Zfp206 regulates ES cell gene expression and differentiation.

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Zhang, Wen; Walker, Emily; Tamplin, Owen J; Rossant, Janet; Stanford, William L; Hughes, Timothy R

2006-01-01

Understanding transcriptional regulation in early developmental stages is fundamental to understanding mammalian development and embryonic stem (ES) cell properties. Expression surveys suggest that the putative SCAN-Zinc finger transcription factor Zfp206 is expressed specifically in ES cells [Zhang,W., Morris,Q.D., Chang,R., Shai,O., Bakowski,M.A., Mitsakakis,N., Mohammad,N., Robinson,M.D., Zirngibl,R., Somogyi,E. et al., (2004) J. Biol., 3, 21; Brandenberger,R., Wei,H., Zhang,S., Lei,S., Murage,J., Fisk,G.J., Li,Y., Xu,C., Fang,R., Guegler,K. et al., (2004) Nat. Biotechnol., 22, 707-716]. Here, we confirm this observation, and we show that ZFP206 expression decreases rapidly upon differentiation of cultured mouse ES cells, and during development of mouse embryos. We find that there are at least six isoforms of the ZFP206 transcript, the longest being predominant. Overexpression and depletion experiments show that Zfp206 promotes formation of undifferentiated ES cell clones, and positively regulates abundance of a very small set of transcripts whose expression is also specific to ES cells and the two- to four-cell stages of preimplantation embryos. This set includes members of the Zscan4, Thoc4, Tcstv1 and eIF-1A gene families, none of which have been functionally characterized in vivo but whose members include apparent transcription factors, RNA-binding proteins and translation factors. Together, these data indicate that Zfp206 is a regulator of ES cell differentiation that controls a set of genes expressed very early in development, most of which themselves appear to be regulators.

A Simple and Efficient Method of Slow Freezing for Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Imaizumi, Keitaro; Iha, Momoe; Nishishita, Naoki; Kawamata, Shin; Nishikawa, Shinichi; Akuta, Teruo

2016-01-01

Protocols available for the cryopreservation of human embryonic stem (ES) and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are very inefficient and laborious compared to those for the cryopreservation of murine ES/iPS cells or other general cell lines. While the vitrification method may be adequate when working with small numbers of human ES/iPS cells, it requires special skills and is unsuitable when working with large cell numbers. Here, we describe a simple and efficient method for the cryopreservation of hES/hiPS cells that is based on a conventional slow freezing method that uses a combination of Pronase/EDTA for Stem™ and CP-5E™ [final concentrations: 6 % hydroxyethyl starch, 5 % DMSO, and 5 % ethylene glycol in saline]. CP-5E™ is highly effective for the cryopreservation of small cell clumps produced by hES/hiPS colony detachment in the presence of Pronase and EDTA (Pronase/EDTA for Stem™, a formulation containing multiple digestive enzymes from Streptomyces griseus). This novel method would be quite useful for large-scale hES/iPS cell banking for use in clinical applications.

Efficient differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to definitive endoderm.

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D'Amour, Kevin A; Agulnick, Alan D; Eliazer, Susan; Kelly, Olivia G; Kroon, Evert; Baetge, Emmanuel E

2005-12-01

The potential of human embryonic stem (hES) cells to differentiate into cell types of a variety of organs has generated much excitement over the possible use of hES cells in therapeutic applications. Of great interest are organs derived from definitive endoderm, such as the pancreas. We have focused on directing hES cells to the definitive endoderm lineage as this step is a prerequisite for efficient differentiation to mature endoderm derivatives. Differentiation of hES cells in the presence of activin A and low serum produced cultures consisting of up to 80% definitive endoderm cells. This population was further enriched to near homogeneity using the cell-surface receptor CXCR4. The process of definitive endoderm formation in differentiating hES cell cultures includes an apparent epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition and a dynamic gene expression profile that are reminiscent of vertebrate gastrulation. These findings may facilitate the use of hES cells for therapeutic purposes and as in vitro models of development.

Comparison of Gene Expression in Human Embryonic Stem Cells, hESC-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

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Barbet, Romain; Peiffer, Isabelle; Hatzfeld, Antoinette; Charbord, Pierre; Hatzfeld, Jacques A

2011-01-01

We present a strategy to identify developmental/differentiation and plasma membrane marker genes of the most primitive human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs). Using sensitive and quantitative TaqMan Low Density Arrays (TLDA) methodology, we compared the expression of 381 genes in human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs), hESC-derived MSCs (hES-MSCs), and hMSCs. Analysis of differentiation genes indicated that hES-MSCs express the sarcomeric muscle lineage in addition to the classical mesenchymal lineages, suggesting they are more primitive than hMSCs. Transcript analysis of membrane antigens suggests that IL1R1(low), BMPR1B(low), FLT4(low), LRRC32(low), and CD34 may be good candidates for the detection and isolation of the most primitive hMSCs. The expression in hMSCs of cytokine genes, such as IL6, IL8, or FLT3LG, without expression of the corresponding receptor, suggests a role for these cytokines in the paracrine control of stem cell niches. Our database may be shared with other laboratories in order to explore the considerable clinical potential of hES-MSCs, which appear to represent an intermediate developmental stage between hESCs and hMSCs.

Production of pancreatic hormone-expressing endocrine cells from human embryonic stem cells.

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D'Amour, Kevin A; Bang, Anne G; Eliazer, Susan; Kelly, Olivia G; Agulnick, Alan D; Smart, Nora G; Moorman, Mark A; Kroon, Evert; Carpenter, Melissa K; Baetge, Emmanuel E

2006-11-01

Of paramount importance for the development of cell therapies to treat diabetes is the production of sufficient numbers of pancreatic endocrine cells that function similarly to primary islets. We have developed a differentiation process that converts human embryonic stem (hES) cells to endocrine cells capable of synthesizing the pancreatic hormones insulin, glucagon, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide and ghrelin. This process mimics in vivo pancreatic organogenesis by directing cells through stages resembling definitive endoderm, gut-tube endoderm, pancreatic endoderm and endocrine precursor--en route to cells that express endocrine hormones. The hES cell-derived insulin-expressing cells have an insulin content approaching that of adult islets. Similar to fetal beta-cells, they release C-peptide in response to multiple secretory stimuli, but only minimally to glucose. Production of these hES cell-derived endocrine cells may represent a critical step in the development of a renewable source of cells for diabetes cell therapy.

An Abbreviated Protocol for In Vitro Generation of Functional Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Beta-Like Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Massumi, Mohammad; Pourasgari, Farzaneh; Nalla, Amarnadh

2016-01-01

developed an abbreviated five-stage protocol (25-30 days) to generate human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Beta-like Cells (ES-DBCs). We showed that Geltrex, as an extracellular matrix, could support the generation of ES-DBCs more efficiently than that of the previously described culture systems......The ability to yield glucose-responsive pancreatic beta-cells from human pluripotent stem cells in vitro will facilitate the development of the cell replacement therapies for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. Here, through the sequential in vitro targeting of selected signaling pathways, we have...... positive cells, 1% insulin and glucagon positive cells and 30% insulin and NKX6.1 co-expressing cells. Functionally, ES-DBCs were responsive to high glucose in static incubation and perifusion studies, and could secrete insulin in response to successive glucose stimulations. Mitochondrial metabolic flux...

Characterizing the radioresponse of pluripotent and multipotent human stem cells.

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Mary L Lan

Full Text Available The potential capability of stem cells to restore functionality to diseased or aged tissues has prompted a surge of research, but much work remains to elucidate the response of these cells to genotoxic agents. To more fully understand the impact of irradiation on different stem cell types, the present study has analyzed the radioresponse of human pluripotent and multipotent stem cells. Human embryonic stem (ES cells, human induced pluripotent (iPS cells, and iPS-derived human neural stem cells (iPS-hNSCs cells were irradiated and analyzed for cell survival parameters, differentiation, DNA damage and repair and oxidative stress at various times after exposure. While irradiation led to dose-dependent reductions in survival, the fraction of surviving cells exhibited dose-dependent increases in metabolic activity. Irradiation did not preclude germ layer commitment of ES cells, but did promote neuronal differentiation. ES cells subjected to irradiation exhibited early apoptosis and inhibition of cell cycle progression, but otherwise showed normal repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Cells surviving irradiation also showed acute and persistent increases in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that were significant at nearly all post-irradiation times analyzed. We suggest that stem cells alter their redox homeostasis to adapt to adverse conditions and that radiation-induced oxidative stress plays a role in regulating the function and fate of stem cells within tissues compromised by radiation injury.

Derivation of hybrid ES cell lines from two different strains of mice

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Ho-Tak Lau

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Parental origin-dependent expression of the imprinted genes is essential for mammalian development. Zfp57 maintains genomic imprinting in mouse embryos and ES cells. To examine the allelic expression patterns of the imprinted genes in ES cells, we obtained multiple hybrid ES clones that were directly derived from the blastocysts generated from the cross between mice on two different genetic backgrounds. The blastocyst-derived ES clones displayed largely intact DNA methylation imprint at the tested imprinted regions. These hybrid ES clones will be useful for future studies to examine the allelic expression of the imprinted genes in ES cells and their differentiated progeny.

Human neural progenitors express functional lysophospholipid receptors that regulate cell growth and morphology

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Callihan Phillip

2008-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Lysophospholipids regulate the morphology and growth of neurons, neural cell lines, and neural progenitors. A stable human neural progenitor cell line is not currently available in which to study the role of lysophospholipids in human neural development. We recently established a stable, adherent human embryonic stem cell-derived neuroepithelial (hES-NEP cell line which recapitulates morphological and phenotypic features of neural progenitor cells isolated from fetal tissue. The goal of this study was to determine if hES-NEP cells express functional lysophospholipid receptors, and if activation of these receptors mediates cellular responses critical for neural development. Results Our results demonstrate that Lysophosphatidic Acid (LPA and Sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P receptors are functionally expressed in hES-NEP cells and are coupled to multiple cellular signaling pathways. We have shown that transcript levels for S1P1 receptor increased significantly in the transition from embryonic stem cell to hES-NEP. hES-NEP cells express LPA and S1P receptors coupled to Gi/o G-proteins that inhibit adenylyl cyclase and to Gq-like phospholipase C activity. LPA and S1P also induce p44/42 ERK MAP kinase phosphorylation in these cells and stimulate cell proliferation via Gi/o coupled receptors in an Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR- and ERK-dependent pathway. In contrast, LPA and S1P stimulate transient cell rounding and aggregation that is independent of EGFR and ERK, but dependent on the Rho effector p160 ROCK. Conclusion Thus, lysophospholipids regulate neural progenitor growth and morphology through distinct mechanisms. These findings establish human ES cell-derived NEP cells as a model system for studying the role of lysophospholipids in neural progenitors.

Repair of Avascular Meniscus Tears with Electrospun Collagen Scaffolds Seeded with Human Cells.

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Baek, Jihye; Sovani, Sujata; Glembotski, Nicholas E; Du, Jiang; Jin, Sungho; Grogan, Shawn P; D'Lima, Darryl D

2016-03-01

The self-healing capacity of an injured meniscus is limited to the vascularized regions and is especially challenging in the inner avascular regions. As such, we investigated the use of human meniscus cell-seeded electrospun (ES) collagen type I scaffolds to produce meniscal tissue and explored whether these cell-seeded scaffolds can be implanted to repair defects created in meniscal avascular tissue explants. Human meniscal cells (derived from vascular and avascular meniscal tissue) were seeded on ES scaffolds and cultured. Constructs were evaluated for cell viability, gene expression, and mechanical properties. To determine potential for repair of meniscal defects, human meniscus avascular cells were seeded and cultured on aligned ES collagen scaffolds for 4 weeks before implantation. Surgical defects resembling "longitudinal tears" were created in the avascular zone of bovine meniscus and implanted with cell-seeded collagen scaffolds and cultured for 3 weeks. Tissue regeneration and integration were evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry, mechanical testing, and magentic resonance imaging. Ex vivo implantation with cell-seeded collagen scaffolds resulted in neotissue that was significantly better integrated with the native tissue than acellular collagen scaffolds or untreated defects. Human meniscal cell-seeded ES collagen scaffolds may therefore be useful in facilitating meniscal repair of avascular meniscus tears.

High-content screening of small compounds on human embryonic stem cells.

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Barbaric, Ivana; Gokhale, Paul J; Andrews, Peter W

2010-08-01

Human ES (embryonic stem) cells and iPS (induced pluripotent stem) cells have been heralded as a source of differentiated cells that could be used in the treatment of degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease or diabetes. Despite the great potential for their use in regenerative therapy, the challenge remains to understand the basic biology of these remarkable cells, in order to differentiate them into any functional cell type. Given the scale of the task, high-throughput screening of agents and culture conditions offers one way to accelerate these studies. The screening of small-compound libraries is particularly amenable to such high-throughput methods. Coupled with high-content screening technology that enables simultaneous assessment of multiple cellular features in an automated and quantitative way, this approach is proving powerful in identifying both small molecules as tools for manipulating stem cell fates and novel mechanisms of differentiation not previously associated with stem cell biology. Such screens performed on human ES cells also demonstrate the usefulness of human ES/iPS cells as cellular models for pharmacological testing of drug efficacy and toxicity, possibly a more imminent use of these cells than in regenerative medicine.

Detection and characterization of side population in Ewing's sarcoma SK-ES-1 cells in vitro

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang, Min; Zhang, Rui; Yan, Ming; Ye, Zhengxu; Liang, Wei; Luo, Zhuojing

2010-01-01

Dye exclusion is a valuable technique to isolate cancer stem cells (CSCs) based on an ability of stem cell to efflux fluorescent DNA-binding dye, especially for tumors without unique surface markers. It has been proven that side population (SP) cells that exclude Hoechst 33342 dye are enriched with stem-like cells in several cancer cell lines. In this study, we isolated and characterized SP cells from human Ewing's sarcoma cell line SK-ES-1 in vitro. SP cells were detected in SK-ES-1 and comprised 1.2% of total cell population. Only SP cells had the capacity to regenerate both SP and non-SP cells. The proliferation rates were similar between SP and non-SP cells. However, the clonogenicity and invasiveness of SP cells were significantly higher than that of non-SP cells. Further characterization of this SP phenotype presented other properties. SP cells exhibited increased multi-drug resistance and the ATP binding cassette protein (ABC) transporters were up-regulated in SP population. These findings suggest that SP cells derived from Ewing's sarcoma play the critical role in tumor metastasis and recurrence and might be an ideal target for clinical therapy.

Xeno-free culture of human pluripotent stem cells on oligopeptide-grafted hydrogels with various molecular designs

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Chen, Yen-Ming; Chen, Li-Hua; Li, Meng-Pei; Li, Hsing-Fen; Higuchi, Akon; Kumar, S. Suresh; Ling, Qing-Dong; Alarfaj, Abdullah A.; Munusamy, Murugan A.; Chang, Yung; Benelli, Giovanni; Murugan, Kadarkarai; Umezawa, Akihiro

2017-01-01

Establishing cultures of human embryonic (ES) and induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells in xeno-free conditions is essential for producing clinical-grade cells. Development of cell culture biomaterials for human ES and iPS cells is critical for this purpose. We designed several structures of oligopeptide-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels with optimal elasticity, and prepared them in formations of single chain, single chain with joint segment, dual chain with joint segment, and branched-type chain. Oligopeptide sequences were selected from integrin- and glycosaminoglycan-binding domains of the extracellular matrix. The hydrogels grafted with vitronectin-derived oligopeptides having a joint segment or a dual chain, which has a storage modulus of 25 kPa, supported the long-term culture of human ES and iPS cells for over 10 passages. The dual chain and/or joint segment with cell adhesion molecules on the hydrogels facilitated the proliferation and pluripotency of human ES and iPS cells. PMID:28332572

Human embryonic stem cell-derived cells rescue visual function in dystrophic RCS rats.

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Lund, Raymond D; Wang, Shaomei; Klimanskaya, Irina; Holmes, Toby; Ramos-Kelsey, Rebeca; Lu, Bin; Girman, Sergej; Bischoff, N; Sauvé, Yves; Lanza, Robert

2006-01-01

Embryonic stem cells promise to provide a well-characterized and reproducible source of replacement tissue for human clinical studies. An early potential application of this technology is the use of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) for the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases such as macular degeneration. Here we show the reproducible generation of RPE (67 passageable cultures established from 18 different hES cell lines); batches of RPE derived from NIH-approved hES cells (H9) were tested and shown capable of extensive photoreceptor rescue in an animal model of retinal disease, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat, in which photoreceptor loss is caused by a defect in the adjacent retinal pigment epithelium. Improvement in visual performance was 100% over untreated controls (spatial acuity was approximately 70% that of normal nondystrophic rats) without evidence of untoward pathology. The use of somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) and/or the creation of banks of reduced complexity human leucocyte antigen (HLA) hES-RPE lines could minimize or eliminate the need for immunosuppressive drugs and/or immunomodulatory protocols.

MODELS FOR MOUSE CHIMERA PRODUCTION: AGGREGATION OF ES CELLS WITH CLEAVAGE STAGE EMBRYOS

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STANCA CLAUDIA

2007-01-01

Full Text Available In a mutant ES cells↔ wild-type embryo chimera, ES cells behave more like epiblastcells. They can contribute to the primitive ectoderm layers, which give rise to all theembryonic tissues and some extraembryonic tissues (Beddington and Robertson,1989, but not to trophectoderm or primitive endoderm. Using transgenic ES celllines, aggregated with cleavage stage host embryo, ES cells can integrate randomlyin the embryo proper. If they will be take part in the formation of ICM (inner cellmass, it will be possible to obtain germline chimera animals. To generate ES cells↔ cleavage stage host embryo chimeras, we used (CD-1 mice as donors of hostembryos as well as recipients of manipulated embryos. For chimera production, weused fluorescent-labeled ES cell line (CD1/EGFP, because in this case we canfollow the fate of ES cells during the embryonic development. We produced thechimers using “aggregation chimera technique”. 8 cells stage zona pellucida free,mouse embryos were aggregated in an aggregation plates, with a clump of ES cells(10 – 15 cells. The chimera embryos were cultivated for 24 hours in the incubator(at 37 °C, 5% CO2 in air. The chimera blastocysts resulted after cultivation, weretransferred to the uterus of the 2.5-dpc pseudo pregnant females.

MODELS FOR MOUSE CHIMERA PRODUCTION: AGGREGATION OF ES CELLS WITH CLEAVAGE STAGE EMBRYOS

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CLAUDIA STANCA

2007-05-01

Full Text Available In a mutant ES cells↔ wild-type embryo chimera, ES cells behave more like epiblastcells. They can contribute to the primitive ectoderm layers, which give rise to all theembryonic tissues and some extraembryonic tissues (Beddington and Robertson,1989, but not to trophectoderm or primitive endoderm. Using transgenic ES celllines, aggregated with cleavage stage host embryo, ES cells can integrate randomlyin the embryo proper. If they will be take part in the formation of ICM (inner cellmass, it will be possible to obtain germline chimera animals. To generate ES cells↔ cleavage stage host embryo chimeras, we used (CD-1 mice as donors of hostembryos as well as recipients of manipulated embryos. For chimera production, weused fluorescent-labeled ES cell line (CD1/EGFP, because in this case we canfollow the fate of ES cells during the embryonic development. We produced thechimers using “aggregation chimera technique”. 8 cells stage zona pellucida free,mouse embryos were aggregated in an aggregation plates, with a clump of ES cells(10 – 15 cells. The chimera embryos were cultivated for 24 hours in the incubator(at 37 °C, 5% CO2 in air. The chimera blastocysts resulted after cultivation, weretransferred to the uterus of the 2.5-dpc pseudo pregnant females.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells on autologous feeders.

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Kazutoshi Takahashi

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: For therapeutic usage of induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS cells, to accomplish xeno-free culture is critical. Previous reports have shown that human embryonic stem (ES cells can be maintained in feeder-free condition. However, absence of feeder cells can be a hostile environment for pluripotent cells and often results in karyotype abnormalities. Instead of animal feeders, human fibroblasts can be used as feeder cells of human ES cells. However, one still has to be concerned about the existence of unidentified pathogens, such as viruses and prions in these non-autologous feeders. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: This report demonstrates that human induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS cells can be established and maintained on isogenic parental feeder cells. We tested four independent human skin fibroblasts for the potential to maintain self-renewal of iPS cells. All the fibroblasts tested, as well as their conditioned medium, were capable of maintaining the undifferentiated state and normal karyotypes of iPS cells. Furthermore, human iPS cells can be generated on isogenic parental fibroblasts as feeders. These iPS cells carried on proliferation over 19 passages with undifferentiated morphologies. They expressed undifferentiated pluripotent cell markers, and could differentiate into all three germ layers via embryoid body and teratoma formation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These results suggest that autologous fibroblasts can be not only a source for iPS cells but also be feeder layers. Our results provide a possibility to solve the dilemma by using isogenic fibroblasts as feeder layers of iPS cells. This is an important step toward the establishment of clinical grade iPS cells.

MicroRNA modulation induced by AICA ribonucleotide in J1 mouse ES cells.

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Xiaoyan Shi

Full Text Available ES cells can propagate indefinitely, maintain self-renewal, and differentiate into almost any cell type of the body. These properties make them valuable in the research of embryonic development, regenerative medicine, and organ transplantation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs are considered to have essential functions in the maintenance and differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ES cells. It was reported that, strong external stimuli, such as a transient low-pH and hypoxia stress, were conducive to the formation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells. AICA ribonucleotide (AICAR is an AMP-activated protein kinase activator, which can let cells in the state of energy stress. We have demonstrated that AICAR can maintain the pluripotency of J1 mouse ES cells through modulating protein expression in our previous research, but its effects on ES cell miRNA expression remain unknown. In this study, we conducted small RNA high-throughput sequencing to investigate AICAR influence on J1 mouse ES cells by comparing the miRNA expression patterns of the AICAR-treated cells and those without treatment. The result showed that AICAR can significantly modulate the expression of multiple miRNAs, including those have crucial functions in ES cell development. Some differentially expressed miRNAs were selected and confirmed by real-time PCR. For the differently expressed miRNAs identified, further study was conducted regarding the pluripotency and differentiation associated miRNAs with their targets. Moreover, miR-134 was significantly down-regulated after AICAR treatment, and this was suggested to be directly associated with the up-regulated pluripotency markers, Nanog and Sox2. Lastly, Myc was significantly down-regulated after AICAR treatment; therefore, we predicted miRNAs that may target Myc and identified that AICAR induced up-regulation of miR-34a, 34b, and 34c can repress Myc expression in J1 mouse ES cells. Taken together, our study provide a new mechanism for

Mouse ES cells have a potential to differentiate into odontoblast-like cells using hanging drop method.

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Kawai, R; Ozeki, N; Yamaguchi, H; Tanaka, T; Nakata, K; Mogi, M; Nakamura, H

2014-05-01

We examined whether mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells can differentiate into odontoblast-like cells without epithelial-mesenchymal interaction. Cells were cultured by the 'hanging drop' method using a collagen type-I scaffold (CS) combined with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-4 (CS/BMP-4). Expression of odontoblast-related mRNA and protein, and cell proliferation were performed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunofluorescence staining and WST-1 assay, respectively. Cells potently expressed odontoblast-related cell marker mRNAs following induction of odontoblastic differentiation. Dentin sialophosphoprotein, a marker of mature odontoblasts, was strongly expressed in differentiated ES cells. The cells also acquired an odontoblast-like functional phenotype, as evidenced by the appearance of alkaline phosphatase activity and calcification. The cell-surface expression of α2, α6, αV and αVβ3 integrin proteins was rapidly upregulated in differentiated cells. Finally, anti-α2 integrin antibody suppressed the expression of odontoblastic markers in cells grown using this culture system, suggesting that α2 integrin expression in ES cells triggers their differentiation into odontoblast-like cells. Mouse ES cells cultured by the 'hanging drop' method are able to differentiate into cells with odontoblast-specific physiological functions and cell-surface integrin protein expression. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Committee on Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, National Research Council

2005-01-01

Since 1998, the volume of research being conducted using human embryonic stem (hES) cells has expanded primarily using private funds because of restrictions on the use of federal funds for such research...

An Abbreviated Protocol for In Vitro Generation of Functional Human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Beta-Like Cells.

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Mohammad Massumi

Full Text Available The ability to yield glucose-responsive pancreatic beta-cells from human pluripotent stem cells in vitro will facilitate the development of the cell replacement therapies for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes. Here, through the sequential in vitro targeting of selected signaling pathways, we have developed an abbreviated five-stage protocol (25-30 days to generate human Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Beta-like Cells (ES-DBCs. We showed that Geltrex, as an extracellular matrix, could support the generation of ES-DBCs more efficiently than that of the previously described culture systems. The activation of FGF and Retinoic Acid along with the inhibition of BMP, SHH and TGF-beta led to the generation of 75% NKX6.1+/NGN3+ Endocrine Progenitors. The inhibition of Notch and tyrosine kinase receptor AXL, and the treatment with Exendin-4 and T3 in the final stage resulted in 35% mono-hormonal insulin positive cells, 1% insulin and glucagon positive cells and 30% insulin and NKX6.1 co-expressing cells. Functionally, ES-DBCs were responsive to high glucose in static incubation and perifusion studies, and could secrete insulin in response to successive glucose stimulations. Mitochondrial metabolic flux analyses using Seahorse demonstrated that the ES-DBCs could efficiently metabolize glucose and generate intracellular signals to trigger insulin secretion. In conclusion, targeting selected signaling pathways for 25-30 days was sufficient to generate ES-DBCs in vitro. The ability of ES-DBCs to secrete insulin in response to glucose renders them a promising model for the in vitro screening of drugs, small molecules or genes that may have potential to influence beta-cell function.

TET2 deficiency inhibits mesoderm and hematopoietic differentiation in human embryonic stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Langlois, Thierry; da Costa Reis Monte Mor, Barbara; Lenglet, Gaëlle

2014-01-01

. Here, we show that TET2 expression is low in human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and increases during hematopoietic differentiation. ShRNA-mediated TET2 knockdown had no effect on the pluripotency of various ES cells. However, it skewed their differentiation into neuroectoderm at the expense...... profile, including abnormal expression of neuronal genes. Intriguingly, when TET2 was knockdown in hematopoietic cells, it increased hematopoietic development. In conclusion, our work suggests that TET2 is involved in different stages of human embryonic development, including induction of the mesoderm...... and hematopoietic differentiation. Stem Cells 2014....

