing SOX9 and RUNX2 could also be generated during the course of the reprogramming process. Here,we demonstrated that doxycycline-inducible expression of reprogramming factors (KLF4 [K] and c-MYC [M]) for 6 days were sufficient to convert murine fibroblasts into SOX9(+)/RUNX2(+) cellular aggregates and together with SOX9 (S) promoted the conversion efficiency when cultured in a defined stem cell medium,mTeSR. KMS-reprogrammed cells possess gene expression profiles akin to those of native osteo-chondroprogenitors with elevated osteogenic properties and can differentiate into osteoblasts and chondrocytes in vitro,but form bone tissue upon transplantation under the skin and in the fracture site of mouse tibia. Altogether,we provide a reprogramming strategy to enable efficient derivation of osteo-chondrogenic cells that may hold promise for cell replacement therapy not limited to cartilage but also for bone tissues. View Publication

Deubiquitinating enzymes may play a major regulatory role in pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) but few studies have investigated this topic. Within this family of enzymes,we found that the ubiquitin specific peptidase,USP44,is highly expressed in embryonic stem cells,induced PSCs and testes as compared to differentiated progenies and somatic organs. Analysis by qPCR and 5'RACE showed that alternate promoters are responsible for expression in PSCs and organs. We noticed 7 regions of transcription initiation,some of them with cell- or tissue-specific activity. Close analysis showed that one of the promoters involved in stem cell and testis-specific activity is differentially regulated in those tissues. At the epigenetic level,USP44 transcription was correlated with DNA methylation of a CpG island close to the main promoter region. These data imply a complex picture where regulating factors like OCT4 may interact with other epigenetic mechanisms to regulate USP44 expression in PSCs and testes. View Publication

A variety of tissue lineages can be differentiated from pluripotent stem cells by mimicking embryonic development through stepwise exposure to morphogens,or by conversion of one differentiated cell type into another by enforced expression of master transcription factors. Here,to yield functional human haematopoietic stem cells,we perform morphogen-directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into haemogenic endothelium followed by screening of 26 candidate haematopoietic stem-cell-specifying transcription factors for their capacity to promote multi-lineage haematopoietic engraftment in mouse hosts. We recover seven transcription factors (ERG,HOXA5,HOXA9,HOXA10,LCOR,RUNX1 and SPI1) that are sufficient to convert haemogenic endothelium into haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells that engraft myeloid,B and T cells in primary and secondary mouse recipients. Our combined approach of morphogen-driven differentiation and transcription-factor-mediated cell fate conversion produces haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from pluripotent stem cells and holds promise for modelling haematopoietic disease in humanized mice and for therapeutic strategies in genetic blood disorders. View Publication

Developmental pathways that orchestrate the fleeting transition of endothelial cells into haematopoietic stem cells remain undefined. Here we demonstrate a tractable approach for fully reprogramming adult mouse endothelial cells to haematopoietic stem cells (rEC-HSCs) through transient expression of the transcription-factor-encoding genes Fosb,Gfi1,Runx1,and Spi1 (collectively denoted hereafter as FGRS) and vascular-niche-derived angiocrine factors. The induction phase (days 0-8) of conversion is initiated by expression of FGRS in mature endothelial cells,which results in endogenous Runx1 expression. During the specification phase (days 8-20),RUNX1(+) FGRS-transduced endothelial cells commit to a haematopoietic fate,yielding rEC-HSCs that no longer require FGRS expression. The vascular niche drives a robust self-renewal and expansion phase of rEC-HSCs (days 20-28). rEC-HSCs have a transcriptome and long-term self-renewal capacity similar to those of adult haematopoietic stem cells,and can be used for clonal engraftment and serial primary and secondary multi-lineage reconstitution,including antigen-dependent adaptive immune function. Inhibition of TGFβ and CXCR7 or activation of BMP and CXCR4 signalling enhanced generation of rEC-HSCs. Pluripotency-independent conversion of endothelial cells into autologous authentic engraftable haematopoietic stem cells could aid treatment of haematological disorders. View Publication

Biologic TNFα inhibitors are a mainstay treatment option for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) refractory to other treatment options. However,many patients either do not respond or relapse after initially responding to these agents. This study was carried out to identify biomarkers that can distinguish responder from non-responder patients before the initiation of treatment. The level of cytokines in plasma and those produced by ex vivo T cells,B cells and monocytes in 97 RA patients treated with biologic TNFα inhibitors was measured before treatment and after 1 and 3 months of treatment by multiplex analyses. The frequency of T cell subsets and intracellular cytokines were determined by flow cytometry. The results reveal that pre-treatment,T cells from patients who went on to respond to treatment with biologic anti-TNFα agents produced significantly more GM-CSF than non-responder patients. Furthermore,immune cells from responder patients produced higher levels of IL-1β,TNFα and IL-6. Cytokine profiling in the blood of patients confirmed the association between high levels of GM-CSF and responsiveness to biologic anti-TNFα agents. Thus,high blood levels of GM-CSF pre-treatment had a positive predictive value of 87.5% (61.6 to 98.5% at 95% CI) in treated RA patients. The study also shows that cells from most anti-TNFα responder patients in the current cohort produced higher levels of GM-CSF and TNFα pre-treatment than non-responder patients. Findings from the current study and our previous observations that non-responsiveness to anti-TNFα is associated with high IL-17 levels suggest that the disease in responder and non-responder RA patients is likely to be driven/sustained by different inflammatory pathways. The use of biomarker signatures of distinct pro-inflammatory pathways could lead to evidence-based prescription of the most appropriate biological therapies for different RA patients. View Publication