Neural induction from ES cells portrays default commitment but instructive maturation.

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Nibedita Lenka

Full Text Available The neural induction has remained a debatable issue pertaining to whether it is a mere default process or it involves precise instructive cues. We have chosen the embryonic stem (ES cell model to address this issue. In a devised monoculture strategy, the cell-cell interaction availed through optimum cell plating density could define the niche for the attainment of efficient in vitro neurogenesis from the ES cells. The medium plating density was found ideal in generating optimum number of progenitors and also yielded about 80% mature neurons in a serum free culture set up barring any exogenous inducers. We could also demarcate and quantify the neural stem cells/progenitors among the heterogeneous cell population of differentiating ES cells using nestin intron II driven EGFP expression as a tool. The one week post-plating was determined to be the critical time window for optimum neural progenitor generation from ES cells that helped us further in purifying these cells and in demonstrating their proliferation and multipotent differentiation potential. Seeding cells at varying densities, we could decipher an interesting paradoxical scenario that interlinked both commitment and maturation with the initial plating density having a vital influence on neuronal maturation but not specification and the secretory factors were apparently playing a key role during this process. Thus it was comprehended that, the neural specification was a default process independent of exogenous factors and cellular interaction. Conversely, a defined number of cells at the specification stage itself seemed critical to provide an auto-/paracrine means of signaling threshold for the maturation process to materialize.

Signaling hierarchy regulating human endothelial cell development.

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Kelly, Melissa A; Hirschi, Karen K

2009-05-01

Our present knowledge of the regulation of mammalian endothelial cell differentiation has been largely derived from studies of mouse embryonic development. However, unique mechanisms and hierarchy of signals that govern human endothelial cell development are unknown and, thus, explored in these studies. Using human embryonic stem cells as a model system, we were able to reproducibly and robustly generate differentiated endothelial cells via coculture on OP9 marrow stromal cells. We found that, in contrast to studies in the mouse, bFGF and VEGF had no specific effects on the initiation of human vasculogenesis. However, exogenous Ihh promoted endothelial cell differentiation, as evidenced by increased production of cells with cobblestone morphology that coexpress multiple endothelial-specific genes and proteins, form lumens, and exhibit DiI-AcLDL uptake. Inhibition of BMP signaling using Noggin or BMP4, specifically, using neutralizing antibodies suppressed endothelial cell formation; whereas, addition of rhBMP4 to cells treated with the hedgehog inhibitor cyclopamine rescued endothelial cell development. Our studies revealed that Ihh promoted human endothelial cell differentiation from pluripotent hES cells via BMP signaling, providing novel insights applicable to modulating human endothelial cell formation and vascular regeneration for human clinical therapies.

Mouse but not human embryonic stem cells are deficient in rejoining of ionizing radiation-induced DNA double-strand breaks.

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Bañuelos, C A; Banáth, J P; MacPhail, S H; Zhao, J; Eaves, C A; O'Connor, M D; Lansdorp, P M; Olive, P L

2008-09-01

Mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells will give rise to all of the cells of the adult mouse, but they failed to rejoin half of the DNA double-strand breaks (dsb) produced by high doses of ionizing radiation. A deficiency in DNA-PK(cs) appears to be responsible since mES cells expressed strand breaks more rapidly. Consistent with more rapid dsb rejoining, H2AX(-/-) mES cells also expressed 6 times more DNA-PK(cs) than wild-type mES cells. Similar results were obtained for ATM(-/-) mES cells. Differentiation of mES cells led to an increase in DNA-PK(cs), an increase in dsb rejoining rate, and a decrease in Ku70/80. Unlike mouse ES, human ES cells were proficient in rejoining of dsb and expressed high levels of DNA-PK(cs). These results confirm the importance of homologous recombination in the accurate repair of double-strand breaks in mES cells, they help explain the chromosome abnormalities associated with deficiencies in H2AX and ATM, and they add to the growing list of differences in the way rodent and human cells deal with DNA damage.

Cloning mice and ES cells by nuclear transfer from somatic stem cells and fully differentiated cells.

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Wang, Zhongde

2011-01-01

Cloning animals by nuclear transfer (NT) has been successful in several mammalian species. In addition to cloning live animals (reproductive cloning), this technique has also been used in several species to establish cloned embryonic stem (ntES) cell lines from somatic cells. It is the latter application of this technique that has been heralded as being the potential means to produce isogenic embryonic stem cells from patients for cell therapy (therapeutic cloning). These two types of cloning differ only in the steps after cloned embryos are produced: for reproductive cloning the cloned embryos are transferred to surrogate mothers to allow them to develop to full term and for therapeutic cloning the cloned embryos are used to derive ntES cells. In this chapter, a detailed NT protocol in mouse by using somatic stem cells (neuron and skin stem cells) and fully differentiated somatic cells (cumulus cells and fibroblast cells) as nuclear donors is described.

Enhanced transfection efficiency of human embryonic stem cells by the incorporation of DNA liposomes in extracellular matrix.

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Villa-Diaz, Luis G; Garcia-Perez, Jose L; Krebsbach, Paul H

2010-12-01

Because human embryonic stem (hES) cells can differentiate into virtually any cell type in the human body, these cells hold promise for regenerative medicine. The genetic manipulation of hES cells will enhance our understanding of genes involved in early development and will accelerate their potential use and application for regenerative medicine. The objective of this study was to increase the transfection efficiency of plasmid DNA into hES cells by modifying a standard reverse transfection (RT) protocol of lipofection. We hypothesized that immobilization of plasmid DNA in extracellular matrix would be a more efficient method for plasmid transfer due to the affinity of hES cells for substrates such as Matrigel and to the prolonged exposure of cells to plasmid DNA. Our results demonstrate that this modification doubled the transfection efficiency of hES cells and the generation of clonal cell lines containing a piece of foreign DNA stably inserted in their genomes compared to results obtained with standard forward transfection. In addition, treatment with dimethyl sulfoxide further increased the transfection efficiency of hES cells. In conclusion, modifications to the RT protocol of lipofection result in a significant and robust increase in the transfection efficiency of hES cells.

Mapping the stem cell state: eight novel human embryonic stem and embryonal carcinoma cell antibodies

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wright, A; Andrews, N; Bardsley, K

2011-01-01

The antigenic profile of human embryonic stem (ES) and embryonal carcinoma (EC) cells has served as a key element of their characterization, with a common panel of surface and intracellular markers now widely used. Such markers have been used to identify cells within the 'undifferentiated state...... of reactivity for all antibodies against both ES and EC cells, suggesting that these markers will afford recognition of unique sub-states within the undifferentiated stem cell compartment....... and EC cells, and herein describe their characterization. The reactivity of these antibodies against a range of cell lines is reported, as well as their developmental regulation, basic biochemistry and reactivity in immunohistochemistry of testicular germ cell tumours. Our data reveal a range...

Identification of the homing molecules that escort pluripotent stem cells-derived hematopoietic stem cells to their niches and human activated T-cells to inflammatory sites.

KAUST Repository

Ali, Amal

2017-12-01

Hematopoietic cells exploit the multistep paradigm of cell migration to ultimately enable them to perform their function. This process is dictated by the ability of adhesion molecules on the circulating hematopoietic cells to find their counter-receptors on endothelial cells. Of those molecules, the selectin family and their respective ligands induce the initial transient interactions between circulating cells and the opposing endothelium. In this thesis, I focused on studying E-selectin mediated cellular migration in two hematopoietic cell types, namely human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) and human T-lymphocytes. HSPCs derived from pluripotent sources theoretically offers a novel, unlimited source for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation therapy. In vitro pluripotent stem cell derived- hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (ES/iPS-HSPCs) behave much like somatic HSPCs in that they exhibit clonal expansion and multilineage hematopoietic capacity. However, unlike somatic sources, ES/iPS-HSPCs do not give rise to effective hematopoietic repopulation, which may be due to insufficient HSPCs homing to the bone marrow. HSPCs exploit E- and P-selectin to home and engraft into bone marrow niches. Thus, one of my objectives in this thesis was to study the expression of E-selectin ligands associated with ES/iPS-HSPCs. I showed that ES/iPS-HSPCs lack functional E-selectin ligand(s). In an effort to enhance the interaction between Eselectin and ES/iPS-HSPCs, we decorated the cell surface with sialyl-Lewis x (sLex) using the ex-vivo glycan engineering technology. However, this decoration did not improve the engraftment capacity of ES/iPS-HSPCs, in vivo. Induction of E-selectin expression during inflammation is key to recruitment of immune cells and therefore I also focused on analyzing the expression of E-selectin ligands on activated human T-cells. I identified several novel glycoproteins that may function as E-selectin ligands. Specifically, I compared the

Eighteen-Year Cryopreservation Does Not Negatively Affect the Pluripotency of Human Embryos: Evidence from Embryonic Stem Cell Derivation

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Rungsiwiwut, Ruttachuk; Numchaisrika, Pranee; Ahnonkitpanit, Vichuda; Isarasena, Nipan; Virutamasen, Pramuan

2012-01-01

Abstract Human embryonic stem (hES) cells are considered to be a potential source for the therapy of human diseases, drug screening, and the study of developmental biology. In the present study, we successfully derived hES cell lines from blastocysts developed from frozen and fresh embryos. Seventeen- to eighteen-year-old frozen embryos were thawed, cultured to the blastocyst stage, and induced to form hES cells using human foreskin fibroblasts. The Chula2.hES cell line and the Chula4.hES and Chula5.hES cell lines were derived from blastocysts developed from frozen and fresh embryos, respectively. The cell lines expressed pluripotent markers, including alkaline phosphatase (AP), Oct3/4, stage-specific embryonic antigen (SSEA)-4, and tumor recognition antigen (TRA)-1-60 and TRA-1-81 as detected with immunocytochemistry. The real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) results showed that the cell lines expressed pluripotent genes, including OCT3/4, SOX2, NANOG, UTF, LIN28, REX1, NODAL, and E-Cadherin. In addition, the telomerase activities of the cell lines were higher than in the fibroblast cells. Moreover, the cell lines differentiated into all three germ layers both in vitro and in vivo. The cell lines had distinct identities, as revealed with DNA fingerprinting, and maintained their normal karyotype after a long-term culture. This study is the first to report the successful derivation of hES cell lines in Thailand and that frozen embryos maintained their pluripotency similar to fresh embryos, as shown by the success of hES cell derivation, even after years of cryopreservation. Therefore, embryos from prolonged cryopreservation could be an alternative source for embryonic stem cell research. PMID:23514952

Developmental potential of human oocytes reconstructed by transferring somatic cell nuclei into polyspermic zygote cytoplasm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fan, Yong; Chen, Xinjie; Luo, Yumei; Chen, Xiaolin; Li, Shaoying; Huang, Yulin; Sun, Xiaofang

2009-01-01

The generation of patient-specific nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells holds huge promise in modern regenerative medicine and cell-based drug discovery. Since human in vivo matured oocytes are not readily available, human therapeutic cloning is developing slowly. Here, we investigated for the first time whether human polyspermic zygotes could support preimplantation development of cloned embryos. Our results showed that polyspermic zygotes could be used as recipients for human somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The preimplantation developmental potential of SCNT embryos from polyspermic zygotes was limited to the 8-cell stage. Since ES cell lines can be derived from single blastomeres, these results may have important significance for human ES cells derived by SCNT. In addition, confocal images demonstrated that all of the SCNT embryos that failed to cleave showed abnormal microtubule organization. The results of the present study suggest that polyspermic human zygotes could be used as a potential source of recipient cytoplasm for SCNT.

Developmental potential of human oocytes reconstructed by transferring somatic cell nuclei into polyspermic zygote cytoplasm

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fan, Yong; Chen, Xinjie; Luo, Yumei; Chen, Xiaolin; Li, Shaoying; Huang, Yulin [Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Duobao Road 63, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China); Sun, Xiaofang, E-mail: xiaofangsun@hotmail.com [Institute of Gynecology and Obstetrics, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College, Duobao Road 63, Guangzhou, Guangdong (China)

2009-04-24

The generation of patient-specific nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells holds huge promise in modern regenerative medicine and cell-based drug discovery. Since human in vivo matured oocytes are not readily available, human therapeutic cloning is developing slowly. Here, we investigated for the first time whether human polyspermic zygotes could support preimplantation development of cloned embryos. Our results showed that polyspermic zygotes could be used as recipients for human somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). The preimplantation developmental potential of SCNT embryos from polyspermic zygotes was limited to the 8-cell stage. Since ES cell lines can be derived from single blastomeres, these results may have important significance for human ES cells derived by SCNT. In addition, confocal images demonstrated that all of the SCNT embryos that failed to cleave showed abnormal microtubule organization. The results of the present study suggest that polyspermic human zygotes could be used as a potential source of recipient cytoplasm for SCNT.

Human X chromosome inactivation and reactivation: implications for cell reprogramming and disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Cantone, Irene; Fisher, Amanda G

2017-11-05

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an exemplar of epigenetic regulation that is set up as pluripotent cells differentiate. Once established, XCI is stably propagated, but can be reversed in vivo or by pluripotent reprogramming in vitro Although reprogramming provides a useful model for inactive X (Xi) reactivation in mouse, the relative instability and heterogeneity of human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells hampers comparable progress in human. Here we review studies aimed at reactivating the human Xi using different reprogramming strategies. We outline our recent results using mouse ES cells to reprogramme female human fibroblasts by cell-cell fusion. We show that pluripotent reprogramming induces widespread and rapid chromatin remodelling in which the human Xi loses XIST and H3K27m3 enrichment and selected Xi genes become reactivated, ahead of mitotic division. Using RNA sequencing to map the extent of human Xi reactivation, and chromatin-modifying drugs to potentiate reactivation, we outline how this approach could be used to better design strategies to re-express human X-linked loci. As cell fusion induces the expression of human pluripotency genes that represent both the 'primed' and 'naive' states, this approach may also offer a fresh opportunity to segregate human pluripotent states with distinct Xi expression profiles, using single-cell-based approaches.This article is part of the themed issue 'X-chromosome inactivation: a tribute to Mary Lyon'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Human embryonic stem cells handbook

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Carlo Alberto Redi

2013-03-01

Full Text Available After the Nobel prize in physiology or medicine was awarded jointly to Sir John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent it became imperative to write down the review for a book entirely devoted to human embryonic stem cells (hES, those cells that are a urgent need for researchers, those cells that rekindle the ethical debates and finally, last but not least, those cells whose study paved the way to obtain induced pluripotent stem cells by the OSKC’s Yamanaka method (the OSKC acronim refers, for those not familiar with the topic, to the four stemness genes used to transfect somatic fibroblasts: Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-Myc....

DNA damage responses in human induced pluripotent stem cells and embryonic stem cells.

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Olga Momcilovic

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells have the capability to undergo self-renewal and differentiation into all somatic cell types. Since they can be produced through somatic cell reprogramming, which uses a defined set of transcription factors, iPS cells represent important sources of patient-specific cells for clinical applications. However, before these cells can be used in therapeutic designs, it is essential to understand their genetic stability.Here, we describe DNA damage responses in human iPS cells. We observe hypersensitivity to DNA damaging agents resulting in rapid induction of apoptosis after γ-irradiation. Expression of pluripotency factors does not appear to be diminished after irradiation in iPS cells. Following irradiation, iPS cells activate checkpoint signaling, evidenced by phosphorylation of ATM, NBS1, CHEK2, and TP53, localization of ATM to the double strand breaks (DSB, and localization of TP53 to the nucleus of NANOG-positive cells. We demonstrate that iPS cells temporary arrest cell cycle progression in the G(2 phase of the cell cycle, displaying a lack of the G(1/S cell cycle arrest similar to human embryonic stem (ES cells. Furthermore, both cell types remove DSB within six hours of γ-irradiation, form RAD51 foci and exhibit sister chromatid exchanges suggesting homologous recombination repair. Finally, we report elevated expression of genes involved in DNA damage signaling, checkpoint function, and repair of various types of DNA lesions in ES and iPS cells relative to their differentiated counterparts.High degrees of similarity in DNA damage responses between ES and iPS cells were found. Even though reprogramming did not alter checkpoint signaling following DNA damage, dramatic changes in cell cycle structure, including a high percentage of cells in the S phase, increased radiosensitivity and loss of DNA damage-induced G(1/S cell cycle arrest, were observed in stem cells generated by induced pluripotency.

Human BCAS3 expression in embryonic stem cells and vascular precursors suggests a role in human embryogenesis and tumor angiogenesis.

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Kavitha Siva

Full Text Available Cancer is often associated with multiple and progressive genetic alterations in genes that are important for normal development. BCAS3 (Breast Cancer Amplified Sequence 3 is a gene of unknown function on human chromosome 17q23, a region associated with breakpoints of several neoplasms. The normal expression pattern of BCAS3 has not been studied, though it is implicated in breast cancer progression. Rudhira, a murine WD40 domain protein that is 98% identical to BCAS3 is expressed in embryonic stem (ES cells, erythropoiesis and angiogenesis. This suggests that BCAS3 expression also may not be restricted to mammary tissue and may have important roles in other normal as well as malignant tissues. We show that BCAS3 is also expressed in human ES cells and during their differentiation into blood vascular precursors. We find that BCAS3 is aberrantly expressed in malignant human brain lesions. In glioblastoma, hemangiopericytoma and brain abscess we note high levels of BCAS3 expression in tumor cells and some blood vessels. BCAS3 may be associated with multiple cancerous and rapidly proliferating cells and hence the expression, function and regulation of this gene merits further investigation. We suggest that BCAS3 is mis-expressed in brain tumors and could serve as a human ES cell and tumor marker.

In vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells using the hanging drop method.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiang; Yang, Phillip

2008-07-23

Stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types. When a stem cell divides, each new cell has the potential to either remain a stem cell or become another type of cell with a more specialized function, This promising of science is leading scientists to investigate the possibility of cell-based therapies to treat disease. When culture in suspension without antidifferentiation factors, embryonic stem cells spontaneously differentiate and form three-dimensional multicellular aggregates. These cell aggregates are called embryoid bodies(EB). Hanging drop culture is a widely used EB formation induction method. The rounded bottom of hanging drop allows the aggregation of ES cells which can provide mES cells a good environment for forming EBs. The number of ES cells aggregatied in a hanging drop can be controlled by varying the number of cells in the initial cell suspension to be hung as a drop from the lid of Petri dish. Using this method we can reproducibly form homogeneous EBs from a predetermined number of ES cells.

Germline competence of mouse ES and iPS cell lines: Chimera technologies and genetic background.

Science.gov (United States)

Carstea, Ana Claudia; Pirity, Melinda K; Dinnyes, Andras

2009-12-31

In mice, gene targeting by homologous recombination continues to play an essential role in the understanding of functional genomics. This strategy allows precise location of the site of transgene integration and is most commonly used to ablate gene expression ("knock-out"), or to introduce mutant or modified alleles at the locus of interest ("knock-in"). The efficacy of producing live, transgenic mice challenges our understanding of this complex process, and of the factors which influence germline competence of embryonic stem cell lines. Increasingly, evidence indicates that culture conditions and in vitro manipulation can affect the germline-competence of Embryonic Stem cell (ES cell) lines by accumulation of chromosome abnormalities and/or epigenetic alterations of the ES cell genome. The effectiveness of ES cell derivation is greatly strain-dependent and it may also influence the germline transmission capability. Recent technical improvements in the production of germline chimeras have been focused on means of generating ES cells lines with a higher germline potential. There are a number of options for generating chimeras from ES cells (ES chimera mice); however, each method has its advantages and disadvantages. Recent developments in induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology have opened new avenues for generation of animals from genetically modified somatic cells by means of chimera technologies. The aim of this review is to give a brief account of how the factors mentioned above are influencing the germline transmission capacity and the developmental potential of mouse pluripotent stem cell lines. The most recent methods for generating specifically ES and iPS chimera mice, including the advantages and disadvantages of each method are also discussed.

Systematically profiling and annotating long intergenic non-coding RNAs in human embryonic stem cell.

Science.gov (United States)

Tang, Xing; Hou, Mei; Ding, Yang; Li, Zhaohui; Ren, Lichen; Gao, Ge

2013-01-01

While more and more long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) were identified to take important roles in both maintaining pluripotency and regulating differentiation, how these lincRNAs may define and drive cell fate decisions on a global scale are still mostly elusive. Systematical profiling and comprehensive annotation of embryonic stem cells lincRNAs may not only bring a clearer big picture of these novel regulators but also shed light on their functionalities. Based on multiple RNA-Seq datasets, we systematically identified 300 human embryonic stem cell lincRNAs (hES lincRNAs). Of which, one forth (78 out of 300) hES lincRNAs were further identified to be biasedly expressed in human ES cells. Functional analysis showed that they were preferentially involved in several early-development related biological processes. Comparative genomics analysis further suggested that around half of the identified hES lincRNAs were conserved in mouse. To facilitate further investigation of these hES lincRNAs, we constructed an online portal for biologists to access all their sequences and annotations interactively. In addition to navigation through a genome browse interface, users can also locate lincRNAs through an advanced query interface based on both keywords and expression profiles, and analyze results through multiple tools. By integrating multiple RNA-Seq datasets, we systematically characterized and annotated 300 hES lincRNAs. A full functional web portal is available freely at http://scbrowse.cbi.pku.edu.cn. As the first global profiling and annotating of human embryonic stem cell lincRNAs, this work aims to provide a valuable resource for both experimental biologists and bioinformaticians.

Mast Cell Subsets and Their Functional Modulation by the Acanthocheilonema viteae Product ES-62

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Dimity H. Ball

2013-01-01

Full Text Available ES-62, an immunomodulator secreted by filarial nematodes, exhibits therapeutic potential in mouse models of allergic inflammation, at least in part by inducing the desensitisation of FcεRI-mediated mast cell responses. However, in addition to their pathogenic roles in allergic and autoimmune diseases, mast cells are important in fighting infection, wound healing, and resolving inflammation, reflecting that mast cells exhibit a phenotypic and functional plasticity. We have therefore characterised the differential functional responses to antigen (via FcεRI and LPS and their modulation by ES-62 of the mature peritoneal-derived mast cells (PDMC; serosal and those of the connective tissue-like mast cells (CTMC and the mucosal-like mast cells derived from bone marrow progenitors (BMMC as a first step to produce disease tissue-targeted therapeutics based on ES-62 action. All three mast cell populations were rendered hyporesponsive by ES-62 and whilst the mechanisms underlying such desensitisation have not been fully delineated, they reflect a downregulation of calcium and PKCα signalling. ES-62 also downregulated MyD88 and PKCδ in mucosal-type BMMC but not PDMC, the additional signals targeted in mucosal-type BMMC likely reflecting that these cells respond to antigen and LPS by degranulation and cytokine secretion whereas PDMC predominantly respond in a degranulation-based manner.

Notch signaling activation in human embryonic stem cells is required for embryonic but not trophoblastic lineage commitment

OpenAIRE

Yu, Xiaobing; Zou, Jizhong; Ye, Zhaohui; Hammond, Holly; Chen, Guibin; Tokunaga, Akinori; Mali, Prashant; Li, Yue-Ming; Civin, Curt; Gaiano, Nicholas; Cheng, Linzhao

2008-01-01

The Notch signaling pathway plays important roles in cell fate determination during embryonic development and adult life. In this study, we focus on the role of Notch signaling in governing cell fate choices in human embryonic stem (hES) cells. Using genetic and pharmacological approaches, we achieved both blockade and conditional activation of Notch signaling in several hES cell lines. We report here that activation of Notch signaling is required for undifferentiated hES cells to form the pr...

The role of NF-κB signaling in the maintenance of pluripotency of human induced pluripotent stem cells.

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Osamu Takase

Full Text Available NF-κB signaling plays an essential role in maintaining the undifferentiated state of embryonic stem (ES cells. However, opposing roles of NF-κB have been reported in mouse and human ES cells, and the role of NF-κB in human induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells has not yet been clarified. Here, we report the role of NF-κB signaling in maintaining the undifferentiated state of human iPS cells. Compared with differentiated cells, undifferentiated human iPS cells showed an augmentation of NF-κB activity. During differentiation induced by the removal of feeder cells and FGF2, we observed a reduction in NF-κB activity, the expression of the undifferentiation markers Oct3/4 and Nanog, and the up-regulation of the differentiated markers WT-1 and Pax-2. The specific knockdown of NF-κB signaling using p65 siRNA also reduced the expression of Oct3/4 and Nanog and up-regulated WT-1 and Pax-2 but did not change the ES-like colony formation. Our results show that the augmentation of NF-κB signaling maintains the undifferentiated state of human iPS and suggest the importance of this signaling pathway in maintenance of human iPS cells.

Transposon-mediated BAC transgenesis in human ES cells

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Rostovskaya, Maria; Fu, Jun; Obst, Mandy; Baer, Isabell; Weidlich, Stefanie; Wang, Hailong; Smith, Andrew J. H.; Anastassiadis, Konstantinos; Stewart, A. Francis

2012-01-01

Transgenesis is a cornerstone of molecular biology. The ability to integrate a specifically engineered piece of DNA into the genome of a living system is fundamental to our efforts to understand life and exploit its implications for medicine, nanotechnology and bioprospecting. However, transgenesis has been hampered by position effects and multi-copy integration problems, which are mainly due to the use of small, plasmid-based transgenes. Large transgenes based on native genomic regions cloned into bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) circumvent these problems but are prone to fragmentation. Herein, we report that contrary to widely held notions, large BAC-sized constructs do not prohibit transposition. We also report the first reliable method for BAC transgenesis in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The PiggyBac or Sleeping Beauty transposon inverted repeats were integrated into BAC vectors by recombineering, followed by co-lipofection with the corresponding transposase in hESCs to generate robust fluorescent protein reporter lines for OCT4, NANOG, GATA4 and PAX6. BAC transposition delivers several advantages, including increased frequencies of single-copy, full-length integration, which will be useful in all transgenic systems but especially in difficult venues like hESCs. PMID:22753106

Parg deficiency confers radio-sensitization through enhanced cell death in mouse ES cells exposed to various forms of ionizing radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shirai, Hidenori; Fujimori, Hiroaki [Division of Genome Stability Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Gunji, Akemi [Biochemistry Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Maeda, Daisuke [Biochemistry Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); ADP-Ribosylation in Oncology Project, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Hirai, Takahisa [Division of Genome Stability Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Department of Radiation Oncology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Poetsch, Anna R. [ADP-Ribosylation in Oncology Project, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Harada, Hiromi [Division of Genome Stability Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Yoshida, Tomoko [Biochemistry Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Kyoritsu College of Pharmacy, 1-5-30 Shibakoen, Minatoku, Tokyo 105-8512 (Japan); Sasai, Keisuke [Department of Radiation Oncology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421 (Japan); Okayasu, Ryuichi [International Open Laboratory, National Institute of Radiological Science, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Masutani, Mitsuko, E-mail: mmasutan@ncc.go.jp [Division of Genome Stability Research, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); Biochemistry Division, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan); ADP-Ribosylation in Oncology Project, National Cancer Center Research Institute, 5-1-1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0045 (Japan)

2013-05-24

Highlights: •Parg{sup −/−} ES cells were more sensitive to γ-irradiation than Parp-1{sup −/−} ES cells. •Parg{sup −/−} cells were more sensitive to carbon-ion irradiation than Parp-1{sup −/−} cells. •Parg{sup −/−} cells showed defects in DSB repair after carbon-ion irradiation. •PAR accumulation was enhanced after carbon-ion irradiation compared to γ-irradiation. -- Abstract: Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (Parg) is the main enzyme involved in poly(ADP-ribose) degradation. Here, the effects of Parg deficiency on sensitivity to low and high linear-energy-transfer (LET) radiation were investigated in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Mouse Parg{sup −/−} and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 deficient (Parp-1{sup −/−}) ES cells were used and responses to low and high LET radiation were assessed by clonogenic survival and biochemical and biological analysis methods. Parg{sup −/−} cells were more sensitive to γ-irradiation than Parp-1{sup −/−} cells. Transient accumulation of poly(ADP-ribose) was enhanced in Parg{sup −/−} cells. Augmented levels of phosphorylated H2AX (γ-H2AX) from early phase were observed in Parg{sup −/−} ES cells. The induction level of p53 phophorylation at ser18 was similar in wild-type and Parp-1{sup −/−} cells and apoptotic cell death process was mainly observed in the both genotypes. These results suggested that the enhanced sensitivity of Parg{sup −/−} ES cells to γ-irradiation involved defective repair of DNA double strand breaks. The effects of Parg and Parp-1 deficiency on the ES cell response to carbon-ion irradiation (LET13 and 70 keV/μm) and Fe-ion irradiation (200 keV/μm) were also examined. Parg{sup −/−} cells were more sensitive to LET 70 keV/μm carbon-ion irradiation than Parp-1{sup −/−} cells. Enhanced apoptotic cell death also accompanied augmented levels of γ-H2AX in a biphasic manner peaked at 1 and 24 h. The induction level of p53 phophorylation at ser18 was

Parg deficiency confers radio-sensitization through enhanced cell death in mouse ES cells exposed to various forms of ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirai, Hidenori; Fujimori, Hiroaki; Gunji, Akemi; Maeda, Daisuke; Hirai, Takahisa; Poetsch, Anna R.; Harada, Hiromi; Yoshida, Tomoko; Sasai, Keisuke; Okayasu, Ryuichi; Masutani, Mitsuko

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Parg −/− ES cells were more sensitive to γ-irradiation than Parp-1 −/− ES cells. •Parg −/− cells were more sensitive to carbon-ion irradiation than Parp-1 −/− cells. •Parg −/− cells showed defects in DSB repair after carbon-ion irradiation. •PAR accumulation was enhanced after carbon-ion irradiation compared to γ-irradiation. -- Abstract: Poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (Parg) is the main enzyme involved in poly(ADP-ribose) degradation. Here, the effects of Parg deficiency on sensitivity to low and high linear-energy-transfer (LET) radiation were investigated in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Mouse Parg −/− and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 deficient (Parp-1 −/− ) ES cells were used and responses to low and high LET radiation were assessed by clonogenic survival and biochemical and biological analysis methods. Parg −/− cells were more sensitive to γ-irradiation than Parp-1 −/− cells. Transient accumulation of poly(ADP-ribose) was enhanced in Parg −/− cells. Augmented levels of phosphorylated H2AX (γ-H2AX) from early phase were observed in Parg −/− ES cells. The induction level of p53 phophorylation at ser18 was similar in wild-type and Parp-1 −/− cells and apoptotic cell death process was mainly observed in the both genotypes. These results suggested that the enhanced sensitivity of Parg −/− ES cells to γ-irradiation involved defective repair of DNA double strand breaks. The effects of Parg and Parp-1 deficiency on the ES cell response to carbon-ion irradiation (LET13 and 70 keV/μm) and Fe-ion irradiation (200 keV/μm) were also examined. Parg −/− cells were more sensitive to LET 70 keV/μm carbon-ion irradiation than Parp-1 −/− cells. Enhanced apoptotic cell death also accompanied augmented levels of γ-H2AX in a biphasic manner peaked at 1 and 24 h. The induction level of p53 phophorylation at ser18 was not different between wild-type and Parg −/− cells. The augmented

Direct contact with endoderm-like cells efficiently induces cardiac progenitors from mouse and human pluripotent stem cells.

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Hideki Uosaki

Full Text Available RATIONALE: Pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs have emerged as a powerful tool to study cardiogenesis in vitro and a potential cell source for cardiac regenerative medicine. However, available methods to induce CPCs are not efficient or require high-cost cytokines with extensive optimization due to cell line variations. OBJECTIVE: Based on our in-vivo observation that early endodermal cells maintain contact with nascent pre-cardiac mesoderm, we hypothesized that direct physical contact with endoderm promotes induction of CPCs from pluripotent cells. METHOD AND RESULT: To test the hypothesis, we cocultured mouse embryonic stem (ES cells with the endodermal cell line End2 by co-aggregation or End2-conditioned medium. Co-aggregation resulted in strong induction of Flk1(+ PDGFRa(+ CPCs in a dose-dependent manner, but the conditioned medium did not, indicating that direct contact is necessary for this process. To determine if direct contact with End2 cells also promotes the induction of committed cardiac progenitors, we utilized several mouse ES and induced pluripotent (iPS cell lines expressing fluorescent proteins under regulation of the CPC lineage markers Nkx2.5 or Isl1. In agreement with earlier data, co-aggregation with End2 cells potently induces both Nkx2.5(+ and Isl1(+ CPCs, leading to a sheet of beating cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, co-aggregation with End2 cells greatly promotes the induction of KDR(+ PDGFRa(+ CPCs from human ES cells. CONCLUSIONS: Our co-aggregation method provides an efficient, simple and cost-effective way to induce CPCs from mouse and human pluripotent cells.

Production of cloned mice and ES cells from adult somatic cells by nuclear transfer: how to improve cloning efficiency?

Science.gov (United States)

Wakayama, Teruhiko

2007-02-01

Although it has now been 10 years since the first cloned mammals were generated from somatic cells using nuclear transfer (NT), most cloned embryos usually undergo developmental arrest prior to or soon after implantation, and the success rate for producing live offspring by cloning remains below 5%. The low success rate is believed to be associated with epigenetic errors, including abnormal DNA hypermethylation, but the mechanism of "reprogramming" is unclear. We have been able to develop a stable NT method in the mouse in which donor nuclei are directly injected into the oocyte using a piezo-actuated micromanipulator. Especially in the mouse, only a few laboratories can make clones from adult somatic cells, and cloned mice are never successfully produced from most mouse strains. However, this technique promises to be an important tool for future research in basic biology. For example, NT can be used to generate embryonic stem (NT-ES) cell lines from a patient's own somatic cells. We have shown that NT-ES cells are equivalent to ES cells derived from fertilized embryos and that they can be generated relatively easily from a variety of mouse genotypes and cell types of both sexes, even though it may be more difficult to generate clones directly. In general, NT-ES cell techniques are expected to be applied to regenerative medicine; however, this technique can also be applied to the preservation of genetic resources of mouse strain instead of embryos, oocytes and spermatozoa. This review describes how to improve cloning efficiency and NT-ES cell establishment and further applications.

Yap1 is dispensable for self-renewal but required for proper differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells.

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Chung, HaeWon; Lee, Bum-Kyu; Uprety, Nadima; Shen, Wenwen; Lee, Jiwoon; Kim, Jonghwan

2016-04-01

Yap1 is a transcriptional co-activator of the Hippo pathway. The importance of Yap1 in early cell fate decision during embryogenesis has been well established, though its role in embryonic stem (ES) cells remains elusive. Here, we report that Yap1 plays crucial roles in normal differentiation rather than self-renewal of ES cells. Yap1-depleted ES cells maintain undifferentiated state with a typical colony morphology as well as robust alkaline phosphatase activity. These cells also retain comparable levels of the core pluripotent factors, such as Pou5f1 and Sox2, to the levels in wild-type ES cells without significant alteration of lineage-specific marker genes. Conversely, overexpression of Yap1 in ES cells promotes nuclear translocation of Yap1, resulting in disruption of self-renewal and triggering differentiation by up-regulating lineage-specific genes. Moreover, Yap1-deficient ES cells show impaired induction of lineage markers during differentiation. Collectively, our data demonstrate that Yap1 is a required factor for proper differentiation of mouse ES cells, while remaining dispensable for self-renewal. © 2016 The Authors.

Evaluation of ES-derived neural progenitors as a potential source for cell replacement therapy in the gut

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Sasselli Valentina

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Stem cell-based therapy has recently been explored for the treatment of disorders of the enteric nervous system (ENS. Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES cells represent an attractive cell source; however, little or no information is currently available on how ES cells will respond to the gut environment. In this study, we investigated the ability of ES cells to respond to environmental cues derived from the ENS and related tissues, both in vitro and in vivo. Methods Neurospheres were generated from mouse ES cells (ES-NS and co-cultured with organotypic preparations of gut tissue consisting of the longitudinal muscle layers with the adherent myenteric plexus (LM-MP. Results LM-MP co-culture led to a significant increase in the expression of pan-neuronal markers (βIII-tubulin, PGP 9.5 as well as more specialized markers (peripherin, nNOS in ES-NS, both at the transcriptional and protein level. The increased expression was not associated with increased proliferation, thus confirming a true neurogenic effect. LM-MP preparations exerted also a myogenic effect on ES-NS, although to a lesser extent. After transplantation in vivo into the mouse pylorus, grafted ES-NS failed to acquire a distinct phenotype al least 1 week following transplantation. Conclusions This is the first study reporting that the gut explants can induce neuronal differentiation of ES cells in vitro and induce the expression of nNOS, a key molecule in gastrointestinal motility regulation. The inability of ES-NS to adopt a neuronal phenotype after transplantation in the gastrointestinal tract is suggestive of the presence of local inhibitory influences that prevent ES-NS differentiation in vivo.

Magnetic cell sorting purification of differentiated embryonic stem cells stably expressing truncated human CD4 as surface marker.

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David, Robert; Groebner, Michael; Franz, Wolfgang-Michael

2005-04-01

Embryonic stem (ES) cells offer great potential in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Clinical applications are still hampered by the lack of protocols for gentle, high-yield isolation of specific cell types for transplantation expressing no immunogenic markers. We describe labeling of stably transfected ES cells expressing a human CD4 molecule lacking its intracellular domain (DeltaCD4) under control of the phosphoglycerate kinase promoter for magnetic cell sorting (MACS). To track the labeled ES cells, we fused DeltaCD4 to an intracellular enhanced green fluorescent protein domain (DeltaCD4EGFP). We showed functionality of the membrane-bound fluorescent fusion protein and its suitability for MACS leading to purities greater than 97%. Likewise, expression of DeltaCD4 yielded up to 98.5% positive cells independently of their differentiation state. Purities were not limited by the initial percentage of DeltaCD4(+) cells, ranging from 0.6%-16%. The viability of MACS-selected cells was demonstrated by reaggregation and de novo formation of embryoid bodies developing all three germ layers. Thus, expression of DeltaCD4 in differentiated ES cells may enable rapid, high-yield purification of a desired cell type for tissue engineering and transplantation studies.

Genome-wide identification of microRNA targets in human ES cells reveals a role for miR-302 in modulating BMP response

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Lipchina, Inna; Elkabetz, Yechiel; Hafner, Markus; Sheridan, Robert; Mihailovic, Aleksandra; Tuschl, Thomas; Sander, Chris; Studer, Lorenz; Betel, Doron

2011-01-01

MicroRNAs are important regulators in many cellular processes, including stem cell self-renewal. Recent studies demonstrated their function as pluripotency factors with the capacity for somatic cell reprogramming. However, their role in human embryonic stem (ES) cells (hESCs) remains poorly understood, partially due to the lack of genome-wide strategies to identify their targets. Here, we performed comprehensive microRNA profiling in hESCs and in purified neural and mesenchymal derivatives. Using a combination of AGO cross-linking and microRNA perturbation experiments, together with computational prediction, we identified the targets of the miR-302/367 cluster, the most abundant microRNAs in hESCs. Functional studies identified novel roles of miR-302/367 in maintaining pluripotency and regulating hESC differentiation. We show that in addition to its role in TGF-β signaling, miR-302/367 promotes bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling by targeting BMP inhibitors TOB2, DAZAP2, and SLAIN1. This study broadens our understanding of microRNA function in hESCs and is a valuable resource for future studies in this area. PMID:22012620

The loss-of-allele assay for ES cell screening and mouse genotyping.

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Frendewey, David; Chernomorsky, Rostislav; Esau, Lakeisha; Om, Jinsop; Xue, Yingzi; Murphy, Andrew J; Yancopoulos, George D; Valenzuela, David M

2010-01-01

(qPCR) as our method of allele quantification, but any method that can reliably distinguish the difference between one and two copies of the target gene can be used to develop an LOA assay. We have designed qPCR LOA assays for deletions, insertions, point mutations, domain swaps, conditional, and humanized alleles and have used the insert assays to quantify the copy number of random insertion BAC transgenics. Because of its quantitative precision, specificity, and compatibility with high throughput robotic operations, the LOA assay eliminates bottlenecks in ES cell screening and mouse genotyping and facilitates maximal speed and throughput for knockout mouse production. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Three-dimensional epithelial tissues generated from human embryonic stem cells.

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Hewitt, Kyle J; Shamis, Yulia; Carlson, Mark W; Aberdam, Edith; Aberdam, Daniel; Garlick, Jonathan A

2009-11-01

The use of pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES) cells for tissue engineering may provide advantages over traditional sources of progenitor cells because of their ability to give rise to multiple cell types and their unlimited expansion potential. We derived cell populations with properties of ectodermal and mesenchymal cells in two-dimensional culture and incorporated these divergent cell populations into three-dimensional (3D) epithelial tissues. When grown in specific media and substrate conditions, two-dimensional cultures were enriched in cells (EDK1) with mesenchymal morphology and surface markers. Cells with a distinct epithelial morphology (HDE1) that expressed cytokeratin 12 and beta-catenin at cell junctions became the predominant cell type when EDK1 were grown on surfaces enriched in keratinocyte-derived extracellular matrix proteins. When these cells were incorporated into the stromal and epithelial tissue compartments of 3D tissues, they generated multilayer epithelia similar to those generated with foreskin-derived epithelium and fibroblasts. Three-dimensional tissues demonstrated stromal cells with morphologic features of mature fibroblasts, type IV collagen deposition in the basement membrane, and a stratified epithelium that expressed cytokeratin 12. By deriving two distinct cell lineages from a common hES cell source to fabricate complex tissues, it is possible to explore environmental cues that will direct hES-derived cells toward optimal tissue form and function.

New Monoclonal Antibodies to Defined Cell Surface Proteins on Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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O'Brien, Carmel M; Chy, Hun S; Zhou, Qi; Blumenfeld, Shiri; Lambshead, Jack W; Liu, Xiaodong; Kie, Joshua; Capaldo, Bianca D; Chung, Tung-Liang; Adams, Timothy E; Phan, Tram; Bentley, John D; McKinstry, William J; Oliva, Karen; McMurrick, Paul J; Wang, Yu-Chieh; Rossello, Fernando J; Lindeman, Geoffrey J; Chen, Di; Jarde, Thierry; Clark, Amander T; Abud, Helen E; Visvader, Jane E; Nefzger, Christian M; Polo, Jose M; Loring, Jeanne F; Laslett, Andrew L

2017-03-01

The study and application of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) will be enhanced by the availability of well-characterized monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) detecting cell-surface epitopes. Here, we report generation of seven new mAbs that detect cell surface proteins present on live and fixed human ES cells (hESCs) and human iPS cells (hiPSCs), confirming our previous prediction that these proteins were present on the cell surface of hPSCs. The mAbs all show a high correlation with POU5F1 (OCT4) expression and other hPSC surface markers (TRA-160 and SSEA-4) in hPSC cultures and detect rare OCT4 positive cells in differentiated cell cultures. These mAbs are immunoreactive to cell surface protein epitopes on both primed and naive state hPSCs, providing useful research tools to investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying human pluripotency and states of cellular reprogramming. In addition, we report that subsets of the seven new mAbs are also immunoreactive to human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), normal human breast subsets and both normal and tumorigenic colorectal cell populations. The mAbs reported here should accelerate the investigation of the nature of pluripotency, and enable development of robust cell separation and tracing technologies to enrich or deplete for hPSCs and other human stem and somatic cell types. Stem Cells 2017;35:626-640. © 2016 The Authors Stem Cells published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AlphaMed Press.

Systematic identification of cis-regulatory sequences active in mouse and human embryonic stem cells.

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Marica Grskovic

2007-08-01

Full Text Available Understanding the transcriptional regulation of pluripotent cells is of fundamental interest and will greatly inform efforts aimed at directing differentiation of embryonic stem (ES cells or reprogramming somatic cells. We first analyzed the transcriptional profiles of mouse ES cells and primordial germ cells and identified genes upregulated in pluripotent cells both in vitro and in vivo. These genes are enriched for roles in transcription, chromatin remodeling, cell cycle, and DNA repair. We developed a novel computational algorithm, CompMoby, which combines analyses of sequences both aligned and non-aligned between different genomes with a probabilistic segmentation model to systematically predict short DNA motifs that regulate gene expression. CompMoby was used to identify conserved overrepresented motifs in genes upregulated in pluripotent cells. We show that the motifs are preferentially active in undifferentiated mouse ES and embryonic germ cells in a sequence-specific manner, and that they can act as enhancers in the context of an endogenous promoter. Importantly, the activity of the motifs is conserved in human ES cells. We further show that the transcription factor NF-Y specifically binds to one of the motifs, is differentially expressed during ES cell differentiation, and is required for ES cell proliferation. This study provides novel insights into the transcriptional regulatory networks of pluripotent cells. Our results suggest that this systematic approach can be broadly applied to understanding transcriptional networks in mammalian species.

Highly dynamic and sex-specific expression of microRNAs during early ES cell differentiation.

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Constance Ciaudo

2009-08-01

Full Text Available Embryonic stem (ES cells are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the mammalian blastocyst. Cellular differentiation entails loss of pluripotency and gain of lineage-specific characteristics. However, the molecular controls that govern the differentiation process remain poorly understood. We have characterized small RNA expression profiles in differentiating ES cells as a model for early mammalian development. High-throughput 454 pyro-sequencing was performed on 19-30 nt RNAs isolated from undifferentiated male and female ES cells, as well as day 2 and 5 differentiating derivatives. A discrete subset of microRNAs (miRNAs largely dominated the small RNA repertoire, and the dynamics of their accumulation could be readily used to discriminate pluripotency from early differentiation events. Unsupervised partitioning around meloids (PAM analysis revealed that differentiating ES cell miRNAs can be divided into three expression clusters with highly contrasted accumulation patterns. PAM analysis afforded an unprecedented level of definition in the temporal fluctuations of individual members of several miRNA genomic clusters. Notably, this unravelled highly complex post-transcriptional regulations of the key pluripotency miR-290 locus, and helped identify miR-293 as a clear outlier within this cluster. Accordingly, the miR-293 seed sequence and its predicted cellular targets differed drastically from those of the other abundant cluster members, suggesting that previous conclusions drawn from whole miR-290 over-expression need to be reconsidered. Our analysis in ES cells also uncovered a striking male-specific enrichment of the miR-302 family, which share the same seed sequence with most miR-290 family members. Accordingly, a miR-302 representative was strongly enriched in embryonic germ cells derived from primordial germ cells of male but not female mouse embryos. Identifying the chromatin remodelling and E2F-dependent transcription

Intraocular Injection of ES Cell-Derived Neural Progenitors Improve Visual Function in Retinal Ganglion Cell-Depleted Mouse Models

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Mundackal S. Divya

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Retinal ganglion cell (RGC transplantation is a promising strategy to restore visual function resulting from irreversible RGC degeneration occurring in glaucoma or inherited optic neuropathies. We previously demonstrated FGF2 induced differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC to RGC lineage, capable of retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL integration upon transplantation. Here, we evaluated possible improvement of visual function by transplantation of ES cell derived neural progenitors in RGC depleted glaucoma mice models. ESC derived neural progenitors (ES-NP were transplanted into N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA injected, RGC-ablated mouse models and a pre-clinical glaucoma mouse model (DBA/2J having sustained higher intra ocular pressure (IOP. Visual acuity and functional integration was evaluated by behavioral experiments and immunohistochemistry, respectively. GFP-expressing ES-NPs transplanted in NMDA-injected RGC-depleted mice differentiated into RGC lineage and possibly integrating into GCL. An improvement in visual acuity was observed after 2 months of transplantation, when compared to the pre-transplantation values. Expression of c-Fos in the transplanted cells, upon light induction, further suggests functional integration into the host retinal circuitry. However, the transplanted cells did not send axonal projections into optic nerve. Transplantation experiments in DBA/2J mouse showed no significant improvement in visual functions, possibly due to both host and transplanted retinal cell death which could be due to an inherent high IOP. We showed that, ES NPs transplanted into the retina of RGC-ablated mouse models could survive, differentiate to RGC lineage, and possibly integrate into GCL to improve visual function. However, for the survival of transplanted cells in glaucoma, strategies to control the IOP are warranted.

Progress report - fuel cell system of the L2ES 2000-2004; Rapport d'activites - systeme pile a combustible du L2ES 2000-2004

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-07-01

Fuel cell activities started in L2ES in 2000. Among all the definitions of the fuel cell system, the laboratory considers as the fuel cell generator, the stack, the ancillaries (air and hydrogen or more generally fuel supply, valves, humidifier or gas treatment, cooling), power electronics, buffer storage and control. The research topics at L2ES are: - fuel cell system modelling - fuel cell system architecture and its optimization - diagnosis and life time. All these topics are described into details. The perspectives and prospects of the laboratory at middle term are specified. (O.M.)

One-step derivation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells on a fibrillar collagen coating.

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Yongxing Liu

Full Text Available Controlled differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs into cells that resemble adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs is an attractive approach to obtain a readily available source of progenitor cells for tissue engineering. The present study reports a new method to rapidly derive MSC-like cells from hESCs and hiPSCs, in one step, based on culturing the cells on thin, fibrillar, type I collagen coatings that mimic the structure of physiological collagen. Human H9 ESCs and HDFa-YK26 iPSCs were singly dissociated in the presence of ROCK inhibitor Y-27632, plated onto fibrillar collagen coated plates and cultured in alpha minimum essential medium (alpha-MEM supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 50 uM magnesium L-ascorbic acid phosphate and 100 nM dexamethasone. While fewer cells attached on the collagen surface initially than standard tissue culture plastic, after culturing for 10 days, resilient colonies of homogenous spindle-shaped cells were obtained. Flow cytometric analysis showed that a high percentage of the derived cells expressed typical MSC surface markers including CD73, CD90, CD105, CD146 and CD166 and were negative as expected for hematopoietic markers CD34 and CD45. The MSC-like cells derived from pluripotent cells were successfully differentiated in vitro into three different lineages: osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic. Both H9 hES and YK26 iPS cells displayed similar morphological changes during the derivation process and yielded MSC-like cells with similar properties. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that bioimimetic, fibrillar, type I collagen coatings applied to cell culture plates can be used to guide a rapid, efficient derivation of MSC-like cells from both human ES and iPS cells.

Completely ES cell-derived mice produced by tetraploid complementation using inner cell mass (ICM deficient blastocysts.

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Duancheng Wen

Full Text Available Tetraploid complementation is often used to produce mice from embryonic stem cells (ESCs by injection of diploid (2n ESCs into tetraploid (4n blastocysts (ESC-derived mice. This method has also been adapted to mouse cloning and the derivation of mice from induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells. However, the underlying mechanism(s of the tetraploid complementation remains largely unclear. Whether this approach can give rise to completely ES cell-derived mice is an open question, and has not yet been unambiguously proven. Here, we show that mouse tetraploid blastocysts can be classified into two groups, according to the presence or absence of an inner cell mass (ICM. We designate these as type a (presence of ICM at blastocyst stage or type b (absence of ICM. ESC lines were readily derived from type a blastocysts, suggesting that these embryos retain a pluripotent epiblast compartment; whereas the type b blastocysts possessed very low potential to give rise to ESC lines, suggesting that they had lost the pluripotent epiblast. When the type a blastocysts were used for tetraploid complementation, some of the resulting mice were found to be 2n/4n chimeric; whereas when type b blastocysts were used as hosts, the resulting mice are all completely ES cell-derived, with the newborn pups displaying a high frequency of abdominal hernias. Our results demonstrate that completely ES cell-derived mice can be produced using ICM-deficient 4n blastocysts, and provide evidence that the exclusion of tetraploid cells from the fetus in 2n/4n chimeras can largely be attributed to the formation of ICM-deficient blastocysts.

Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells into Dopaminergic Neuron-like Cells in Vitro.

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Chun, So Young; Soker, Shay; Jang, Yu-Jin; Kwon, Tae Gyun; Yoo, Eun Sang

2016-02-01

We investigated the potential of human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) to differentiate into dopaminergic neurons in vitro as an autologous stem cell source for Parkinson's disease treatment. The hDPSCs were expanded in knockout-embryonic stem cell (KO-ES) medium containing leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) on gelatin-coated plates for 3-4 days. Then, the medium was replaced with KO-ES medium without LIF to allow the formation of the neurosphere for 4 days. The neurosphere was transferred into ITS medium, containing ITS (human insulin-transferrin-sodium) and fibronectin, to select for Nestin-positive cells for 6-8 days. The cells were then cultured in N-2 medium containing basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), FGF-8b, sonic hedgehog-N, and ascorbic acid on poly-l-ornithine/fibronectin-coated plates to expand the Nestin-positive cells for up to 2 weeks. Finally, the cells were transferred into N-2/ascorbic acid medium to allow for their differentiation into dopaminergic neurons for 10-15 days. The differentiation stages were confirmed by morphological, immunocytochemical, flow cytometric, real-time PCR, and ELISA analyses. The expressions of mesenchymal stem cell markers were observed at the early stages. The expressions of early neuronal markers were maintained throughout the differentiation stages. The mature neural markers showed increased expression from stage 3 onwards. The percentage of cells positive for tyrosine hydroxylase was 14.49%, and the amount was 0.526 ± 0.033 ng/mL at the last stage. hDPSCs can differentiate into dopaminergic neural cells under experimental cell differentiation conditions, showing potential as an autologous cell source for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Rigid microenvironments promote cardiac differentiation of mouse and human embryonic stem cells

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Arshi, Armin; Nakashima, Yasuhiro; Nakano, Haruko; Eaimkhong, Sarayoot; Evseenko, Denis; Reed, Jason; Stieg, Adam Z.; Gimzewski, James K.; Nakano, Atsushi

2013-04-01

While adult heart muscle is the least regenerative of tissues, embryonic cardiomyocytes are proliferative, with embryonic stem (ES) cells providing an endless reservoir. In addition to secreted factors and cell-cell interactions, the extracellular microenvironment has been shown to play an important role in stem cell lineage specification, and understanding how scaffold elasticity influences cardiac differentiation is crucial to cardiac tissue engineering. Though previous studies have analyzed the role of matrix elasticity on the function of differentiated cardiomyocytes, whether it affects the induction of cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells is poorly understood. Here, we examine the role of matrix rigidity on cardiac differentiation using mouse and human ES cells. Culture on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates of varied monomer-to-crosslinker ratios revealed that rigid extracellular matrices promote a higher yield of de novo cardiomyocytes from undifferentiated ES cells. Using a genetically modified ES system that allows us to purify differentiated cardiomyocytes by drug selection, we demonstrate that rigid environments induce higher cardiac troponin T expression, beating rate of foci, and expression ratio of adult α- to fetal β- myosin heavy chain in a purified cardiac population. M-mode and mechanical interferometry image analyses demonstrate that these ES-derived cardiomyocytes display functional maturity and synchronization of beating when co-cultured with neonatal cardiomyocytes harvested from a developing embryo. Together, these data identify matrix stiffness as an independent factor that instructs not only the maturation of already differentiated cardiomyocytes but also the induction and proliferation of cardiomyocytes from undifferentiated progenitors. Manipulation of the stiffness will help direct the production of functional cardiomyocytes en masse from stem cells for regenerative medicine purposes.

Distinct Responses of Stem Cells to Telomere Uncapping-A Potential Strategy to Improve the Safety of Cell Therapy.

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Liu, Chang Ching; Ma, Dong Liang; Yan, Ting-Dong; Fan, XiuBo; Poon, Zhiyong; Poon, Lai-Fong; Goh, Su-Ann; Rozen, Steve G; Hwang, William Ying Khee; Tergaonkar, Vinay; Tan, Patrick; Ghosh, Sujoy; Virshup, David M; Goh, Eyleen L K; Li, Shang

2016-10-01

In most human somatic cells, the lack of telomerase activity results in progressive telomere shortening during each cell division. Eventually, DNA damage responses triggered by critically short telomeres induce an irreversible cell cycle arrest termed replicative senescence. However, the cellular responses of human pluripotent stem cells to telomere uncapping remain unknown. We generated telomerase knockout human embryonic stem (ES) cells through gene targeting. Telomerase inactivation in ES cells results in progressive telomere shortening. Telomere DNA damage in ES cells and neural progenitor cells induces rapid apoptosis when telomeres are uncapped, in contrast to fibroblast cells that enter a state of replicative senescence. Significantly, telomerase inactivation limits the proliferation capacity of human ES cells without affecting their pluripotency. By targeting telomerase activity, we can functionally separate the two unique properties of human pluripotent stem cells, namely unlimited self-renewal and pluripotency. We show that the potential of ES cells to form teratomas in vivo is dictated by their telomere length. By controlling telomere length of ES cells through telomerase inactivation, we can inhibit teratoma formation and potentially improve the safety of cell therapies involving terminally differentiated cells as well as specific progenitor cells that do not require sustained cellular proliferation in vivo, and thus sustained telomerase activity. Stem Cells 2016;34:2471-2484. © 2016 AlphaMed Press.

Identifying developmental toxicity pathways for a subset of ToxCast chemicals using human embryonic stem cells and metabolomics

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Metabolomics analysis was performed on the supernatant of human embryonic stem (hES) cell cultures exposed to a blinded subset of 11 chemicals selected from the chemical library of EPA's ToxCast™ chemical screening and prioritization research project. Metabolites from hES cultur...

Radiosensitivity and cell kinetics of the human solid cancer transplanted to nude mouse

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ikeuchi, Shunji

1983-01-01

This study was undertaken to analyse the relationship between radiosensitivity and cell kinetics of human solid cancer in experimental nude mouse system. Four strains of tumors used for the experiment were poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the lung (Lu-9), oat cell carcinoma of the lung (Lu-24), well differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (To-1) and moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus (Es-4) which were serially transplantable to BALB/c nude mice. Radiosensitivity was evaluated by tumor growth in terms of inhibition rate, histological change and host reaction after irradiation. Cell kinetics were studied by autoradiography with pulse administration of 3 H-thymidine to mice. Although Lu-24 was most radiosensitive, followed by To-1, Es-4 and Lu-9 in the order of sensitivity, it was suggested that they might be more radioresistant in nude mice without T-cell function than in human. Regarding squamous cell carcinomas, well differentiated type was more radiosensitive than poorly differentiated one. All of these tumors in nude mouse revealed distinct percent labeled mitosis curves with two clear peaks which were quite different from those in human body. Lu-24 showed a characteristic pattern with a long time lag before visible growth, short G 1 , and low growth fraction, compared to other three tumors. Three strains of squamous cell carcinoma demonstrated similar cell kinetic factors which were almost the same as those in human body reported previously. The differences in volume doubling time of tumor, growth fraction and cell loss factor were partially related to those of radiosensitivities among tumors except for Lu-24. The theoretical volume doubling time was proved to be most reliable for estimation of effectiveness of irradiation, but the labeling index was not a valuable indicator for it. (author)

Brugia malayi Antigen (BmA Inhibits HIV-1 Trans-Infection but Neither BmA nor ES-62 Alter HIV-1 Infectivity of DC Induced CD4+ Th-Cells.

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Emily E I M Mouser

Full Text Available One of the hallmarks of HIV-1 disease is the association of heightened CD4+ T-cell activation with HIV-1 replication. Parasitic helminths including filarial nematodes have evolved numerous and complex mechanisms to skew, dampen and evade human immune responses suggesting that HIV-1 infection may be modulated in co-infected individuals. Here we studied the effects of two filarial nematode products, adult worm antigen from Brugia malayi (BmA and excretory-secretory product 62 (ES-62 from Acanthocheilonema viteae on HIV-1 infection in vitro. Neither BmA nor ES-62 influenced HIV-1 replication in CD4+ enriched T-cells, with either a CCR5- or CXCR4-using virus. BmA, but not ES-62, had the capacity to bind the C-type lectin dendritic cell-specific intercellular adhesion molecule-3-grabbing non-integrin (DC-SIGN thereby inhibiting HIV-1 trans-infection of CD4+ enriched T-cells. As for their effect on DCs, neither BmA nor ES-62 could enhance or inhibit DC maturation as determined by CD83, CD86 and HLA-DR expression, or the production of IL-6, IL-10, IL-12 and TNF-α. As expected, due to the unaltered DC phenotype, no differences were found in CD4+ T helper (Th cell phenotypes induced by DCs treated with either BmA or ES-62. Moreover, the HIV-1 susceptibility of the Th-cell populations induced by BmA or ES-62 exposed DCs was unaffected for both CCR5- and CXCR4-using HIV-1 viruses. In conclusion, although BmA has the potential capacity to interfere with HIV-1 transmission or initial viral dissemination through preventing the virus from interacting with DCs, no differences in the Th-cell polarizing capacity of DCs exposed to BmA or ES-62 were observed. Neither antigenic source demonstrated beneficial or detrimental effects on the HIV-1 susceptibility of CD4+ Th-cells induced by exposed DCs.

In vitro characterization of a human neural progenitor cell coexpressing SSEA4 and CD133

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Barraud, Perrine; Stott, Simon; Møllgård, Kjeld

2007-01-01

The stage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4) is commonly used as a cell surface marker to identify the pluripotent human embryonic stem (ES) cells. Immunohistochemistry on human embryonic central nervous system revealed that SSEA4 is detectable in the early neuroepithelium, and its expression....... Therefore, we propose that SSEA4 associated with CD133 can be used for both the positive selection and the enrichment of neural stem/progenitor cells from human embryonic forebrain....... decreases as development proceeds. Flow cytometry analysis of forebrain-derived cells demonstrated that the SSEA4-expressing cells are enriched in the neural stem/progenitor cell fraction (CD133(+)), but are rarely codetected with the neural stem cell (NSC) marker CD15. Using a sphere-forming assay, we...

Toxcast Profiling in a Human Stem Cell Assay for Developmental Toxicity (SOT)

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We correlated the ToxCast library in a metabolic biomarker-based in vitro assay (Stemina devTOXqP) utilizing human embryonic stem (hES) cells (H9 line). This assay identifies the concentration of a chemical that disrupts cellular metabolism in a manner indicative of teratogenic...

CCL2 enhances pluripotency of human induced pluripotent stem cells by activating hypoxia related genes

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Hasegawa, Yuki; Tang, Dave; Takahashi, Naoko; Hayashizaki, Yoshihide; Forrest, Alistair R R; Suzuki, Harukazu; Clevers, Hans

2014-01-01

Standard culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) requires basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) to maintain the pluripotent state, whereas hiPSC more closely resemble epiblast stem cells than true naïve state ES which requires LIF to maintain pluripotency. Here we show that

Limited hair cell induction from human induced pluripotent stem cells using a simple stepwise method.

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Ohnishi, Hiroe; Skerleva, Desislava; Kitajiri, Shin-ichiro; Sakamoto, Tatsunori; Yamamoto, Norio; Ito, Juichi; Nakagawa, Takayuki

2015-07-10

Disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) cells are expected to contribute to exploring useful tools for studying the pathophysiology of inner ear diseases and to drug discovery for treating inner ear diseases. For this purpose, stable induction methods for the differentiation of human iPS cells into inner ear hair cells are required. In the present study, we examined the efficacy of a simple induction method for inducing the differentiation of human iPS cells into hair cells. The induction of inner ear hair cell-like cells was performed using a stepwise method mimicking inner ear development. Human iPS cells were sequentially transformed into the preplacodal ectoderm, otic placode, and hair cell-like cells. As a first step, preplacodal ectoderm induction, human iPS cells were seeded on a Matrigel-coated plate and cultured in a serum free N2/B27 medium for 8 days according to a previous study that demonstrated spontaneous differentiation of human ES cells into the preplacodal ectoderm. As the second step, the cells after preplacodal ectoderm induction were treated with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for induction of differentiation into otic-placode-like cells for 15 days. As the final step, cultured cells were incubated in a serum free medium containing Matrigel for 48 days. After preplacodal ectoderm induction, over 90% of cultured cells expressed the genes that express in preplacodal ectoderm. By culture with bFGF, otic placode marker-positive cells were obtained, although their number was limited. Further 48-day culture in serum free media resulted in the induction of hair cell-like cells, which expressed a hair cell marker and had stereocilia bundle-like constructions on their apical surface. Our results indicate that hair cell-like cells are induced from human iPS cells using a simple stepwise method with only bFGF, without the use of xenogeneic cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Proliferation assay of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells exposed to atmospheric-pressure plasmas at room temperature

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Miura, Taichi; Hirano, Kazumi; Ogura, Chika; Ikeguchi, Masamichi; Seki, Atsushi; Nishihara, Shoko; Ando, Ayumi; Kanazawa, Tatsuya; Hamaguchi, Satoshi

2014-01-01

Proliferation assays of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells have been performed with cell culture media exposed to atmospheric-pressure plasmas (APPs), which generate reactive species in the media at room temperature. It is found that serum in cell culture media functions as a scavenger of highly reactive species and tends to protect cells in the media against cellular damage. On the other hand, if serum is not present in a cell culture medium when it is exposed to APP, the medium becomes cytotoxic and cannot be detoxified by serum added afterwards. Plasma-induced cytotoxic media hinder proliferation of mouse ES cells and may even cause cell death. It is also shown by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy that organic compounds in cell culture media are in general not significantly modified by plasma exposure. These results indicate that if there is no serum in media when they are exposed to APPs, highly reactive species (such as OH radicals) generated in the media by the APP exposure are immediately converted to less reactive species (such as H 2 O 2 ), which can no longer readily react with serum that is added to the medium after plasma exposure. This study has clearly shown that it is these less reactive species, rather than highly reactive species, that make the medium cytotoxic to mouse ES cells. (paper)

Altered hematopoiesis in trisomy 21 as revealed through in vitro differentiation of isogenic human pluripotent cells

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MacLean, Glenn A.; Menne, Tobias F.; Guo, Guoji; Sanchez, Danielle J.; Park, In-Hyun; Daley, George Q.; Orkin, Stuart H.

2012-01-01

Trisomy 21 is associated with hematopoietic abnormalities in the fetal liver, a preleukemic condition termed transient myeloproliferative disorder, and increased incidence of acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. Human trisomy 21 pluripotent cells of various origins, human embryionic stem (hES), and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, were differentiated in vitro as a model to recapitulate the effects of trisomy on hematopoiesis. To mitigate clonal variation, we isolated disomic and trisomic subclones from the same parental iPS line, thereby generating subclones isogenic except for chromosome 21. Under differentiation conditions favoring development of fetal liver-like, γ-globin expressing, definitive hematopoiesis, we found that trisomic cells of hES, iPS, or isogenic origins exhibited a two- to fivefold increase in a population of CD43+(Leukosialin)/CD235+(Glycophorin A) hematopoietic cells, accompanied by increased multilineage colony-forming potential in colony-forming assays. These findings establish an intrinsic disturbance of multilineage myeloid hematopoiesis in trisomy 21 at the fetal liver stage. PMID:23045682

Generation, purification and transplantation of photoreceptors derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.

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Deepak A Lamba

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Inherited and acquired retinal degenerations are frequent causes of visual impairment and photoreceptor cell replacement therapy may restore visual function to these individuals. To provide a source of new retinal neurons for cell based therapies, we developed methods to derive retinal progenitors from human ES cells.In this report we have used a similar method to direct induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS from human fibroblasts to a retinal progenitor fate, competent to generate photoreceptors. We also found we could purify the photoreceptors derived from the iPS cells using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS after labeling photoreceptors with a lentivirus driving GFP from the IRBP cis-regulatory sequences. Moreover, we found that when we transplanted the FACS purified iPSC derived photoreceptors, they were able to integrate into a normal mouse retina and express photoreceptor markers.This report provides evidence that enriched populations of human photoreceptors can be derived from iPS cells.

Human amniotic epithelial cell feeder layers maintain mouse embryonic stem cell pluripotency via epigenetic regulation of the c-Myc promoter.

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Liu, Te; Cheng, Weiwei; Liu, Tianjin; Guo, Lihe; Huang, Qin; Jiang, Lizhen; Du, Xiling; Xu, Fuhui; Liu, Zhixue; Lai, Dongmei

2010-02-01

Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are typically cultured on a feeder layer of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), with leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) added to maintain them in an undifferentiated state. We have previously shown that human amniotic epithelial cells (hAECs) can be used as feeder cells to maintain mouse ESC pluripotency, but the mechanism for this is unknown. In the present study, we found that CpG islands 5' of the c-Myc gene remain hypomethylated in mouse ESCs cultured on hAECs. In addition, levels of acetylation of histone H3 and trimethylation of histone H3K4 in the c-Myc gene promoter were higher in ES cells cultured on hAECs than those in ES cells cultured on MEFs. These data suggested that hAECs can alter mouse ESC gene expression via epigenetic modification of c-Myc, providing a possible mechanism for the hAEC-induced maintenance of ESCs in an undifferentiated state.

Activation of pluripotency genes in human fibroblast cells by a novel mRNA based approach.

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Jordan R Plews

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Several methods have been used to induce somatic cells to re-enter the pluripotent state. Viral transduction of reprogramming genes yields higher efficiency but involves random insertions of viral sequences into the human genome. Although induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells can be obtained with the removable PiggyBac transposon system or an episomal system, both approaches still use DNA constructs so that resulting cell lines need to be thoroughly analyzed to confirm they are free of harmful genetic modification. Thus a method to change cell fate without using DNA will be very useful in regenerative medicine.In this study, we synthesized mRNAs encoding OCT4, SOX2, cMYC, KLF4 and SV40 large T (LT and electroporated them into human fibroblast cells. Upon transfection, fibroblasts expressed these factors at levels comparable to, or higher than those in human embryonic stem (ES cells. Ectopically expressed OCT4 localized to the cell nucleus within 4 hours after mRNA introduction. Transfecting fibroblasts with a mixture of mRNAs encoding all five factors significantly increased the expression of endogenous OCT4, NANOG, DNMT3β, REX1 and SALL4. When such transfected fibroblasts were also exposed to several small molecules (valproic acid, BIX01294 and 5'-aza-2'-deoxycytidine and cultured in human embryonic stem cell (ES medium they formed small aggregates positive for alkaline phosphatase activity and OCT4 protein within 30 days.Our results demonstrate that mRNA transfection can be a useful approach to precisely control the protein expression level and short-term expression of reprogramming factors is sufficient to activate pluripotency genes in differentiated cells.

Developing de novo human artificial chromosomes in embryonic stem cells using HSV-1 amplicon technology.

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Moralli, Daniela; Monaco, Zoia L

2015-02-01

De novo artificial chromosomes expressing genes have been generated in human embryonic stem cells (hESc) and are maintained following differentiation into other cell types. Human artificial chromosomes (HAC) are small, functional, extrachromosomal elements, which behave as normal chromosomes in human cells. De novo HAC are generated following delivery of alpha satellite DNA into target cells. HAC are characterized by high levels of mitotic stability and are used as models to study centromere formation and chromosome organisation. They are successful and effective as gene expression vectors since they remain autonomous and can accommodate larger genes and regulatory regions for long-term expression studies in cells unlike other viral gene delivery vectors currently used. Transferring the essential DNA sequences for HAC formation intact across the cell membrane has been challenging for a number of years. A highly efficient delivery system based on HSV-1 amplicons has been used to target DNA directly to the ES cell nucleus and HAC stably generated in human embryonic stem cells (hESc) at high frequency. HAC were detected using an improved protocol for hESc chromosome harvesting, which consistently produced high-quality metaphase spreads that could routinely detect HAC in hESc. In tumour cells, the input DNA often integrated in the host chromosomes, but in the host ES genome, it remained intact. The hESc containing the HAC formed embryoid bodies, generated teratoma in mice, and differentiated into neuronal cells where the HAC were maintained. The HAC structure and chromatin composition was similar to the endogenous hESc chromosomes. This review will discuss the technological advances in HAC vector delivery using HSV-1 amplicons and the improvements in the identification of de novo HAC in hESc.

Accelerated generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells with retroviral transduction and chemical inhibitors under physiological hypoxia

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Shimada, Hidenori [Department of Bioartificial Organs, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Kawaharacho, Shogoin, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8507 (Japan); Hashimoto, Yoshiya [Department of Biomaterials, Osaka Dental University, 8-1, Hanazonocho, Kuzuha, Hirakatashi, Osaka 573-1121 (Japan); Nakada, Akira; Shigeno, Keiji [Department of Bioartificial Organs, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Kawaharacho, Shogoin, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8507 (Japan); Nakamura, Tatsuo, E-mail: nakamura@frontier.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Bioartificial Organs, Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, 53 Kawaharacho, Shogoin, Sakyoku, Kyoto 606-8507 (Japan)

2012-01-13

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Very rapid generation of human iPS cells under optimized conditions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Five chemical inhibitors under hypoxia boosted reprogramming. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We performed genome-wide DNA methylation analysis. -- Abstract: Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are generated from somatic cells by the forced expression of a defined set of pluripotency-associated transcription factors. Human iPS cells can be propagated indefinitely, while maintaining the capacity to differentiate into all cell types in the body except for extra-embryonic tissues. This technology not only represents a new way to use individual-specific stem cells for regenerative medicine but also constitutes a novel method to obtain large amounts of disease-specific cells for biomedical research. Despite their great potential, the long reprogramming process (up to 1 month) remains one of the most significant challenges facing standard virus-mediated methodology. In this study, we report the accelerated generation of human iPS cells from adipose-derived stem (ADS) cells, using a new combination of chemical inhibitors under a setting of physiological hypoxia in conjunction with retroviral transduction of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and L-Myc. Under optimized conditions, we observed human embryonic stem (ES)-like cells as early as 6 days after the initial retroviral transduction. This was followed by the emergence of fully reprogrammed cells bearing Tra-1-81-positive and DsRed transgene-silencing properties on day 10. The resulting cell lines resembled human ES cells in many respects including proliferation rate, morphology, pluripotency-associated markers, global gene expression patterns, genome-wide DNA methylation states, and the ability to differentiate into all three of the germ layers, both in vitro and in vivo. Our method, when combined with chemical inhibitors under conditions of physiological hypoxia, offers a powerful tool for rapidly

Accelerated generation of human induced pluripotent stem cells with retroviral transduction and chemical inhibitors under physiological hypoxia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimada, Hidenori; Hashimoto, Yoshiya; Nakada, Akira; Shigeno, Keiji; Nakamura, Tatsuo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Very rapid generation of human iPS cells under optimized conditions. ► Five chemical inhibitors under hypoxia boosted reprogramming. ► We performed genome-wide DNA methylation analysis. -- Abstract: Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are generated from somatic cells by the forced expression of a defined set of pluripotency-associated transcription factors. Human iPS cells can be propagated indefinitely, while maintaining the capacity to differentiate into all cell types in the body except for extra-embryonic tissues. This technology not only represents a new way to use individual-specific stem cells for regenerative medicine but also constitutes a novel method to obtain large amounts of disease-specific cells for biomedical research. Despite their great potential, the long reprogramming process (up to 1 month) remains one of the most significant challenges facing standard virus-mediated methodology. In this study, we report the accelerated generation of human iPS cells from adipose-derived stem (ADS) cells, using a new combination of chemical inhibitors under a setting of physiological hypoxia in conjunction with retroviral transduction of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and L-Myc. Under optimized conditions, we observed human embryonic stem (ES)-like cells as early as 6 days after the initial retroviral transduction. This was followed by the emergence of fully reprogrammed cells bearing Tra-1-81-positive and DsRed transgene-silencing properties on day 10. The resulting cell lines resembled human ES cells in many respects including proliferation rate, morphology, pluripotency-associated markers, global gene expression patterns, genome-wide DNA methylation states, and the ability to differentiate into all three of the germ layers, both in vitro and in vivo. Our method, when combined with chemical inhibitors under conditions of physiological hypoxia, offers a powerful tool for rapidly generating bona fide human iPS cells and facilitates the application of i

76 FR 12963 - Request for Information (NOT-ES-11-007): Needs and Approaches for Assessing the Human Health...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-03-09

... DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Request for Information (NOT-ES-11-007): Needs and Approaches for Assessing the Human Health Impacts of Exposure to Mixtures AGENCY: National Institutes of... analyzes its findings to assess potential hazards to human health from exposure to environmental substances...

The cell cycle as a brake for β-cell regeneration from embryonic stem cells.

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El-Badawy, Ahmed; El-Badri, Nagwa

2016-01-13

The generation of insulin-producing β cells from stem cells in vitro provides a promising source of cells for cell transplantation therapy in diabetes. However, insulin-producing cells generated from human stem cells show deficiency in many functional characteristics compared with pancreatic β cells. Recent reports have shown molecular ties between the cell cycle and the differentiation mechanism of embryonic stem (ES) cells, assuming that cell fate decisions are controlled by the cell cycle machinery. Both β cells and ES cells possess unique cell cycle machinery yet with significant contrasts. In this review, we compare the cell cycle control mechanisms in both ES cells and β cells, and highlight the fundamental differences between pluripotent cells of embryonic origin and differentiated β cells. Through critical analysis of the differences of the cell cycle between these two cell types, we propose that the cell cycle of ES cells may act as a brake for β-cell regeneration. Based on these differences, we discuss the potential of modulating the cell cycle of ES cells for the large-scale generation of functionally mature β cells in vitro. Further understanding of the factors that modulate the ES cell cycle will lead to new approaches to enhance the production of functional mature insulin-producing cells, and yield a reliable system to generate bona fide β cells in vitro.

β-Cell Replacement in Mice Using Human Type 1 Diabetes Nuclear Transfer Embryonic Stem Cells.

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Sui, Lina; Danzl, Nichole; Campbell, Sean R; Viola, Ryan; Williams, Damian; Xing, Yuan; Wang, Yong; Phillips, Neil; Poffenberger, Greg; Johannesson, Bjarki; Oberholzer, Jose; Powers, Alvin C; Leibel, Rudolph L; Chen, Xiaojuan; Sykes, Megan; Egli, Dieter

2018-01-01

β-Cells derived from stem cells hold great promise for cell replacement therapy for diabetes. Here we examine the ability of nuclear transfer embryonic stem cells (NT-ESs) derived from a patient with type 1 diabetes to differentiate into β-cells and provide a source of autologous islets for cell replacement. NT-ESs differentiate in vitro with an average efficiency of 55% into C-peptide-positive cells, expressing markers of mature β-cells, including MAFA and NKX6.1. Upon transplantation in immunodeficient mice, grafted cells form vascularized islet-like structures containing MAFA/C-peptide-positive cells. These β-cells adapt insulin secretion to ambient metabolite status and show normal insulin processing. Importantly, NT-ES-β-cells maintain normal blood glucose levels after ablation of the mouse endogenous β-cells. Cystic structures, but no teratomas, were observed in NT-ES-β-cell grafts. Isogenic induced pluripotent stem cell lines showed greater variability in β-cell differentiation. Even though different methods of somatic cell reprogramming result in stem cell lines that are molecularly indistinguishable, full differentiation competence is more common in ES cell lines than in induced pluripotent stem cell lines. These results demonstrate the suitability of NT-ES-β-cells for cell replacement for type 1 diabetes and provide proof of principle for therapeutic cloning combined with cell therapy. © 2017 by the American Diabetes Association.

Predicting human developmental toxicity of pharmaceuticals using human embryonic stem cells and metabolomics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

West, Paul R.; Weir, April M.; Smith, Alan M.; Donley, Elizabeth L.R.; Cezar, Gabriela G.

2010-01-01

Teratogens, substances that may cause fetal abnormalities during development, are responsible for a significant number of birth defects. Animal models used to predict teratogenicity often do not faithfully correlate to human response. Here, we seek to develop a more predictive developmental toxicity model based on an in vitro method that utilizes both human embryonic stem (hES) cells and metabolomics to discover biomarkers of developmental toxicity. We developed a method where hES cells were dosed with several drugs of known teratogenicity then LC-MS analysis was performed to measure changes in abundance levels of small molecules in response to drug dosing. Statistical analysis was employed to select for specific mass features that can provide a prediction of the developmental toxicity of a substance. These molecules can serve as biomarkers of developmental toxicity, leading to better prediction of teratogenicity. In particular, our work shows a correlation between teratogenicity and changes of greater than 10% in the ratio of arginine to asymmetric dimethylarginine levels. In addition, this study resulted in the establishment of a predictive model based on the most informative mass features. This model was subsequently tested for its predictive accuracy in two blinded studies using eight drugs of known teratogenicity, where it correctly predicted the teratogenicity for seven of the eight drugs. Thus, our initial data shows that this platform is a robust alternative to animal and other in vitro models for the prediction of the developmental toxicity of chemicals that may also provide invaluable information about the underlying biochemical pathways.

Generation of single-copy transgenic mouse embryos directly from ES cells by tetraploid embryo complementation

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Zhao Roong

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Transgenic mice have been used extensively to analyze gene function. Unfortunately, traditional transgenic procedures have only limited use in analyzing alleles that cause lethality because lines of founder mice cannot be established. This is frustrating given that such alleles often reveal crucial aspects of gene function. For this reason techniques that facilitate the generation of embryos expressing such alleles would be of enormous benefit. Although the transient generation of transgenic embryos has allowed limited analysis of lethal alleles, it is expensive, time consuming and technically challenging. Moreover a fundamental limitation with this approach is that each embryo generated is unique and transgene expression is highly variable due to the integration of different transgene copy numbers at random genomic sites. Results Here we describe an alternative method that allows the generation of clonal mouse embryos harboring a single-copy transgene at a defined genomic location. This was facilitated through the production of Hprt negative embryonic stem cells that allow the derivation of embryos by tetraploid embryo complementation. We show that targeting transgenes to the hprt locus in these ES cells by homologous recombination can be efficiently selected by growth in HAT medium. Moreover, embryos derived solely from targeted ES cells containing a single copy LacZ transgene under the control of the α-myosin heavy chain promoter exhibited the expected cardiac specific expression pattern. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that tetraploid embryo complementation by F3 hprt negative ES cells facilitates the generation of transgenic mouse embryos containing a single copy gene at a defined genomic locus. This approach is simple, extremely efficient and bypasses any requirement to generate chimeric mice. Moreover embryos generated by this procedure are clonal in that they are all derived from a single ES cell lines. This

Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) enhances MAP2 + and HUC/D + neurons and influences neurite extension during differentiation of neural progenitors derived from human embryonic stem cells.

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Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (L1F), a member of the Interleukin 6 cytokine family, has a role in differentiation of Human Neural Progenitor (hNP) cells in vitro. hNP cells, derived from Human Embryonic Stem (hES) cells, have an unlimited capacity for self-renewal in monolayer cultu...

Mouse cloning and somatic cell reprogramming using electrofused blastomeres.

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Riaz, Amjad; Zhao, Xiaoyang; Dai, Xiangpeng; Li, Wei; Liu, Lei; Wan, Haifeng; Yu, Yang; Wang, Liu; Zhou, Qi

2011-05-01

Mouse cloning from fertilized eggs can assist development of approaches for the production of "genetically tailored" human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines that are not constrained by the limitations of oocyte availability. However, to date only zygotes have been successfully used as recipients of nuclei from terminally differentiated somatic cell donors leading to ES cell lines. In fertility clinics, embryos of advanced embryonic stages are usually stored for future use, but their ability to support the derivation of ES cell lines via somatic nuclear transfer has not yet been proved. Here, we report that two-cell stage electrofused mouse embryos, arrested in mitosis, can support developmental reprogramming of nuclei from donor cells ranging from blastomeres to somatic cells. Live, full-term cloned pups from embryonic donors, as well as pluripotent ES cell lines from embryonic or somatic donors, were successfully generated from these reconstructed embryos. Advanced stage pre-implantation embryos were unable to develop normally to term after electrofusion and transfer of a somatic cell nucleus, indicating that discarded pre-implantation human embryos could be an important resource for research that minimizes the ethical concerns for human therapeutic cloning. Our approach provides an attractive and practical alternative to therapeutic cloning using donated oocytes for the generation of patient-specific human ES cell lines.

Lineage specific expression of Polycomb Group Proteins in human embryonic stem cells in vitro.

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Pethe, Prasad; Pursani, Varsha; Bhartiya, Deepa

2015-05-01

Human embryonic (hES) stem cells are an excellent model to study lineage specification and differentiation into various cell types. Differentiation necessitates repression of specific genes not required for a particular lineage. Polycomb Group (PcG) proteins are key histone modifiers, whose primary function is gene repression. PcG proteins form complexes called Polycomb Repressive Complexes (PRCs), which catalyze histone modifications such as H2AK119ub1, H3K27me3, and H3K9me3. PcG proteins play a crucial role during differentiation of stem cells. The expression of PcG transcripts during differentiation of hES cells into endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm lineage is yet to be shown. In-house derived hES cell line KIND1 was differentiated into endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm lineages; followed by characterization using RT-PCR for HNF4A, CDX2, MEF2C, TBX5, SOX1, and MAP2. qRT-PCR and western blotting was performed to compare expression of PcG transcripts and proteins across all the three lineages. We observed that cells differentiated into endoderm showed upregulation of RING1B, BMI1, EZH2, and EED transcripts. Mesoderm differentiation was characterized by significant downregulation of all PcG transcripts during later stages. BMI1 and RING1B were upregulated while EZH2, SUZ12, and EED remained low during ectoderm differentiation. Western blotting also showed distinct expression of BMI1 and EZH2 during differentiation into three germ layers. Our study shows that hES cells differentiating into endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm lineages show distinct PcG expression profile at transcript and protein level. © 2015 International Federation for Cell Biology.

Screening ethnically diverse human embryonic stem cells identifies a chromosome 20 minimal amplicon conferring growth advantage

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Amps, K.; Andrews, P.W.; Anyfantis, G.; Armstrong, L.; Avery, S.; Baharvand, H.; Baker, J.; Baker, D.; Munoz, M. N.; Beil, S.; Benvenisty, N.; Ben-Yosef, D.; Biancotti, J. C.; Bosman, A.; Brena, R. M.; Brison, D.; Caisander, G.; Camarasa, M. V.; Chen, J. M.; Chiao, E.; Choi, Y. M.; Choo, E.; Collins, D.; Colman, A.; Crook, J. M.; Daley, G. Q.; Dalton, A.; De Sousa, P. A.; Denning, C.; Downie, J.; Dvořák, P.; Hampl, Aleš

2011-01-01

Roč. 29, č. 12 (2011), s. 1132-1144 ISSN 1087-0156 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50390703 Keywords : comparative genomic hybridization * copy number variation * human es cells Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 23.268, year: 2011

Neurogenic differentiation of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells on aligned electrospun polypyrrole/polylactide composite nanofibers with electrical stimulation

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Zhou, Junfeng; Cheng, Liang; Sun, Xiaodan; Wang, Xiumei; Jin, Shouhong; Li, Junxiang; Wu, Qiong

2016-09-01

Adult central nervous system (CNS) tissue has a limited capacity to recover after trauma or disease. Recent medical cell therapy using polymeric biomaterialloaded stem cells with the capability of differentiation to specific neural population has directed focuses toward the recovery of CNS. Fibers that can provide topographical, biochemical and electrical cues would be attractive for directing the differentiation of stem cells into electro-responsive cells such as neuronal cells. Here we report on the fabrication of an electrospun polypyrrole/polylactide composite nanofiber film that direct or determine the fate of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), via combination of aligned surface topography, and electrical stimulation (ES). The surface morphology, mechanical properties and electric properties of the film were characterized. Comparing with that on random surface film, expression of neurofilament-lowest and nestin of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stemcells (huMSCs) cultured on film with aligned surface topography and ES were obviously enhanced. These results suggest that aligned topography combining with ES facilitates the neurogenic differentiation of huMSCs and the aligned conductive film can act as a potential nerve scaffold.

Efficient CRISPR/Cas9-Based Genome Engineering in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Kime, Cody; Mandegar, Mohammad A; Srivastava, Deepak; Yamanaka, Shinya; Conklin, Bruce R; Rand, Tim A

2016-01-01

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPS cells) are rapidly emerging as a powerful tool for biomedical discovery. The advent of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS cells) with human embryonic stem (hES)-cell-like properties has led to hPS cells with disease-specific genetic backgrounds for in vitro disease modeling and drug discovery as well as mechanistic and developmental studies. To fully realize this potential, it will be necessary to modify the genome of hPS cells with precision and flexibility. Pioneering experiments utilizing site-specific double-strand break (DSB)-mediated genome engineering tools, including zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), have paved the way to genome engineering in previously recalcitrant systems such as hPS cells. However, these methods are technically cumbersome and require significant expertise, which has limited adoption. A major recent advance involving the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) endonuclease has dramatically simplified the effort required for genome engineering and will likely be adopted widely as the most rapid and flexible system for genome editing in hPS cells. In this unit, we describe commonly practiced methods for CRISPR endonuclease genomic editing of hPS cells into cell lines containing genomes altered by insertion/deletion (indel) mutagenesis or insertion of recombinant genomic DNA. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

A novel serum-free monolayer culture for orderly hematopoietic differentiation of human pluripotent cells via mesodermal progenitors.

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Akira Niwa

Full Text Available Elucidating the in vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem (ES and induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells is important for understanding both normal and pathological hematopoietic development in vivo. For this purpose, a robust and simple hematopoietic differentiation system that can faithfully trace in vivo hematopoiesis is necessary. In this study, we established a novel serum-free monolayer culture that can trace the in vivo hematopoietic pathway from ES/iPS cells to functional definitive blood cells via mesodermal progenitors. Stepwise tuning of exogenous cytokine cocktails induced the hematopoietic mesodermal progenitors via primitive streak cells. These progenitors were then differentiated into various cell lineages depending on the hematopoietic cytokines present. Moreover, single cell deposition assay revealed that common bipotential hemoangiogenic progenitors were induced in our culture. Our system provides a new, robust, and simple method for investigating the mechanisms of mesodermal and hematopoietic differentiation.

Different Expression and Localization of Phosphoinositide Specific Phospholipases C in Human Osteoblasts, Osteosarcoma Cell Lines, Ewing Sarcoma and Synovial Sarcoma

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V.Vasco

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Bone hardness and strength depends on mineralization, which involves a complex process in which calcium phosphate, produced by bone-forming cells, was shed around the fibrous matrix. This process is strictly regulated, and a number of signal transduction systems were interested in calcium metabolism, such as the phosphoinositide (PI pathway and related phospholipase C (PLC enzymes. Objectives: Our aim was to search for common patterns of expression in osteoblasts, as well as in ES and SS. Methods: We analysed the PLC enzymes in human osteoblasts and osteosarcoma cell lines MG-63 and SaOS-2. We compared the obtained results to the expression of PLCs in samples of patients affected with Ewing sarcoma (ES and synovial sarcoma (SS. Results: In osteoblasts, MG-63 cells and SaOS-2 significant differences were identified in the expression of PLC δ4 and PLC η subfamily isoforms. Differences were also identified regarding the expression of PLCs in ES and SS. Most ES and SS did not express PLCB1, which was expressed in most osteoblasts, MG-63 and SaOS-2 cells. Conversely, PLCB2, unexpressed in the cell lines, was expressed in some ES and SS. However, PLCH1 was expressed in SaOS-2 and inconstantly expressed in osteoblasts, while it was expressed in ES and unexpressed in SS. The most relevant difference observed in ES compared to SS regarded PLC ε and PLC η isoforms. Conclusion: MG-63 and SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cell lines might represent an inappropriate experimental model for studies about the analysis of signal transduction in osteoblasts

Efficient Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Cells

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Szu-Hsiu Liu

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Embryonic stem (ES cells are a potential source of a variety of differentiated cells for cell therapy, drug discovery, and toxicology screening. Here, we present an efficacy strategy for the differentiation of mouse ES cells into insulin-producing cells (IPCs by a two-step differentiation protocol comprising of (i the formation of definitive endoderm in monolayer culture by activin A, and (ii this monolayer endoderm being induced to differentiate into IPCs by nicotinamide, insulin, and laminin. Differentiated cells can be obtained within approximately 7 days. The differentiation IPCs combined application of RT-PCR, ELISA, and immunofluorescence to characterize phenotypic and functional properties. In our study, we demonstrated that IPCs produced pancreatic transcription factors, endocrine progenitor marker, definitive endoderm, pancreatic β-cell markers, and Langerhans α and δ cells. The IPCs released insulin in a manner that was dose dependent upon the amount of glucose added. These techniques may be able to be applied to human ES cells, which would have very important ramifications for treating human disease.

Generation of Hepatocyte-like Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) Cells By Co-culturing Embryoid Body Cells with Liver Non-parenchymal Cell Line TWNT-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Javed, M. S.; Yaqoob, N.; Iwamuro, M.; Kobayashi, N.; Fujiwara, T.

2014-01-01

Objective: To generate a homogeneous population of patient-specific hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) from human iPS cells those show the morphologic and phenotypic properties of primary human hepatocytes. Study Design: An experimental study. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Surgery, Okayama University, Graduate School of Medicine, Japan, from April to December 2011. Methodology: Human iPS cells were generated and maintained on ES qualified matrigel coated plates supplemented with mTeSR medium or alternatively on mitotically inactivated MEF feeder layer in DMEM/F12 medium containing 20% KOSR, 4ng/ml bFGF-2, 1 x 10-4 M 2-mercaptoethanol, 1 mmol/L NEAA, 2mM L-glutamine and 1% penicillin-streptomycin. iPS cells were differentiated to HLCs by sequential culture using a four step differentiation protocol: (I) Generation of embryoid bodies (EBs) in suspension culture; (II) Induction of definitive endoderm (DE) from 2 days old EBs by growth in human activin-A (100 ng/ml) and basic fibroblasts growth factor (bFGF2) (100 ng/ml) on matrigel coated plates; (III) Induction of hepatic progenitors by co-culture with non-parenchymal human hepatic stellate cell line (TWNT-1); and (IV) Maturation by culture in dexamethasone. Characterization was performed by RT-PCR and functional assays. Results: The generated HLCs showed microscopically morphological phenotype of human hepatocytes, expressed liver specific genes (ASGPR, Albumin, AFP, Sox17, Fox A2), secreted human liver-specific proteins such as albumin, synthesized urea and metabolized ammonia. Conclusion: Functional HLCs were generated from human iPS cells, which could be used for autologus hepatocyte transplantation for liver failure and as in vitro model for determining the metabolic and toxicological properties of drug compounds. (author)

Combinatorial binding in human and mouse embryonic stem cells identifies conserved enhancers active in early embryonic development.

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Jonathan Göke

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Transcription factors are proteins that regulate gene expression by binding to cis-regulatory sequences such as promoters and enhancers. In embryonic stem (ES cells, binding of the transcription factors OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG is essential to maintain the capacity of the cells to differentiate into any cell type of the developing embryo. It is known that transcription factors interact to regulate gene expression. In this study we show that combinatorial binding is strongly associated with co-localization of the transcriptional co-activator Mediator, H3K27ac and increased expression of nearby genes in embryonic stem cells. We observe that the same loci bound by Oct4, Nanog and Sox2 in ES cells frequently drive expression in early embryonic development. Comparison of mouse and human ES cells shows that less than 5% of individual binding events for OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG are shared between species. In contrast, about 15% of combinatorial binding events and even between 53% and 63% of combinatorial binding events at enhancers active in early development are conserved. Our analysis suggests that the combination of OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG binding is critical for transcription in ES cells and likely plays an important role for embryogenesis by binding at conserved early developmental enhancers. Our data suggests that the fast evolutionary rewiring of regulatory networks mainly affects individual binding events, whereas "gene regulatory hotspots" which are bound by multiple factors and active in multiple tissues throughout early development are under stronger evolutionary constraints.

Efficient generation of fully reprogrammed human iPS cells via polycistronic retroviral vector and a new cocktail of chemical compounds.

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Zhonghui Zhang

Full Text Available Direct reprogramming of human somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells by defined transcription factors (TFs provides great potential for regenerative medicine and biomedical research. This procedure has many challenges, including low reprogramming efficiency, many partially reprogrammed colonies, somatic coding mutations in the genome, etc. Here, we describe a simple approach for generating fully reprogrammed human iPS cells by using a single polycistronic retroviral vector expressing four human TFs in a single open reading frame (ORF, combined with a cocktail containing three small molecules (Sodium butyrate, SB431542, and PD0325901. Our results demonstrate that human iPS cells generated by this approach express human ES cells markers and exhibit pluripotency demonstrated by their abilities to differentiate into the three germ layers in vitro and in vivo. Notably, this approach not only provides a much faster reprogramming process but also significantly diminishes partially reprogrammed iPS cell colonies, thus facilitating efficient isolation of desired fully reprogrammed iPS cell colonies.

[Embryonic stem cells. Future perspectives].

Science.gov (United States)

Groebner, M; David, R; Franz, W M

2006-05-01

Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) are able to differentiate into any cell type, and therefore represent an excellent source for cellular replacement therapies in the case of widespread diseases, for example heart failure, diabetes, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury. A major prerequisite for their efficient and safe clinical application is the availability of pure populations for direct cell transplantation or tissue engineering as well as the immunological compatibility of the transplanted cells. The expression of human surface markers under the control of cell type specific promoters represents a promising approach for the selection of cardiomyocytes and other cell types for therapeutic applications. The first human clinical trial using ES cells will start in the United States this year.

Molecular hierarchy in neurons differentiated from mouse ES cells containing a single human chromosome 21.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Chi Chiu; Kadota, Mitsutaka; Nishigaki, Ryuichi; Kazuki, Yasuhiro; Shirayoshi, Yasuaki; Rogers, Michael Scott; Gojobori, Takashi; Ikeo, Kazuho; Oshimura, Mitsuo

2004-02-06

Defects in neurogenesis and neuronal differentiation in the fetal brain of Down syndrome (DS) patients lead to the apparent neuropathological abnormalities and contribute to the phenotypic characters of mental retardation, and premature development of Alzheimer's disease, those being the most common phenotype in DS. In order to understand the molecular mechanism underlying the cause of phenotypic abnormalities in the DS brain, we have utilized an in vitro model of TT2F mouse embryonic stem cells containing a single human chromosome 21 (hChr21) to study neuron development and neuronal differentiation by microarray containing 15K developmentally expressed cDNAs. Defective neuronal differentiation in the presence of extra hChr21 manifested primarily the post-transcriptional and translational modification, such as Mrpl10, SNAPC3, Srprb, SF3a60 in the early neuronal stem cell stage, and Mrps18a, Eef1g, and Ubce8 in the late differentiated stage. Hierarchical clustering patterned specific expression of hChr21 gene dosage effects on neuron outgrowth, migration, and differentiation, such as Syngr2, Dncic2, Eif3sf, and Peg3.

Practical Integration-Free Episomal Methods for Generating Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Kime, Cody; Rand, Tim A; Ivey, Kathryn N; Srivastava, Deepak; Yamanaka, Shinya; Tomoda, Kiichiro

2015-10-06

The advent of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology has revolutionized biomedicine and basic research by yielding cells with embryonic stem (ES) cell-like properties. The use of iPS-derived cells for cell-based therapies and modeling of human disease holds great potential. While the initial description of iPS cells involved overexpression of four transcription factors via viral vectors that integrated within genomic DNA, advances in recent years by our group and others have led to safer and higher quality iPS cells with greater efficiency. Here, we describe commonly practiced methods for non-integrating induced pluripotent stem cell generation using nucleofection of episomal reprogramming plasmids. These methods are adapted from recent studies that demonstrate increased hiPS cell reprogramming efficacy with the application of three powerful episomal hiPS cell reprogramming factor vectors and the inclusion of an accessory vector expressing EBNA1. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Interdependence of domestic malaria prevention measures and mosquito-human interactions in urban Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

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Mshinda Hassan

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Successful malaria vector control depends on understanding behavioural interactions between mosquitoes and humans, which are highly setting-specific and may have characteristic features in urban environments. Here mosquito biting patterns in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are examined and the protection against exposure to malaria transmission that is afforded to residents by using an insecticide-treated net (ITN is estimated. Methods Mosquito biting activity over the course of the night was estimated by human landing catch in 216 houses and 1,064 residents were interviewed to determine usage of protection measures and the proportion of each hour of the night spent sleeping indoors, awake indoors, and outdoors. Results Hourly variations in biting activity by members of the Anopheles gambiae complex were consistent with classical reports but the proportion of these vectors caught outdoors in Dar es Salaam was almost double that of rural Tanzania. Overall, ITNs confer less protection against exophagic vectors in Dar es Salaam than in rural southern Tanzania (59% versus 70%. More alarmingly, a biting activity maximum that precedes 10 pm and much lower levels of ITN protection against exposure (38% were observed for Anopheles arabiensis, a vector of modest importance locally, but which predominates transmission in large parts of Africa. Conclusion In a situation of changing mosquito and human behaviour, ITNs may confer lower, but still useful, levels of personal protection which can be complemented by communal transmission suppression at high coverage. Mosquito-proofing houses appeared to be the intervention of choice amongst residents and further options for preventing outdoor transmission include larviciding and environmental management.

ES-RBE Event sequence reliability Benchmark exercise

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poucet, A.E.J.

1991-01-01

The event Sequence Reliability Benchmark Exercise (ES-RBE) can be considered as a logical extension of the other three Reliability Benchmark Exercices : the RBE on Systems Analysis, the RBE on Common Cause Failures and the RBE on Human Factors. The latter, constituting Activity No. 1, was concluded by the end of 1987. The ES-RBE covered the techniques that are currently used for analysing and quantifying sequences of events starting from an initiating event to various plant damage states, including analysis of various system failures and/or successes, human intervention failure and/or success and dependencies between systems. By this way, one of the scopes of the ES-RBE was to integrate the experiences gained in the previous exercises

Pdx1 and Ngn3 overexpression enhances pancreatic differentiation of mouse ES cell-derived endoderm population.

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Kubo, Atsushi; Stull, Robert; Takeuchi, Mitsuaki; Bonham, Kristina; Gouon-Evans, Valerie; Sho, Masayuki; Iwano, Masayuki; Saito, Yoshihiko; Keller, Gordon; Snodgrass, Ralph

2011-01-01

In order to define the molecular mechanisms regulating the specification and differentiation of pancreatic β-islet cells, we investigated the effect of upregulating Pdx1 and Ngn3 during the differentiation of the β-islet-like cells from murine embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived activin induced-endoderm. Induced overexpression of Pdx1 resulted in a significant upregulation of insulin (Ins1 and Ins2), and other pancreas-related genes. To enhance the developmental progression from the pancreatic bud to the formation of the endocrine lineages, we induced the overexpression express of Ngn3 together with Pdx1. This combination dramatically increased the level and timing of maximal Ins1 mRNA expression to approximately 100% of that found in the βTC6 insulinoma cell line. Insulin protein and C-peptide expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry staining. These inductive effects were restricted to c-kit(+) endoderm enriched EB-derived populations suggesting that Pdx1/Ngn3 functions after the specification of pancreatic endoderm. Although insulin secretion was stimulated by various insulin secretagogues, these cells had only limited glucose response. Microarray analysis was used to evaluate the expression of a broad spectrum of pancreatic endocrine cell-related genes as well as genes associated with glucose responses. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the utility of manipulating Pdx1 and Ngn3 expression in a stage-specific manner as an important new strategy for the efficient generation of functionally immature insulin-producing β-islet cells from ES cells.

A feeder-free culture using autogeneic conditioned medium for undifferentiated growth of human embryonic stem cells: Comparative expression profiles of mRNAs, microRNAs and proteins among different feeders and conditioned media

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Chou Chi-Hsien

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Human embryonic stem (hES cell lines were derived from the inner cell mass of human blastocysts, and were cultured on mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF feeder to maintain undifferentiated growth, extensive renewal capacity, and pluripotency. The hES-T3 cell line with normal female karyotype was previously used to differentiate into autogeneic fibroblast-like cells (T3HDF as feeder to support the undifferentiated growth of hES-T3 cells (T3/HDF for 14 passages. Results A feeder-free culture on Matrigel in hES medium conditioned by the autogeneic feeder cells (T3HDF was established to maintain the undifferentiated growth of hES-T3 cells (T3/CMHDF for 8 passages in this investigation. The gene expression profiles of mRNAs, microRNAs and proteins between the undifferentiated T3/HDF and T3/CMHDF cells were shown to be very similar, and their expression profiles were also found to be similar to those of T3/MEF and T3/CMMEF cells grown on MEF feeder and feeder-free Matrigel in MEF-conditioned medium, respectively. The undifferentiated state of T3/HDF and T3/CMHDF as well as T3/MEF andT3/CMMEF cells was evidenced by the very high expression levels of "stemness" genes and low expression levels of differentiation markers of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm in addition to the strong staining of OCT4 and NANOG. Conclusion The T3HDF feeder and T3HDF-conditioned medium were able to support the undifferentiated growth of hES cells, and they would be useful for drug development and toxicity testing in addition to the reduced risks of xenogeneic pathogens when used for medical applications such as cell therapies.

Myxococcus xanthus DK1622 Coordinates Expressions of the Duplicate groEL and Single groES Genes for Synergistic Functions of GroELs and GroES

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Yue-zhong Li

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Chaperonin GroEL (Cpn60 requires cofactor GroES (Cpn10 for protein refolding in bacteria that possess single groEL and groES genes in a bicistronic groESL operon. Among 4,861 completely-sequenced prokaryotic genomes, 884 possess duplicate groEL genes and 770 possess groEL genes with no neighboring groES. It is unclear whether stand-alone groEL requires groES in order to function and, if required, how duplicate groEL genes and unequal groES genes balance their expressions. In Myxococcus xanthus DK1622, we determined that, while duplicate groELs were alternatively deletable, the single groES that clusters with groEL1 was essential for cell survival. Either GroEL1 or GroEL2 required interactions with GroES for in vitro and in vivo functions. Deletion of groEL1 or groEL2 resulted in decreased expressions of both groEL and groES; and ectopic complementation of groEL recovered not only the groEL but also groES expressions. The addition of an extra groES gene upstream groEL2 to form a bicistronic operon had almost no influence on groES expression and the cell survival rate, whereas over-expression of groES using a self-replicating plasmid simultaneously increased the groEL expressions. The results indicated that M. xanthus DK1622 cells coordinate expressions of the duplicate groEL and single groES genes for synergistic functions of GroELs and GroES. We proposed a potential regulation mechanism for the expression coordination.

The Human Cell Atlas.

Science.gov (United States)

Regev, Aviv; Teichmann, Sarah A; Lander, Eric S; Amit, Ido; Benoist, Christophe; Birney, Ewan; Bodenmiller, Bernd; Campbell, Peter; Carninci, Piero; Clatworthy, Menna; Clevers, Hans; Deplancke, Bart; Dunham, Ian; Eberwine, James; Eils, Roland; Enard, Wolfgang; Farmer, Andrew; Fugger, Lars; Göttgens, Berthold; Hacohen, Nir; Haniffa, Muzlifah; Hemberg, Martin; Kim, Seung; Klenerman, Paul; Kriegstein, Arnold; Lein, Ed; Linnarsson, Sten; Lundberg, Emma; Lundeberg, Joakim; Majumder, Partha; Marioni, John C; Merad, Miriam; Mhlanga, Musa; Nawijn, Martijn; Netea, Mihai; Nolan, Garry; Pe'er, Dana; Phillipakis, Anthony; Ponting, Chris P; Quake, Stephen; Reik, Wolf; Rozenblatt-Rosen, Orit; Sanes, Joshua; Satija, Rahul; Schumacher, Ton N; Shalek, Alex; Shapiro, Ehud; Sharma, Padmanee; Shin, Jay W; Stegle, Oliver; Stratton, Michael; Stubbington, Michael J T; Theis, Fabian J; Uhlen, Matthias; van Oudenaarden, Alexander; Wagner, Allon; Watt, Fiona; Weissman, Jonathan; Wold, Barbara; Xavier, Ramnik; Yosef, Nir

2017-12-05

The recent advent of methods for high-throughput single-cell molecular profiling has catalyzed a growing sense in the scientific community that the time is ripe to complete the 150-year-old effort to identify all cell types in the human body. The Human Cell Atlas Project is an international collaborative effort that aims to define all human cell types in terms of distinctive molecular profiles (such as gene expression profiles) and to connect this information with classical cellular descriptions (such as location and morphology). An open comprehensive reference map of the molecular state of cells in healthy human tissues would propel the systematic study of physiological states, developmental trajectories, regulatory circuitry and interactions of cells, and also provide a framework for understanding cellular dysregulation in human disease. Here we describe the idea, its potential utility, early proofs-of-concept, and some design considerations for the Human Cell Atlas, including a commitment to open data, code, and community.

Pdx1 and Ngn3 overexpression enhances pancreatic differentiation of mouse ES cell-derived endoderm population.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Atsushi Kubo

Full Text Available In order to define the molecular mechanisms regulating the specification and differentiation of pancreatic β-islet cells, we investigated the effect of upregulating Pdx1 and Ngn3 during the differentiation of the β-islet-like cells from murine embryonic stem (ES cell-derived activin induced-endoderm. Induced overexpression of Pdx1 resulted in a significant upregulation of insulin (Ins1 and Ins2, and other pancreas-related genes. To enhance the developmental progression from the pancreatic bud to the formation of the endocrine lineages, we induced the overexpression express of Ngn3 together with Pdx1. This combination dramatically increased the level and timing of maximal Ins1 mRNA expression to approximately 100% of that found in the βTC6 insulinoma cell line. Insulin protein and C-peptide expression was confirmed by immunohistochemistry staining. These inductive effects were restricted to c-kit(+ endoderm enriched EB-derived populations suggesting that Pdx1/Ngn3 functions after the specification of pancreatic endoderm. Although insulin secretion was stimulated by various insulin secretagogues, these cells had only limited glucose response. Microarray analysis was used to evaluate the expression of a broad spectrum of pancreatic endocrine cell-related genes as well as genes associated with glucose responses. Taken together, these findings demonstrate the utility of manipulating Pdx1 and Ngn3 expression in a stage-specific manner as an important new strategy for the efficient generation of functionally immature insulin-producing β-islet cells from ES cells.

The human cell atlas

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Regev, Aviv; Teichmann, Sarah A.; Lander, Eric S.

2017-01-01

The recent advent of methods for high-throughput single-cell molecular profiling has catalyzed a growing sense in the scientific community that the time is ripe to complete the 150-year-old effort to identify all cell types in the human body. The Human Cell Atlas Project is an international...... collaborative effort that aims to define all human cell types in terms of distinctive molecular profiles (such as gene expression profiles) and to connect this information with classical cellular descriptions (such as location and morphology). An open comprehensive reference map of the molecular state of cells...... in healthy human tissues would propel the systematic study of physiological states, developmental trajectories, regulatory circuitry and interactions of cells, and also provide a framework for understanding cellular dysregulation in human disease. Here we describe the idea, its potential utility, early...

Transplantation of motoneurons derived from MASH1-transfected mouse ES cells reconstitutes neural networks and improves motor function in hemiplegic mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Ikeda, Ritsuko; Kurokawa, Manae S; Chiba, Shunmei; Yoshikawa, Hideshi; Hashimoto, Takuo; Tadokoro, Mamoru; Suzuki, Noboru

2004-10-01

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were transfected with a MASH1 expression vector and G418-resistant cells were selected. The MASH1-transfected cells became neuron-like appearance and expressed betaIIItubulin and panNCAM. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and galactocerebroside (GalC)-expressing cells were rarely detected. Half of the neural cells differentiated into the Islet1+ motoneuron lineage. Thus, we obtained motoneuron lineage-enriched neuronal cells by transfection of ES cells with MASH1. A hemiplegic model of mice was developed by cryogenic injury of the motor cortex, and motoneuron lineage-enriched neuronal cells were transplanted underneath the injured motor cortex neighboring the periventricular region. The motor function of the recipients was assessed by a beam walking and rotarod tests, whereby the results gradually improved, but little improvement was observed in vehicle injected control mice. We found that the grafted cells not only remained close to the implantation site, but also exhibited substantial migration, penetrating into the damaged lesion in a directed manner up to the cortical region. Grafted neuronal cells that had migrated into the cortex were elongated axon-positive for neurofilament middle chain (NFM). Synaptophysin immunostaining showed a positive staining pattern around the graft, suggesting that the transplanted neurons interacted with the recipient neurons to form a neural network. Our study suggests that the motoneuron lineage can be induced from ES cells, and grafted cells adapt to the host environment and can reconstitute a neural network to improve motor function of a paralyzed limb.

Epigenetic and phenotypic profile of fibroblasts derived from induced pluripotent stem cells.

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Kyle J Hewitt

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS cells offer a novel source of patient-specific cells for regenerative medicine. However, the biological potential of iPS-derived cells and their similarities to cells differentiated from human embryonic stem (hES cells remain unclear. We derived fibroblast-like cells from two hiPS cell lines and show that their phenotypic properties and patterns of DNA methylation were similar to that of mature fibroblasts and to fibroblasts derived from hES cells. iPS-derived fibroblasts (iPDK and their hES-derived counterparts (EDK showed similar cell morphology throughout differentiation, and patterns of gene expression and cell surface markers were characteristic of mature fibroblasts. Array-based methylation analysis was performed for EDK, iPDK and their parental hES and iPS cell lines, and hierarchical clustering revealed that EDK and iPDK had closely-related methylation profiles. DNA methylation analysis of promoter regions associated with extracellular matrix (ECM-production (COL1A1 by iPS- and hESC-derived fibroblasts and fibroblast lineage commitment (PDGFRβ, revealed promoter demethylation linked to their expression, and patterns of transcription and methylation of genes related to the functional properties of mature stromal cells were seen in both hiPS- and hES-derived fibroblasts. iPDK cells also showed functional properties analogous to those of hES-derived and mature fibroblasts, as seen by their capacity to direct the morphogenesis of engineered human skin equivalents. Characterization of the functional behavior of ES- and iPS-derived fibroblasts in engineered 3D tissues demonstrates the utility of this tissue platform to predict the capacity of iPS-derived cells before their therapeutic application.

Estrogen receptor beta-selective agonists stimulate calcium oscillations in human and mouse embryonic stem cell-derived neurons.

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Lili Zhang

2010-07-01

Full Text Available Estrogens are used extensively to treat hot flashes in menopausal women. Some of the beneficial effects of estrogens in hormone therapy on the brain might be due to nongenomic effects in neurons such as the rapid stimulation of calcium oscillations. Most studies have examined the nongenomic effects of estrogen receptors (ER in primary neurons or brain slices from the rodent brain. However, these cells can not be maintained continuously in culture because neurons are post-mitotic. Neurons derived from embryonic stem cells could be a potential continuous, cell-based model to study nongenomic actions of estrogens in neurons if they are responsive to estrogens after differentiation. In this study ER-subtype specific estrogens were used to examine the role of ERalpha and ERbeta on calcium oscillations in neurons derived from human (hES and mouse embryonic stem cells. Unlike the undifferentiated hES cells the differentiated cells expressed neuronal markers, ERbeta, but not ERalpha. The non-selective ER agonist 17beta-estradiol (E(2 rapidly increased [Ca2+]i oscillations and synchronizations within a few minutes. No change in calcium oscillations was observed with the selective ERalpha agonist 4,4',4''-(4-Propyl-[1H]-pyrazole-1,3,5-triyltrisphenol (PPT. In contrast, the selective ERbeta agonists, 2,3-bis(4-Hydroxyphenyl-propionitrile (DPN, MF101, and 2-(3-fluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl-7-vinyl-1,3 benzoxazol-5-ol (ERB-041; WAY-202041 stimulated calcium oscillations similar to E(2. The ERbeta agonists also increased calcium oscillations and phosphorylated PKC, AKT and ERK1/2 in neurons derived from mouse ES cells, which was inhibited by nifedipine demonstrating that ERbeta activates L-type voltage gated calcium channels to regulate neuronal activity. Our results demonstrate that ERbeta signaling regulates nongenomic pathways in neurons derived from ES cells, and suggest that these cells might be useful to study the nongenomic mechanisms of estrogenic compounds.

Identification of human embryonic progenitor cell targeting peptides using phage display.

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Paola A Bignone

Full Text Available Human pluripotent stem (hPS cells are capable of differentiation into derivatives of all three primary embryonic germ layers and can self-renew indefinitely. They therefore offer a potentially scalable source of replacement cells to treat a variety of degenerative diseases. The ability to reprogram adult cells to induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells has now enabled the possibility of patient-specific hPS cells as a source of cells for disease modeling, drug discovery, and potentially, cell replacement therapies. While reprogramming technology has dramatically increased the availability of normal and diseased hPS cell lines for basic research, a major bottleneck is the critical unmet need for more efficient methods of deriving well-defined cell populations from hPS cells. Phage display is a powerful method for selecting affinity ligands that could be used for identifying and potentially purifying a variety of cell types derived from hPS cells. However, identification of specific progenitor cell-binding peptides using phage display may be hindered by the large cellular heterogeneity present in differentiating hPS cell populations. We therefore tested the hypothesis that peptides selected for their ability to bind a clonal cell line derived from hPS cells would bind early progenitor cell types emerging from differentiating hPS cells. The human embryonic stem (hES cell-derived embryonic progenitor cell line, W10, was used and cell-targeting peptides were identified. Competition studies demonstrated specificity of peptide binding to the target cell surface. Efficient peptide targeted cell labeling was accomplished using multivalent peptide-quantum dot complexes as detected by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The cell-binding peptides were selective for differentiated hPS cells, had little or no binding on pluripotent cells, but preferential binding to certain embryonic progenitor cell lines and early endodermal hPS cell derivatives. Taken

Β-amyloid 1-42 oligomers impair function of human embryonic stem cell-derived forebrain cholinergic neurons.

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Linn Wicklund

Full Text Available Cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease (AD patients is associated with a decline in the levels of growth factors, impairment of axonal transport and marked degeneration of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCNs. Neurogenesis persists in the adult human brain, and the stimulation of regenerative processes in the CNS is an attractive prospect for neuroreplacement therapy in neurodegenerative diseases such as AD. Currently, it is still not clear how the pathophysiological environment in the AD brain affects stem cell biology. Previous studies investigating the effects of the β-amyloid (Aβ peptide on neurogenesis have been inconclusive, since both neurogenic and neurotoxic effects on progenitor cell populations have been reported. In this study, we treated pluripotent human embryonic stem (hES cells with nerve growth factor (NGF as well as with fibrillar and oligomeric Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 (nM-µM concentrations and thereafter studied the differentiation in vitro during 28-35 days. The process applied real time quantitative PCR, immunocytochemistry as well as functional studies of intracellular calcium signaling. Treatment with NGF promoted the differentiation into functionally mature BFCNs. In comparison to untreated cells, oligomeric Aβ1-40 increased the number of functional neurons, whereas oligomeric Aβ1-42 suppressed the number of functional neurons. Interestingly, oligomeric Aβ exposure did not influence the number of hES cell-derived neurons compared with untreated cells, while in contrast fibrillar Aβ1-40 and Aβ1-42 induced gliogenesis. These findings indicate that Aβ1-42 oligomers may impair the function of stem cell-derived neurons. We propose that it may be possible for future AD therapies to promote the maturation of functional stem cell-derived neurons by altering the brain microenvironment with trophic support and by targeting different aggregation forms of Aβ.

Brain-specific enhancers for cell-based therapy

Science.gov (United States)

Visel, Axel; Rubenstein, John L.R.; Chen, Ying-Jiun; Pennacchio, Len A.; Vogt, Daniel; Nicholas, Cory; Kriegstein, Arnold

2018-04-24

Herein are described a set of novel specific human enhancers for specific forebrain cell types used to study and select for human neural progenitor cells. This approach enables the ability to generate interneurons from human ES, iPS and iN cells, making them available for human transplantation and for molecular/cellular analyzes. These approaches are also directly applicable to generating other neuronal cell types, such as cortical and striatal projection neurons, which have implications for many human diseases.

A defined and xeno-free culture method enabling the establishment of clinical-grade human embryonic, induced pluripotent and adipose stem cells.

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Kristiina Rajala

2010-04-01

Full Text Available The growth of stem cells in in vitro conditions requires optimal balance between signals mediating cell survival, proliferation, and self-renewal. For clinical application of stem cells, the use of completely defined conditions and elimination of all animal-derived materials from the establishment, culture, and differentiation processes is desirable.Here, we report the development of a fully defined xeno-free medium (RegES, capable of supporting the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESC, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC and adipose stem cells (ASC. We describe the use of the xeno-free medium in the derivation and long-term (>80 passages culture of three pluripotent karyotypically normal hESC lines: Regea 06/015, Regea 07/046, and Regea 08/013. Cardiomyocytes and neural cells differentiated from these cells exhibit features characteristic to these cell types. The same formulation of the xeno-free medium is capable of supporting the undifferentiated growth of iPSCs on human feeder cells. The characteristics of the pluripotent hESC and iPSC lines are comparable to lines derived and cultured in standard undefined culture conditions. In the culture of ASCs, the xeno-free medium provided significantly higher proliferation rates than ASCs cultured in medium containing allogeneic human serum (HS, while maintaining the differentiation potential and characteristic surface marker expression profile of ASCs, although significant differences in the surface marker expression of ASCs cultured in HS and RegES media were revealed.Our results demonstrate that human ESCs, iPSCs and ASCs can be maintained in the same defined xeno-free medium formulation for a prolonged period of time while maintaining their characteristics, demonstrating the applicability of the simplified xeno-free medium formulation for the production of clinical-grade stem cells. The basic xeno-free formulation described herein has the potential to be further optimized for specific

Therapeutic approaches for treating hemophilia A using embryonic stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Kasuda, Shogo; Tatsumi, Kohei; Sakurai, Yoshihiko; Shima, Midori; Hatake, Katsuhiko

2016-06-01

Hemophilia A is an X-linked rescessive bleeding disorder that results from F8 gene aberrations. Previously, we established embryonic stem (ES) cells (tet-226aa/N6-Ainv18) that secrete human factor VIII (hFVIII) by introducing the human F8 gene in mouse Ainv18 ES cells. Here, we explored the potential of cell transplantation therapy for hemophilia A using the ES cells. Transplant tet-226aa/N6-Ainv18 ES cells were injected into the spleens of severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) mice, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-pretreated wild-type mice, and CCl4-pretreated hemophilia A mice. F8 expression was induced by doxycycline in drinking water, and hFVIII-antigen production was assessed in all cell transplantation experiments. Injecting the ES cells into SCID mice resulted in an enhanced expression of the hFVIII antigen; however, teratoma generation was confirmed in the spleen. Transplantation of ES cells into wild-type mice after CCl4-induced liver injury facilitated survival and engraftment of transplanted cells without teratoma formation, resulting in hFVIII production in the plasma. Although CCl4 was lethal to most hemophilia A mice, therapeutic levels of FVIII activity, as well as the hFVIII antigen, were detected in surviving hemophilia A mice after cell transplantation. Immunolocalization results for hFVIII suggested that transplanted ES cells might be engrafted at the periportal area in the liver. Although the development of a safer induction method for liver regeneration is required, our results suggested the potential for developing an effective ES-cell transplantation therapeutic model for treating hemophilia A in the future. Copyright © 2016 King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for human embryonic stem cell research

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Committee on Guidelines for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research; National Research Council; Board on Health Sciences Policy; Institute of Medicine; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Research Council

2005-01-01

.... Given limited federal involvement, privately funded hES cell research has thus far been carried out under a patchwork of existing regulations, many of which were not designed with this research specifically in mind...

Manipulation of the extracellular microenvironment by micro- and nanotechnology approaches to improve the generation of pancreatic endocrine cells from human embryonic stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Camilla Holzmann; Rønn Petersen, Dorthe

) alteration of substrate topography and elasticity (paper 2) and 3) initial seeding and cell distribution (paper 3). With the first strategy an array screen was performed to systematically identify ECM protein coatings, which induced or inhibited the differentiation of hES cells towards DE. Almost 500...... different ECM protein combinations were screened and several candidates were found. The majority of these candidates could be validated in microtitre well plates and further studies demonstrated that certain ECM proteins regulate the differentiation of hES cells towards DE. Netrin 1, collagen 1 and collagen...... characters. The study consisted of an investigation of the differentiation of hES cells towards DE and PE on nanopillars. The nanopillars with soft character were not favoured by hES cells with regards to attachment and growth. However, DE cells appeared earlier during the DE differentiation on the soft...

Defective repair of UV-damaged DNA in human tumor and SV40-transformed human cells but not in adenovirus-transformed human cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rainbow, A.J.

1989-01-01

The DNA repair capacities of five human tumor cell lines, one SV40-transformed human cell line and one adenovirus-transformed human cell line were compared with that of normal human fibroblasts using a sensitive host cell reactivation (HCR) technique. Unirradiated and UV-irradiated suspensions of adenovirus type 2 (Ad 2) were assayed for their ability to form viral structural antigens (Vag) in the various cell types using immunofluorescent staining. The survival of Vag formation for UV-irradiated Ad 2 was significantly reduced in all the human tumor cell lines and the SV40-transformed human line compared to the normal human fibroblasts, but was apparently normal in the adenovirus-transformed human cells. D 0 values for the UV survival of Ad 2 Vag synthesis in the tumor and virally transformed lines expressed as a percentage of that obtained on normal fibroblast strains were used as a measure of DNA repair capacity. Percent HCR values ranged from 26 to 53% in the tumor cells. These results indicate a deficiency in the repair of UV-induced DNA damage associated with human tumorigenesis and the transformation of human cells by SV40 but not the transformation of human cells by adenovirus. (author)

Plantes alimentaires d'intérêt médicinal utilisées par les Pygmées ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

L'usage des plantes dans les thérapies traditionnelles et en alimentation est primordial pour les populations des zones tropicales en général et celles des zones forestières et principalement des Pygmées en particulier. Le présent article contribue à la connaissance des plantes alimentaires d'intérêt médicinal utilisées en ...

The molecule HLA-G: radiosensitivity indicator of a human melanoma cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Michelin, S.C.; Gallegos, C.E.; Dubner, D.L.; Baffa Trasci, S.; Favier, B.; Carosella, E.D.

2010-01-01

The physiological and pathological relevance of the HLA-G molecule (non-classical Human Leukocyte Antigen) has been motif of important research studies. Its distribution is restricted to only few tissues. HLA-G takes part in the implantation after in vitro fecundation, in graft tolerance, in auto-immune diseases, and in tumoral immune escape. Its expression has been demonstrated in more than 30% of tumors of 15 different histological types. Gamma radiation modulates HLA-G expression at the cell surface. However, its involvement in tumoral radiosensitivity has not been demonstrated yet. The objective of this work was to demonstrate if the HLA-G molecule intervenes in the radiosensibility of human melanoma cells cultured in vitro. For this purpose we used the human melanoma cell line M8, which was transfected with the plasmid containing the HLA-G gene (M8 HLA-G+) or with the plasmid alone, without the HLA-G gene (M8 pc DNA). Both cell lines were irradiated with 0, 2, 5 y 10 Gy and in all cases survival frequency was determined with the clonogenic assay. We observed a significant reduction in M8 HLA-G+ survival with respect to M8 pc DNA for all irradiation doses and was independent of doses. These results, if confirmed in other histological types, could postulate the HLA-G molecule as a tumoral radiosensitivity marker. The specific mechanism involved in the radiosensibility modification exerted by HLA-G has not been elucidated yet. (authors) [es

Therapeutic potential of adult stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Serakinci, Nedime; Keith, W. Nicol

2006-01-01

is the necessity to be able to identify, select, expand and manipulate cells outside the body. Recent advances in adult stem cell technologies and basic biology have accelerated therapeutic opportunities aimed at eventual clinical applications. Adult stem cells with the ability to differentiate down multiple...... lineages are an attractive alternative to human embryonic stem cells (hES) in regenerative medicine. In many countries, present legislation surrounding hES cells makes their use problematic, and indeed the origin of hES cells may represent a controversial issue for many communities. However, adult stem...... cells are not subject to these issues. This review will therefore focus on adult stem cells. Based on their extensive differentiation potential and, in some cases, the relative ease of their isolation, adult stem cells are appropriate for clinical development. Recently, several observations suggest...

Genome engineering in human cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Song, Minjung; Kim, Young-Hoon; Kim, Jin-Soo; Kim, Hyongbum

2014-01-01

Genome editing in human cells is of great value in research, medicine, and biotechnology. Programmable nucleases including zinc-finger nucleases, transcription activator-like effector nucleases, and RNA-guided engineered nucleases recognize a specific target sequence and make a double-strand break at that site, which can result in gene disruption, gene insertion, gene correction, or chromosomal rearrangements. The target sequence complexities of these programmable nucleases are higher than 3.2 mega base pairs, the size of the haploid human genome. Here, we briefly introduce the structure of the human genome and the characteristics of each programmable nuclease, and review their applications in human cells including pluripotent stem cells. In addition, we discuss various delivery methods for nucleases, programmable nickases, and enrichment of gene-edited human cells, all of which facilitate efficient and precise genome editing in human cells.

Plasma membrane proteomics of human embryonic stem cells and human embryonal carcinoma cells.

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dormeyer, W.; van Hoof, D.; Braam, S.R.; Heck, A.J.R.; Mummery, C.L.; Krijgsveld, J.

2008-01-01

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are of immense interest in regenerative medicine as they can self-renew indefinitely and can give rise to any adult cell type. Human embryonal carcinoma cells (hECCs) are the malignant counterparts of hESCs found in testis tumors. hESCs that have acquired

Ethical and regulatory aspects of embryonic stem cell research.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Kewal K

2002-12-01

Ethical and regulatory issues concerning embryonic stem (ES) cell research are reviewed here a year after the controversy became a public and political issue in the US. The background of various issues are examined and the current regulations in various countries are reviewed. In the US, the debate is linked with abortion, as well as the status of a fetus as a human being, and is politically driven. Obtaining stem cells from embryonic tissues involves destruction of the embryo, to which objections are raised. Religious beliefs are examined and no serious impediments to ES cell research could be identified. Regulations vary from one country to another and it is unlikely that there will ever be any universally uniform ethical and regulatory standards for ES cell research. Currently, the most liberal and favourable environments for ES cell research are in the UK, Singapore, Sweden, India, Israel and China. Unless the US liberalises ES cell research, it may lose its lead in ES cell research and investments in this area may drift to countries with better environments for research. Suggestions are offered in this review to improve the ethical environment for ES cell research.

Improved cell therapy protocols for Parkinson's disease based on differentiation efficiency and safety of hESC-, hiPSC-, and non-human primate iPSC-derived dopaminergic neurons

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sundberg, Maria; Bogetofte, Helle; Lawson, Tristan

2013-01-01

of safety and efficacy of stem cell-derived DA neurons. The aim of this study was to improve the safety of human- and non-human primate iPSC (PiPSC)-derived DA neurons. According to our results, NCAM(+) /CD29(low) sorting enriched VM DA neurons from pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cell populations......The main motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease are due to the loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the ventral midbrain (VM). For the future treatment of Parkinson's disease with cell transplantation it is important to develop efficient differentiation methods for production of human iPSCs and h......ESCs-derived midbrain-type DA neurons. Here we describe an efficient differentiation and sorting strategy for DA neurons from both human ES/iPS cells and non-human primate iPSCs. The use of non-human primate iPSCs for neuronal differentiation and autologous transplantation is important for preclinical evaluation...

Differential T-cell recognition of native and recombinant Mycobacterium tuberculosis GroES

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rosenkrands, I; Weldingh, K; Ravn, P

1999-01-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis GroES was purified from culture filtrate, and its identity was confirmed by immunoblot analysis and N-terminal sequencing. Comparing the immunological recognition of native and recombinant GroES, we found that whereas native GroES elicited a strong proliferative response...

In Situ Vitrification Engineering-Scale Test ES-INEL-4, ES-INEL-5, ES-INEL-6, and ES-INEL-7 Test Plan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weidner, J.R.; Stoots, P.R.

1990-10-01

The In Situ Vitrification Engineering-Scale Tests ES-4, ES-5, ES-6, and ES-7 Product Characterization Test Plan describes the methods and procedures to be used or the physical and chemical characterization of the solid product(s) resulting from the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory engineering scale in situ vitrification tests ES-4, ES-5, ES-6, and ES-7. The goals of this Test Plan are to insure that the product characterization results are sufficient to meet the data needs of the In Situ Vitrification Program and are technically and legally defensible. Important issues addressed by the test plan include sampling and analysis strategy, sampling procedures, laboratory analysis, sample control and document management, equipment, data reporting and validation, quality assurance, specific routine procedures to assess data representativeness, safety and training program, and data management. 9 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

In vitro culture of bovine embryos in murine ES cell conditioned media negatively affects expression of pluripotency-related markers OCT4, SOX2 and SSEA1.

Science.gov (United States)

Oliveira, C S; de Souza, M M; Saraiva, N Z; Tetzner, T A D; Lima, M R; Lopes, F L; Garcia, J M

2012-06-01

Despite extensive efforts, establishment of bovine embryonic stem (ES) cell lines has not been successful. We hypothesized that culture conditions for in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos, the most used source of inner cell mass (ICM) to obtain ES cells, might affect their undifferentiated state. Therefore, the aim of this work was to improve pluripotency of IVP blastocysts to produce suitable ICM for further culturing. We tested KSR and foetal calf serum (FCS) supplements in SOF medium and ES cell conditioned medium (CM) on IVC (groups: KSR, KSR CM, FCS and FCS CM). Cleavage and blastocyst rates were similar between all groups. Also, embryonic quality, assessed by apoptosis rates (TUNEL assay), total cell number and ICM percentage did not differ between experimental groups. However, expression of pluripotency-related markers was affected. We detected down-regulation of OCT3/4, SOX2 and SSEA1 in ICM of FCS CM blastocysts (p < 0.05). SOX2 gene expression revealed lower levels (p < 0.05) on KSR CM blastocysts and a remarkable variation in SOX2 mRNA levels on FCS-supplemented blastocysts. In conclusion, pluripotency-related markers tend to decrease after supplementation with ES cell CM, suggesting different mechanisms regulating mouse and bovine pluripotency. KSR supplementation did not differ from FCS, but FCS replacement by KSR may produce blastocysts with stable SOX2 gene expression levels. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Derivation and characterization of monkey embryonic stem cells

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Wolf Don P

2004-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Embryonic stem (ES cell based therapy carries great potential in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, before clinical application is realized, the safety, efficacy and feasibility of this therapeutic approach must be established in animal models. The rhesus macaque is physiologically and phylogenetically similar to the human, and therefore, is a clinically relevant animal model for biomedical research, especially that focused on neurodegenerative conditions. Undifferentiated monkey ES cells can be maintained in a pluripotent state for many passages, as characterized by a collective repertoire of markers representing embryonic cell surface molecules, enzymes and transcriptional factors. They can also be differentiated into lineage-specific phenotypes of all three embryonic germ layers by epigenetic protocols. For cell-based therapy, however, the quality of ES cells and their progeny must be ensured during the process of ES cell propagation and differentiation. While only a limited number of primate ES cell lines have been studied, it is likely that substantial inter-line variability exists. This implies that diverse ES cell lines may differ in developmental stages, lineage commitment, karyotypic normalcy, gene expression, or differentiation potential. These variables, inherited genetically and/or induced epigenetically, carry obvious complications to therapeutic applications. Our laboratory has characterized and isolated rhesus monkey ES cell lines from in vitro produced blastocysts. All tested cell lines carry the potential to form pluripotent embryoid bodies and nestin-positive progenitor cells. These ES cell progeny can be differentiated into phenotypes representing the endodermal, mesodermal and ectodermal lineages. This review article describes the derivation of monkey ES cell lines, characterization of the undifferentiated phenotype, and their differentiation into lineage-specific, particularly neural, phenotypes

In vitro study of cell differentiation by two type mouse embryo stem cells on mono- and multilayer nanocarbon tubes

Science.gov (United States)

Imai, Koichi; Akasaka, Tsukasa; Watari, Fumio; Tanoue, Akito; Nakamura, Kazuaki; Suese, Kazuhiko; Takashima, Hiromasa; Nishikawa, Tetsunari; Tanaka, Akio; Takeda, Shoji

2012-09-01

The effects of nanomaterials on human reproduction and development remain unknown. The risks of nanomaterials for future generations should be elucidated. Thus, it is important to establish an experimental method to accurately examine embryotoxicity. We previously investigated the myocardial cell differentiation of ES-D3 cells using monolayer (SWCNTs) and multilayer (MWCNTs) nanocarbon tubes. As a result, in spite of having the same carbon composition, the effects on the cell differentiation levels differed between the tubes. We investigated their cell differentiation and cytotoxic effects on EL M3 and ES-R1-EGFP B2/EGFP cells, which require feeder cells. As a result, myocardial pulse rates differed between the presence of SWCNTs and MWCNTs even when feeder cells existed between the samples and cells. The different surface structures of SWCNTs and MWCNTs may have influenced ES cell differentiation.

Comparison of American mink embryonic stem and induced pluripotent stem cell transcriptomes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Menzorov, Aleksei G; Matveeva, Natalia M.; Markakis, Marios Nektarios

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND: Recently fibroblasts of many mammalian species have been reprogrammed to pluripotent state using overexpression of several transcription factors. This technology allows production of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells with properties similar to embryonic stem (ES) cells....... The completeness of reprogramming process is well studied in such species as mouse and human but there is not enough data on other species. We produced American mink (Neovison vison) ES and iPS cells and compared these cells using transcriptome analysis. RESULTS: We report the generation of 10 mink ES and 22 i......PS cell lines. The majority of the analyzed cell lines had normal diploid chromosome number. The only ES cell line with XX chromosome set had both X-chromosomes in active state that is characteristic of pluripotent cells. The pluripotency of ES and iPS cell lines was confirmed by formation of teratomas...

Heterogeneity in radiosensitivity within esophageal cell line CaEs-17 and amplification of H-ras gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Shunbao; Guo Lei; Niu Wenzhe

1997-01-01

Ten clones were picked from cultured colonies of CaEs-17 cell line and developed to a subcell line. The values of SF 2 were measured for each subcell line. Two radioresistant subcell lines, clone 7 and clone 10 were established. According to survival curve assay, for wild type, the value of D 0 was 1.57 Gy, D Q was 1.07 Gy, N was 1.96, SF 2 was 0.41. For clone 7, the value of D 0 was 1.64 Gy, D Q was 1.85 Gy, N was 3.07, SF 2 was 0.53. For clone 10, the value of D 0 was 1.58 Gy, D Q was 2.04 Gy, N was 3.63, SF 2 was 0.61. Clone 7 and clone 10 have much higher values of D Q and N than those of wild type. There was amplification of H-ras gene in clone 10 after 2 Gy irradiation. The amplification of H-ras gene in clone 10 after 2 Gy irradiation might be involved in hetero geneity of CaEs-17 cell line

Immunosuppressive Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Induce Human Regulatory T Cells In Vitro and In Vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Roux, Clémence; Saviane, Gaëlle; Pini, Jonathan; Belaïd, Nourhène; Dhib, Gihen; Voha, Christine; Ibáñez, Lidia; Boutin, Antoine; Mazure, Nathalie M; Wakkach, Abdelilah; Blin-Wakkach, Claudine; Rouleau, Matthieu

2017-01-01

Despite mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are considered as a promising source of cells to modulate immune functions on cells from innate and adaptive immune systems, their clinical use remains restricted (few number, limited in vitro expansion, absence of a full phenotypic characterization, few insights on their in vivo fate). Standardized MSCs derived in vitro from human-induced pluripotent stem (huIPS) cells, remediating part of these issues, are considered as well as a valuable tool for therapeutic approaches, but their functions remained to be fully characterized. We generated multipotent MSCs derived from huiPS cells (huiPS-MSCs), and focusing on their immunosuppressive activity, we showed that human T-cell activation in coculture with huiPS-MSCs was significantly reduced. We also observed the generation of functional CD4 + FoxP3 + regulatory T (Treg) cells. Further tested in vivo in a model of human T-cell expansion in immune-deficient NSG mice, huiPS-MSCs immunosuppressive activity prevented the circulation and the accumulation of activated human T cells. Intracytoplasmic labeling of cytokines produced by the recovered T cells showed reduced percentages of human-differentiated T cells producing Th1 inflammatory cytokines. By contrast, T cells producing IL-10 and FoxP3 + -Treg cells, absent in non-treated animals, were detected in huiPS-MSCs treated mice. For the first time, these results highlight the immunosuppressive activity of the huiPS-MSCs on human T-cell stimulation with a concomitant generation of human Treg cells in vivo . They may favor the development of new tools and strategies based on the use of huiPS cells and their derivatives for the induction of immune tolerance.

Immunosuppressive Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Derived from Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Induce Human Regulatory T Cells In Vitro and In Vivo

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clémence Roux

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Despite mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs are considered as a promising source of cells to modulate immune functions on cells from innate and adaptive immune systems, their clinical use remains restricted (few number, limited in vitro expansion, absence of a full phenotypic characterization, few insights on their in vivo fate. Standardized MSCs derived in vitro from human-induced pluripotent stem (huIPS cells, remediating part of these issues, are considered as well as a valuable tool for therapeutic approaches, but their functions remained to be fully characterized. We generated multipotent MSCs derived from huiPS cells (huiPS-MSCs, and focusing on their immunosuppressive activity, we showed that human T-cell activation in coculture with huiPS-MSCs was significantly reduced. We also observed the generation of functional CD4+ FoxP3+ regulatory T (Treg cells. Further tested in vivo in a model of human T-cell expansion in immune-deficient NSG mice, huiPS-MSCs immunosuppressive activity prevented the circulation and the accumulation of activated human T cells. Intracytoplasmic labeling of cytokines produced by the recovered T cells showed reduced percentages of human-differentiated T cells producing Th1 inflammatory cytokines. By contrast, T cells producing IL-10 and FoxP3+-Treg cells, absent in non-treated animals, were detected in huiPS-MSCs treated mice. For the first time, these results highlight the immunosuppressive activity of the huiPS-MSCs on human T-cell stimulation with a concomitant generation of human Treg cells in vivo. They may favor the development of new tools and strategies based on the use of huiPS cells and their derivatives for the induction of immune tolerance.

Alloimmune Responses of Humanized Mice to Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Therapeutics

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Nigel G. Kooreman

2017-08-01

Full Text Available There is growing interest in using embryonic stem cell (ESC and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC derivatives for tissue regeneration. However, an increased understanding of human immune responses to stem cell-derived allografts is necessary for maintaining long-term graft persistence. To model this alloimmunity, humanized mice engrafted with human hematopoietic and immune cells could prove to be useful. In this study, an in-depth analysis of graft-infiltrating human lymphocytes and splenocytes revealed that humanized mice incompletely model human immune responses toward allogeneic stem cells and their derivatives. Furthermore, using an “allogenized” mouse model, we show the feasibility of reconstituting immunodeficient mice with a functional mouse immune system and describe a key role of innate immune cells in the rejection of mouse stem cell allografts.

Trophoblast lineage cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Ying; Wang, Kai; Chandramouli, Gadisetti V.R.; Knott, Jason G.; Leach, Richard

2013-01-01

Highlights: •Epithelial-like phenotype of trophoblast lineage cells derived from human iPS cells. •Trophoblast lineage cells derived from human iPS cells exhibit trophoblast function. •Trophoblasts from iPS cells provides a proof-of-concept in regenerative medicine. -- Abstract: Background: During implantation, the blastocyst trophectoderm attaches to the endometrial epithelium and continues to differentiate into all trophoblast subtypes, which are the major components of a placenta. Aberrant trophoblast proliferation and differentiation are associated with placental diseases. However, due to ethical and practical issues, there is almost no available cell or tissue source to study the molecular mechanism of human trophoblast differentiation, which further becomes a barrier to the study of the pathogenesis of trophoblast-associated diseases of pregnancy. In this study, our goal was to generate a proof-of-concept model for deriving trophoblast lineage cells from induced pluripotency stem (iPS) cells from human fibroblasts. In future studies the generation of trophoblast lineage cells from iPS cells established from patient’s placenta will be extremely useful for studying the pathogenesis of individual trophoblast-associated diseases and for drug testing. Methods and results: Combining iPS cell technology with BMP4 induction, we derived trophoblast lineage cells from human iPS cells. The gene expression profile of these trophoblast lineage cells was distinct from fibroblasts and iPS cells. These cells expressed markers of human trophoblasts. Furthermore, when these cells were differentiated they exhibited invasive capacity and placental hormone secretive capacity, suggesting extravillous trophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts. Conclusion: Trophoblast lineage cells can be successfully derived from human iPS cells, which provide a proof-of-concept tool to recapitulate pathogenesis of patient placental trophoblasts in vitro

Trophoblast lineage cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Ying, E-mail: ying.chen@hc.msu.edu [Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, 333 Bostwick NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (United States); Wang, Kai; Chandramouli, Gadisetti V.R. [Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, 333 Bostwick NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (United States); Knott, Jason G. [Developmental Epigenetics Laboratory, Department of Animal Science, Michigan State University (United States); Leach, Richard, E-mail: Richard.leach@hc.msu.edu [Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Biology, Michigan State University, 333 Bostwick NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 (United States); Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health, Spectrum Health Medical Group (United States)

2013-07-12

Highlights: •Epithelial-like phenotype of trophoblast lineage cells derived from human iPS cells. •Trophoblast lineage cells derived from human iPS cells exhibit trophoblast function. •Trophoblasts from iPS cells provides a proof-of-concept in regenerative medicine. -- Abstract: Background: During implantation, the blastocyst trophectoderm attaches to the endometrial epithelium and continues to differentiate into all trophoblast subtypes, which are the major components of a placenta. Aberrant trophoblast proliferation and differentiation are associated with placental diseases. However, due to ethical and practical issues, there is almost no available cell or tissue source to study the molecular mechanism of human trophoblast differentiation, which further becomes a barrier to the study of the pathogenesis of trophoblast-associated diseases of pregnancy. In this study, our goal was to generate a proof-of-concept model for deriving trophoblast lineage cells from induced pluripotency stem (iPS) cells from human fibroblasts. In future studies the generation of trophoblast lineage cells from iPS cells established from patient’s placenta will be extremely useful for studying the pathogenesis of individual trophoblast-associated diseases and for drug testing. Methods and results: Combining iPS cell technology with BMP4 induction, we derived trophoblast lineage cells from human iPS cells. The gene expression profile of these trophoblast lineage cells was distinct from fibroblasts and iPS cells. These cells expressed markers of human trophoblasts. Furthermore, when these cells were differentiated they exhibited invasive capacity and placental hormone secretive capacity, suggesting extravillous trophoblasts and syncytiotrophoblasts. Conclusion: Trophoblast lineage cells can be successfully derived from human iPS cells, which provide a proof-of-concept tool to recapitulate pathogenesis of patient placental trophoblasts in vitro.

Plasticity of spermatogonial stem cells

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Paul S Cooke

2015-06-01

Full Text Available There have been significant breakthroughs over the past decade in the development and use of pluripotent stem cells as a potential source of cells for applications in regenerative medicine. It is likely that this methodology will begin to play an important role in human clinical medicine in the years to come. This review describes the plasticity of one type of pluripotent cell, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs, and their potential therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine and male infertility. Normally, SSCs give rise to sperm when in the testis. However, both human and murine SSCs can give rise to cells with embryonic stem (ES cell-like characteristics that can be directed to differentiate into tissues of all three embryonic germ layers when placed in an appropriate inductive microenvironment, which is in contrast to other postnatal stem cells. Previous studies have reported that SSCs expressed an intermediate pluripotent phenotype before differentiating into a specific cell type and that extended culture was necessary for this to occur. However, recent studies from our group using a tissue recombination model demonstrated that SSCs differentiated rapidly into another tissue, in this case, prostatic epithelium, without expression of pluripotent ES cell markers before differentiation. These results suggest that SSCs are capable of directly differentiating into other cell types without going through an intermediate ES cell-like stage. Because SSCs do not require reprogramming to achieve a pluripotent state, they are an attractive source of pluripotent cells for use in regenerative medicine.

Formation of human hepatocyte-like cells with different cellular phenotypes by human umbilical cord blood-derived cells in the human-rat chimeras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sun, Yan; Xiao, Dong; Zhang, Ruo-Shuang; Cui, Guang-Hui; Wang, Xin-Hua; Chen, Xi-Gu

2007-01-01

We took advantage of the proliferative and permissive environment of the developing pre-immune fetus to develop a noninjury human-rat xenograft small animal model, in which the in utero transplantation of low-density mononuclear cells (MNCs) from human umbilical cord blood (hUCB) into fetal rats at 9-11 days of gestation led to the formation of human hepatocyte-like cells (hHLCs) with different cellular phenotypes, as revealed by positive immunostaining for human-specific alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), cytokeratin 19 (CK19), cytokeratin 8 (CK8), cytokeratin 18 (CK18), and albumin (Alb), and with some animals exhibiting levels as high as 10.7% of donor-derived human cells in the recipient liver. More interestingly, donor-derived human cells stained positively for CD34 and CD45 in the liver of 2-month-old rat. Human hepatic differentiation appeared to partially follow the process of hepatic ontogeny, as evidenced by the expression of AFP gene at an early stage and albumin gene at a later stage. Human hepatocytes generated in this model retained functional properties of normal hepatocytes. In this xenogeneic system, the engrafted donor-derived human cells persisted in the recipient liver for at least 6 months after birth. Taken together, these findings suggest that the donor-derived human cells with different cellular phenotypes are found in the recipient liver and hHLCs hold biological activity. This humanized small animal model, which offers an in vivo environment more closely resembling the situations in human, provides an invaluable approach for in vivo investigating human stem cell behaviors, and further in vivo examining fundamental mechanisms controlling human stem cell fates in the future

c-Myc-Dependent Cell Competition in Human Cancer Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Patel, Manish S; Shah, Heta S; Shrivastava, Neeta

2017-07-01

Cell Competition is an interaction between cells for existence in heterogeneous cell populations of multicellular organisms. This phenomenon is involved in initiation and progression of cancer where heterogeneous cell populations compete directly or indirectly for the survival of the fittest based on differential gene expression. In Drosophila, cells having lower dMyc expression are eliminated by cell competition through apoptosis when present in the milieu of cells having higher dMyc expression. Thus, we designed a study to develop c-Myc (human homolog) dependent in vitro cell competition model of human cancer cells. Cells with higher c-Myc were transfected with c-myc shRNA to prepare cells with lower c-Myc and then co-cultured with the same type of cells having a higher c-Myc in equal ratio. Cells with lower c-Myc showed a significant decrease in numbers when compared with higher c-Myc cells, suggesting "loser" and "winner" status of cells, respectively. During microscopy, engulfment of loser cells by winner cells was observed with higher expression of JNK in loser cells. Furthermore, elimination of loser cells was prevented significantly, when co-cultured cells were treated with the JNK (apoptosis) inhibitor. Above results indicate elimination of loser cells in the presence of winner cells by c-Myc-dependent mechanisms of cell competition in human cancer cells. This could be an important mechanism in human tumors where normal cells are eliminated by c-Myc-overexpressed tumor cells. J. Cell. Biochem. 118: 1782-1791, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived models to investigate human cytomegalovirus infection in neural cells.

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Leonardo D'Aiuto

Full Text Available Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV infection is one of the leading prenatal causes of congenital mental retardation and deformities world-wide. Access to cultured human neuronal lineages, necessary to understand the species specific pathogenic effects of HCMV, has been limited by difficulties in sustaining primary human neuronal cultures. Human induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells now provide an opportunity for such research. We derived iPS cells from human adult fibroblasts and induced neural lineages to investigate their susceptibility to infection with HCMV strain Ad169. Analysis of iPS cells, iPS-derived neural stem cells (NSCs, neural progenitor cells (NPCs and neurons suggests that (i iPS cells are not permissive to HCMV infection, i.e., they do not permit a full viral replication cycle; (ii Neural stem cells have impaired differentiation when infected by HCMV; (iii NPCs are fully permissive for HCMV infection; altered expression of genes related to neural metabolism or neuronal differentiation is also observed; (iv most iPS-derived neurons are not permissive to HCMV infection; and (v infected neurons have impaired calcium influx in response to glutamate.

Natural(es) remisión de V. ciencias natural(es).

OpenAIRE

2011-01-01

[ES] Definición del término Natural(es) remisión de V. ciencias natural(es). en el diccionario Dicter. [EN] Definition of the word Natural(es) remisión de V. ciencias natural(es). in the dictionary Dicter.

Establishment of Human Neural Progenitor Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells with Diverse Tissue Origins

OpenAIRE

Hayato Fukusumi; Tomoko Shofuda; Yohei Bamba; Atsuyo Yamamoto; Daisuke Kanematsu; Yukako Handa; Keisuke Okita; Masaya Nakamura; Shinya Yamanaka; Hideyuki Okano; Yonehiro Kanemura

2016-01-01

Human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs) have previously been generated from limited numbers of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) clones. Here, 21 hiPSC clones derived from human dermal fibroblasts, cord blood cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were differentiated using two neural induction methods, an embryoid body (EB) formation-based method and an EB formation method using dual SMAD inhibitors (dSMADi). Our results showed that expandable hNPCs could be generated from hiPS...

Tracking the mechanical dynamics of human embryonic stem cell chromatin

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Hinde Elizabeth

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background A plastic chromatin structure has emerged as fundamental to the self-renewal and pluripotent capacity of embryonic stem (ES cells. Direct measurement of chromatin dynamics in vivo is, however, challenging as high spatiotemporal resolution is required. Here, we present a new tracking-based method which can detect high frequency chromatin movement and quantify the mechanical dynamics of chromatin in live cells. Results We use this method to study how the mechanical properties of chromatin movement in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs are modulated spatiotemporally during differentiation into cardiomyocytes (CM. Notably, we find that pluripotency is associated with a highly discrete, energy-dependent frequency of chromatin movement that we refer to as a ‘breathing’ state. We find that this ‘breathing’ state is strictly dependent on the metabolic state of the cell and is progressively silenced during differentiation. Conclusions We thus propose that the measured chromatin high frequency movements in hESCs may represent a hallmark of pluripotency and serve as a mechanism to maintain the genome in a transcriptionally accessible state. This is a result that could not have been observed without the high spatial and temporal resolution provided by this novel tracking method.

The human airway epithelial basal cell transcriptome.

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Neil R Hackett

2011-05-01

Full Text Available The human airway epithelium consists of 4 major cell types: ciliated, secretory, columnar and basal cells. During natural turnover and in response to injury, the airway basal cells function as stem/progenitor cells for the other airway cell types. The objective of this study is to better understand human airway epithelial basal cell biology by defining the gene expression signature of this cell population.Bronchial brushing was used to obtain airway epithelium from healthy nonsmokers. Microarrays were used to assess the transcriptome of basal cells purified from the airway epithelium in comparison to the transcriptome of the differentiated airway epithelium. This analysis identified the "human airway basal cell signature" as 1,161 unique genes with >5-fold higher expression level in basal cells compared to differentiated epithelium. The basal cell signature was suppressed when the basal cells differentiated into a ciliated airway epithelium in vitro. The basal cell signature displayed overlap with genes expressed in basal-like cells from other human tissues and with that of murine airway basal cells. Consistent with self-modulation as well as signaling to other airway cell types, the human airway basal cell signature was characterized by genes encoding extracellular matrix components, growth factors and growth factor receptors, including genes related to the EGF and VEGF pathways. Interestingly, while the basal cell signature overlaps that of basal-like cells of other organs, the human airway basal cell signature has features not previously associated with this cell type, including a unique pattern of genes encoding extracellular matrix components, G protein-coupled receptors, neuroactive ligands and receptors, and ion channels.The human airway epithelial basal cell signature identified in the present study provides novel insights into the molecular phenotype and biology of the stem/progenitor cells of the human airway epithelium.

Secreted cerberus1 as a marker for quantification of definitive endoderm differentiation of the pluripotent stem cells.

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Hidefumi Iwashita

Full Text Available To date, CXCR4 and E-cadherin double-positive cells detected by flow cytometry have been used to identify the differentiation of embryonic stem (ES cells or induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells into definitive endoderm (DE lineages. Quantification of DE differentiation from ES/iPS cells by using flow cytometry is a multi-step procedure including dissociation of the cells, antibody reaction, and flow cytometry analysis. To establish a quick assay method for quantification of ES/iPS cell differentiation into the DE without dissociating the cells, we examined whether secreted Cerberus1 (Cer1 protein could be used as a marker. Cer1 is a secreted protein expressed first in the anterior visceral endoderm and then in the DE. The amount of Cer1 secreted correlated with the proportion of CXCR4+/E-Cadherin+ cells that differentiated from mouse ES cells. In addition, we found that human iPS cell-derived DE also expressed the secreted CER1 and that the expression level correlated with the proportion of SOX17+/FOXA2+ cells present. Taken together, these results show that Cer1 (or CER1 serves as a good marker for quantification of DE differentiation of mouse and human ES/iPS cells.

Development and function of human innate immune cells in a humanized mouse model.

Science.gov (United States)

Rongvaux, Anthony; Willinger, Tim; Martinek, Jan; Strowig, Till; Gearty, Sofia V; Teichmann, Lino L; Saito, Yasuyuki; Marches, Florentina; Halene, Stephanie; Palucka, A Karolina; Manz, Markus G; Flavell, Richard A

2014-04-01

Mice repopulated with human hematopoietic cells are a powerful tool for the study of human hematopoiesis and immune function in vivo. However, existing humanized mouse models cannot support development of human innate immune cells, including myeloid cells and natural killer (NK) cells. Here we describe two mouse strains called MITRG and MISTRG, in which human versions of four genes encoding cytokines important for innate immune cell development are knocked into their respective mouse loci. The human cytokines support the development and function of monocytes, macrophages and NK cells derived from human fetal liver or adult CD34(+) progenitor cells injected into the mice. Human macrophages infiltrated a human tumor xenograft in MITRG and MISTRG mice in a manner resembling that observed in tumors obtained from human patients. This humanized mouse model may be used to model the human immune system in scenarios of health and pathology, and may enable evaluation of therapeutic candidates in an in vivo setting relevant to human physiology.

Defining differentially methylated regions specific for the acquisition of pluripotency and maintenance in human pluripotent stem cells via microarray.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

WenYin He

Full Text Available Epigenetic regulation is critical for the maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells. It has been shown that pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, appear to have a hypermethylated status compared with differentiated cells. However, the epigenetic differences in genes that maintain stemness and regulate reprogramming between embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells remain unclear. Additionally, differential methylation patterns of induced pluripotent stem cells generated using diverse methods require further study.Here, we determined the DNA methylation profiles of 10 human cell lines, including 2 ESC lines, 4 virally derived iPSC lines, 2 episomally derived iPSC lines, and the 2 parental cell lines from which the iPSCs were derived using Illumina's Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. The iPSCs exhibited a hypermethylation status similar to that of ESCs but with distinct differences from the parental cells. Genes with a common methylation pattern between iPSCs and ESCs were classified as critical factors for stemness, whereas differences between iPSCs and ESCs suggested that iPSCs partly retained the parental characteristics and gained de novo methylation aberrances during cellular reprogramming. No significant differences were identified between virally and episomally derived iPSCs. This study determined in detail the de novo differential methylation signatures of particular stem cell lines.This study describes the DNA methylation profiles of human iPSCs generated using both viral and episomal methods, the corresponding somatic cells, and hESCs. Series of ss-DMRs and ES-iPS-DMRs were defined with high resolution. Knowledge of this type of epigenetic information could be used as a signature for stemness and self-renewal and provides a potential method for selecting optimal pluripotent stem cells for human regenerative medicine.

Human monoclonal antibodies reactive with human myelomonocytic leukemia cells.

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Posner, M R; Santos, D J; Elboim, H S; Tumber, M B; Frackelton, A R

1989-04-01

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), in remission, were depleted of CD8-positive T-cells and cultured with Epstein-Barr virus. Four of 20 cultures (20%) secreted human IgG antibodies selectively reactive with the cell surfaces of certain human leukemia cell lines. Three polyclonal, Epstein-Barr virus-transformed, B-cell lines were expanded and fused with the human-mouse myeloma analogue HMMA2.11TG/O. Antibody from secreting clones HL 1.2 (IgG1), HL 2.1 (IgG3), and HL 3.1 (IgG1) have been characterized. All three react with HL-60 (promyelocytic), RWLeu4 (CML promyelocytic), and U937 (monocytic), but not with KG-1 (myeloblastic) or K562 (CML erythroid). There is no reactivity with T-cell lines, Burkitt's cell lines, pre-B-leukemia cell lines, or an undifferentiated CML cell line, BV173. Leukemic cells from two of seven patients with acute myelogenous leukemia and one of five with acute lymphocytic leukemia react with all three antibodies. Normal lymphocytes, monocytes, polymorphonuclear cells, red blood cells, bone marrow cells, and platelets do not react. Samples from patients with other diverse hematopoietic malignancies showed no reactivity. Immunoprecipitations suggest that the reactive antigen(s) is a lactoperoxidase iodinatable series of cell surface proteins with molecular weights of 42,000-54,000 and a noniodinatable protein with a molecular weight of 82,000. Based on these data these human monoclonal antibodies appear to react with myelomonocytic leukemic cells and may detect a leukemia-specific antigen or a highly restricted differentiation antigen.

Long-term effects of intratracheally instilled 253EsCl3 in rats

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ballou, J.E.; Dagle, G.E.; Morrow, W.

1975-01-01

ts administered 253 EsCl 3 by intratracheal instillation developed more bone tumors and fewer lung tumors than similar rats administered 239 Pu(NO 3 ) 4 . In explanation, it is suggested that 253 Es may irradiatete bone surface cells more effectively while 239 Pu may irradiate a greater total number of cells in the lung. (U.S.)

Generation of hematopoietic stem cells from human embryonic stem cells using a defined, stepwise, serum-free, and serum replacement-free monolayer culture method.

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Kim, So-Jung; Jung, Ji-Won; Ha, Hye-Yeong; Koo, Soo Kyung; Kim, Eung-Gook; Kim, Jung-Hyun

2017-03-01

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) can be expanded infinitely in vitro and have the potential to differentiate into hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs); thus, they are considered a useful source of cells for HSC production. Although several technical in vitro methods for engineering HSCs from pluripotent stem cells have been developed, clinical application of HSCs engineered from pluripotent stem cells is restricted because of the possibility of xenogeneic contamination resulting from the use of murine materials. Human ESCs (CHA-hES15) were cultured on growth factor-reduced Matrigel-coated dishes in the mTeSR1 serum-free medium. When the cells were 70% confluent, we initiated HSC differentiation by three methods involving (1) knockout serum replacement (KSR), cytokines, TGFb1, EPO, and FLT3L; (2) KSR, cytokines, and bFGF; or (3) cytokines and bFGF. Among the three differentiation methods, the minimal number of cytokines without KSR resulted in the greatest production of HSCs. The optimized method resulted in a higher proportion of CD34 + CD43 + hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and CD34 + CD45 + HPCs compared to the other methods. In addition, the HSCs showed the potential to differentiate into multiple lineages of hematopoietic cells in vitro . In this study, we optimized a two-step, serum-free, animal protein-free, KSR-free, feeder-free, chemically defined monolayer culture method for generation of HSCs and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from human ESCs.

Human regulatory B cells control the TFH cell response.

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Achour, Achouak; Simon, Quentin; Mohr, Audrey; Séité, Jean-François; Youinou, Pierre; Bendaoud, Boutahar; Ghedira, Ibtissem; Pers, Jacques-Olivier; Jamin, Christophe

2017-07-01

Follicular helper T (T FH ) cells support terminal B-cell differentiation. Human regulatory B (Breg) cells modulate cellular responses, but their control of T FH cell-dependent humoral immune responses is unknown. We sought to assess the role of Breg cells on T FH cell development and function. Human T cells were polyclonally stimulated in the presence of IL-12 and IL-21 to generate T FH cells. They were cocultured with B cells to induce their terminal differentiation. Breg cells were included in these cultures, and their effects were evaluated by using flow cytometry and ELISA. B-cell lymphoma 6, IL-21, inducible costimulator, CXCR5, and programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) expressions increased on stimulated human T cells, characterizing T FH cell maturation. In cocultures they differentiated B cells into CD138 + plasma and IgD - CD27 + memory cells and triggered immunoglobulin secretions. Breg cells obtained by Toll-like receptor 9 and CD40 activation of B cells prevented T FH cell development. Added to T FH cell and B-cell cocultures, they inhibited B-cell differentiation, impeded immunoglobulin secretions, and expanded Foxp3 + CXCR5 + PD-1 + follicular regulatory T cells. Breg cells modulated IL-21 receptor expressions on T FH cells and B cells, and their suppressive activities involved CD40, CD80, CD86, and intercellular adhesion molecule interactions and required production of IL-10 and TGF-β. Human Breg cells control T FH cell maturation, expand follicular regulatory T cells, and inhibit the T FH cell-mediated antibody secretion. These novel observations demonstrate a role for the Breg cell in germinal center reactions and suggest that deficient activities might impair the T FH cell-dependent control of humoral immunity and might lead to the development of aberrant autoimmune responses. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of molecules derived from human fibroblast feeder cells that support the proliferation of human embryonic stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Anisimov, Sergey V.; Christophersen, Nicolaj S.; Correia, Ana S.

2011-01-01

The majority of human embryonic stem cell lines depend on a feeder cell layer for continuous growth in vitro, so that they can remain in an undifferentiated state. Limited knowledge is available concerning the molecular mechanisms that underlie the capacity of feeder cells to support both...... the proliferation and pluripotency of these cells. Importantly, feeder cells generally lose their capacity to support human embryonic stem cell proliferation in vitro following long-term culture. In this study, we performed large-scale gene expression profiles of human foreskin fibroblasts during early...... foreskin fibroblasts to serve as feeder cells for human embryonic stem cell cultures. Among these, the C-KIT, leptin and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) genes were the most interesting candidates....

Hybrid clone cells derived from human breast epithelial cells and human breast cancer cells exhibit properties of cancer stem/initiating cells.

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Gauck, Daria; Keil, Silvia; Niggemann, Bernd; Zänker, Kurt S; Dittmar, Thomas

2017-08-02

The biological phenomenon of cell fusion has been associated with cancer progression since it was determined that normal cell × tumor cell fusion-derived hybrid cells could exhibit novel properties, such as enhanced metastatogenic capacity or increased drug resistance, and even as a mechanism that could give rise to cancer stem/initiating cells (CS/ICs). CS/ICs have been proposed as cancer cells that exhibit stem cell properties, including the ability to (re)initiate tumor growth. Five M13HS hybrid clone cells, which originated from spontaneous cell fusion events between M13SV1-EGFP-Neo human breast epithelial cells and HS578T-Hyg human breast cancer cells, and their parental cells were analyzed for expression of stemness and EMT-related marker proteins by Western blot analysis and confocal laser scanning microscopy. The frequency of ALDH1-positive cells was determined by flow cytometry using AldeRed fluorescent dye. Concurrently, the cells' colony forming capabilities as well as the cells' abilities to form mammospheres were investigated. The migratory activity of the cells was analyzed using a 3D collagen matrix migration assay. M13HS hybrid clone cells co-expressed SOX9, SLUG, CK8 and CK14, which were differently expressed in parental cells. A variation in the ALDH1-positive putative stem cell population was observed among the five hybrids ranging from 1.44% (M13HS-7) to 13.68% (M13HS-2). In comparison to the parental cells, all five hybrid clone cells possessed increased but also unique colony formation and mammosphere formation capabilities. M13HS-4 hybrid clone cells exhibited the highest colony formation capacity and second highest mammosphere formation capacity of all hybrids, whereby the mean diameter of the mammospheres was comparable to the parental cells. In contrast, the largest mammospheres originated from the M13HS-2 hybrid clone cells, whereas these cells' mammosphere formation capacity was comparable to the parental breast cancer cells. All M13HS

Stem cells in the human breast

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Petersen, Ole William; Polyak, Kornelia

2010-01-01

The origins of the epithelial cells participating in the development, tissue homeostasis, and cancer of the human breast are poorly understood. However, emerging evidence suggests a role for adult tissue-specific stem cells in these processes. In a hierarchical manner, these generate the two main...... mammary cell lineages, producing an increasing number of cells with distinct properties. Understanding the biological characteristics of human breast stem cells and their progeny is crucial in attempts to compare the features of normal stem cells and cancer precursor cells and distinguish these from...... nonprecursor cells and cells from the bulk of a tumor. A historical overview of research on human breast stem cells in primary tissue and in culture reveals the progress that has been made in this area, whereas a focus on the cell-of-origin and reprogramming that occurs during neoplastic conversion provides...

Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) Have a Superior Neuroprotective Capacity Over Fetal MSCs in the Hypoxic-Ischemic Mouse Brain.

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Hawkins, Kate E; Corcelli, Michelangelo; Dowding, Kate; Ranzoni, Anna M; Vlahova, Filipa; Hau, Kwan-Leong; Hunjan, Avina; Peebles, Donald; Gressens, Pierre; Hagberg, Henrik; de Coppi, Paolo; Hristova, Mariya; Guillot, Pascale V

2018-05-01

Human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have huge potential for regenerative medicine. In particular, the use of pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (PSC-MSCs) overcomes the hurdle of replicative senescence associated with the in vitro expansion of primary cells and has increased therapeutic benefits in comparison to the use of various adult sources of MSCs in a wide range of animal disease models. On the other hand, fetal MSCs exhibit faster growth kinetics and possess longer telomeres and a wider differentiation potential than adult MSCs. Here, for the first time, we compare the therapeutic potential of PSC-MSCs (ES-MSCs from embryonic stem cells) to fetal MSCs (AF-MSCs from the amniotic fluid), demonstrating that ES-MSCs have a superior neuroprotective potential over AF-MSCs in the mouse brain following hypoxia-ischemia. Further, we demonstrate that nuclear factor (NF)-κB-stimulated interleukin (IL)-13 production contributes to an increased in vitro anti-inflammatory potential of ES-MSC-conditioned medium (CM) over AF-MSC-CM, thus suggesting a potential mechanism for this observation. Moreover, we show that induced pluripotent stem cell-derived MSCs (iMSCs) exhibit many similarities to ES-MSCs, including enhanced NF-κB signaling and IL-13 production in comparison to AF-MSCs. Future studies should assess whether iMSCs also exhibit similar neuroprotective potential to ES-MSCs, thus presenting a potential strategy to overcome the ethical issues associated with the use of embryonic stem cells and providing a potential source of cells for autologous use against neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in humans. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2018;7:439-449. © 2018 The Authors Stem Cells Translational Medicine published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AlphaMed Press.

Inhibition of IGF-1-Mediated Cellular Migration and Invasion by Migracin A in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma Cells.

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Ukaji, Tamami; Lin, Yinzhi; Banno, Kouji; Okada, Shoshiro; Umezawa, Kazuo

2015-01-01

Previously we isolated migracin A from a Streptomyces culture filtrate as an inhibitor of cancer cell migration. In the present research, we found that migracin A inhibited migration and invasion of ovarian clear cell carcinoma ES-2 cells. In the course of our mechanistic study, migracin A was shown to enhance vasohibin-1 expression in an angiogenesis array. We also confirmed that it increased the mRNA expression of this protein. Moreover, overexpression of vasohibin-1 lowered the migration but not the invasion of ES-2 cells. Then, we looked for another target protein employing a motility array, and found that migracin A lowered the IGF-1 expression. Knockdown of IGF-1 by siRNA decreased the migration and invasion of ES-2 cells. Migracin A also decreased Akt phosphorylation involved in the downstream signaling. Crosstalk analysis indicated that overexpression of vasohibin-1 decreased the IGF-1 expression. On the other hand, it showed no direct anticancer activity in terms of the ES-2 growth in agar. Migracin A inhibited the migration and IGF-1 expression in not only ES-2 but also another ovarian clear cell carcinoma JHOC-5 cells. In addition, it also inhibited capillary tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Since its cytotoxicity is very low, migracin A may be a candidate for an anti-metastasis agent not exhibiting prominent toxicity.

Human prostatic cancer cells, PC3, elaborate mitogenic activity which selectively stimulates human bone cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Perkel, V.S.; Mohan, S.; Herring, S.J.; Baylink, D.J.; Linkhart, T.A.

1990-01-01

Prostatic cancer typically produces osteoblastic metastases which are not attended by marrow fibrosis. In the present study we sought to test the hypothesis that prostatic cancer cells produce factor(s) which act selectively on human osteoblasts. Such a paracrine mechanism would explain the observed increase in osteoblasts, unaccompanied by an increase in marrow fibroblasts. To test this hypothesis we investigated the mitogenic activity released by the human prostatic tumor cell line, PC3. PC3 cells have been reported previously to produce mitogenic activity for cells that was relatively specific for rat osteoblasts compared to rat fibroblasts. However, the effects of this activity on human cells has not been examined previously. PC3-conditioned medium (CM) (5-50 micrograms CM protein/ml) stimulated human osteoblast proliferation by 200-950% yet did not stimulate human fibroblast proliferation ([3H]thymidine incorporation). PC3 CM also increased cell numbers in human osteoblast but not fibroblast cell cultures. To determine whether the osteoblast-specific mitogenic activity could be attributed to known bone growth factors, specific assays for these growth factors were performed. PC3 CM contained 10 pg insulin-like growth factor (IGF) I, less than 2 pg IGF II, 54 pg basic fibroblast growth factor, and 16 pg transforming growth factor beta/microgram CM protein. None of these growth factors alone or in combination could account for the observed osteoblast-specific PC3 cell-derived mitogenic activity. Furthermore, when 5 micrograms/ml PC3 CM was tested in combination with maximally effective concentrations of either basic fibroblast growth factor, IGF I, IGF II, or transforming growth factor beta, it produced an additive effect suggesting that PC3 CM stimulates osteoblast proliferation by a mechanism independent of these bone mitogens

LuIII parvovirus selectively and efficiently targets, replicates in, and kills human glioma cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Paglino, Justin C; Ozduman, Koray; van den Pol, Anthony N

2012-07-01

Because productive infection by parvoviruses requires cell division and is enhanced by oncogenic transformation, some parvoviruses may have potential utility in killing cancer cells. To identify the parvovirus(es) with the optimal oncolytic effect against human glioblastomas, we screened 12 parvoviruses at a high multiplicity of infection (MOI). MVMi, MVMc, MVM-G17, tumor virus X (TVX), canine parvovirus (CPV), porcine parvovirus (PPV), rat parvovirus 1A (RPV1A), and H-3 were relatively ineffective. The four viruses with the greatest oncolytic activity, LuIII, H-1, MVMp, and MVM-G52, were tested for the ability, at a low MOI, to progressively infect the culture over time, causing cell death at a rate higher than that of cell proliferation. LuIII alone was effective in all five human glioblastomas tested. H-1 progressively infected only two of five; MVMp and MVM-G52 were ineffective in all five. To investigate the underlying mechanism of LuIII's phenotype, we used recombinant parvoviruses with the LuIII capsid replacing the MVMp capsid or with molecular alteration of the P4 promoter. The LuIII capsid enhanced efficient replication and oncolysis in MO59J gliomas cells; other gliomas tested required the entire LuIII genome to exhibit enhanced infection. LuIII selectively infected glioma cells over normal glial cells in vitro. In mouse models, human glioblastoma xenografts were selectively infected by LuIII when administered intratumorally; LuIII reduced tumor growth by 75%. LuIII also had the capacity to selectively infect subcutaneous or intracranial gliomas after intravenous inoculation. Intravenous or intracranial LuIII caused no adverse effects. Intracranial LuIII caused no infection of mature mouse neurons or glia in vivo but showed a modest infection of developing neurons.

Tuft (caveolated) cells in two human colon carcinoma cell lines.

OpenAIRE

Barkla, D. H.; Whitehead, R. H.; Foster, H.; Tutton, P. J.

1988-01-01

The presence of an unusual cell type in two human colon carcinoma cell lines is reported. The cells show the same morphology as "tuft" (caveolated) cells present in normal gastrointestinal epithelium. Tuft cells were seen in cell line LIM 1863 growing in vitro and in human colon carcinoma cell line LIM 2210 growing as subcutaneous solid tumour xenografts in nude mice. Characteristic morphologic features of tuft cells included a wide base, narrow apex and a tuft of long microvilli projecting f...

Modeling human infertility with pluripotent stem cells

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Di Chen

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Human fertility is dependent upon the correct establishment and differentiation of the germline. This is because no other cell type in the body is capable of passing a genome and epigenome from parent to child. Terminally differentiated germline cells in the adult testis and ovary are called gametes. However, the initial specification of germline cells occurs in the embryo around the time of gastrulation. Most of our knowledge regarding the cell and molecular events that govern human germline specification involves extrapolating scientific principles from model organisms, most notably the mouse. However, recent work using next generation sequencing, gene editing and differentiation of germline cells from pluripotent stem cells has revealed that the core molecular mechanisms that regulate human germline development are different from rodents. Here, we will discuss the major molecular pathways required for human germline differentiation and how pluripotent stem cells have revolutionized our ability to study the earliest steps in human embryonic lineage specification in order to understand human fertility.

Is there a place for human fetal-derived stem cells for cell replacement therapy in Huntington's disease?

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Precious, Sophie V; Zietlow, Rike; Dunnett, Stephen B; Kelly, Claire M; Rosser, Anne E

2017-06-01

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease that offers an excellent paradigm for cell replacement therapy because of the associated relatively focal cell loss in the striatum. The predominant cells lost in this condition are striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs). Transplantation of developing MSNs taken from the fetal brain has provided proof of concept that donor MSNs can survive, integrate and bring about a degree of functional recovery in both pre-clinical studies and in a limited number of clinical trials. The scarcity of human fetal tissue, and the logistics of coordinating collection and dissection of tissue with neurosurgical procedures makes the use of fetal tissue for this purpose both complex and limiting. Alternative donor cell sources which are expandable in culture prior to transplantation are currently being sought. Two potential donor cell sources which have received most attention recently are embryonic stem (ES) cells and adult induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, both of which can be directed to MSN-like fates, although achieving a genuine MSN fate has proven to be difficult. All potential donor sources have challenges in terms of their clinical application for regenerative medicine, and thus it is important to continue exploring a wide variety of expandable cells. In this review we discuss two less well-reported potential donor cell sources; embryonic germ (EG) cells and fetal neural precursors (FNPs), both are which are fetal-derived and have some properties that could make them useful for regenerative medicine applications. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Establishment of Human Neural Progenitor Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells with Diverse Tissue Origins

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Hayato Fukusumi

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Human neural progenitor cells (hNPCs have previously been generated from limited numbers of human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC clones. Here, 21 hiPSC clones derived from human dermal fibroblasts, cord blood cells, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells were differentiated using two neural induction methods, an embryoid body (EB formation-based method and an EB formation method using dual SMAD inhibitors (dSMADi. Our results showed that expandable hNPCs could be generated from hiPSC clones with diverse somatic tissue origins. The established hNPCs exhibited a mid/hindbrain-type neural identity and uniform expression of neural progenitor genes.

3 CFR - Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 3 The President 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research Presidential Documents Other Presidential Documents Memorandum of July 30, 2009 Guidelines for Human Stem Cell Research..., scientifically worthy human stem cell research, including human embryonic stem cell research, to the extent...

Improvement of mouse cloning using nuclear transfer-derived embryonic stem cells and/or histone deacetylase inhibitor.

Science.gov (United States)

Wakayama, Sayaka; Wakayama, Teruhiko

2010-01-01

Nuclear transfer-derived ES (ntES) cell lines can be established from somatic cell nuclei with a relatively high success rate. Although ntES cells have been shown to be equivalent to ES cells, there are ethical objections concerning human cells, such as the use of fresh oocyte donation from young healthy woman. In contrast, the use of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for cloning poses few ethical problems and is a relatively easy technique compared with nuclear transfer. Therefore, although there are several reports proposing the use of ntES cells as a model of regenerative medicine, the use of these cells in preliminary medical research is waning. However, in theory, 5 to 10 donor cells can establish one ntES cell line and, once established, these cells will propagate indefinitely. These cells can be used to generate cloned animals from ntES cell lines using a second round of NT. Even in infertile and "unclonable" strains of mice, we can generate offspring from somatic cells by combining cloning with ntES technology. Moreover, cloned offspring can be generated potentially even from the nuclei of dead bodies or freeze-dried cells via ntES cells, such as from an extinct frozen animal. Currently, only the ntES technology is available for this purpose, because all other techniques, including iPS cell derivation, require significant numbers of living donor cells. This review describes how to improve the efficiency of cloning, the establishment of clone-derived embryonic stem cells and further applications.

In vitro proliferation of adult human beta-cells.

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Sabine Rutti

Full Text Available A decrease in functional beta-cell mass is a key feature of type 2 diabetes. Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1 analogues induce proliferation of rodent beta-cells. However, the proliferative capacity of human beta-cells and its modulation by GLP-1 analogues remain to be fully investigated. We therefore sought to quantify adult human beta-cell proliferation in vitro and whether this is affected by the GLP-1 analogue liraglutide.Human islets from 7 adult cadaveric organ donors were dispersed into single cells. Beta-cells were purified by FACS. Non-sorted cells and the beta-cell enriched ("beta-cells" population were plated on extracellular matrix from rat (804G and human bladder carcinoma cells (HTB9 or bovine corneal endothelial ECM (BCEC. Cells were maintained in culture+/-liraglutide for 4 days in the presence of BrdU.Rare human beta-cell proliferation could be observed either in the purified beta-cell population (0.051±0.020%; 22 beta-cells proliferating out of 84'283 beta-cells counted or in the non-sorted cell population (0.055±0.011%; 104 proliferating beta-cells out of 232'826 beta-cells counted, independently of the matrix or the culture conditions. Liraglutide increased human beta-cell proliferation on BCEC in the non-sorted cell population (0.082±0.034% proliferating beta-cells vs. 0.017±0.008% in control, p<0.05.These results indicate that adult human beta-cell proliferation can occur in vitro but remains an extremely rare event with these donors and particular culture conditions. Liraglutide increases beta-cell proliferation only in the non-sorted cell population and only on BCEC. However, it cannot be excluded that human beta-cells may proliferate to a greater extent in situ in response to natural stimuli.

Generation of male differentiated germ cells from various types of stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Hou, Jingmei; Yang, Shi; Yang, Hao; Liu, Yang; Liu, Yun; Hai, Yanan; Chen, Zheng; Guo, Ying; Gong, Yuehua; Gao, Wei-Qiang; Li, Zheng; He, Zuping

2014-06-01

Infertility is a major and largely incurable disease caused by disruption and loss of germ cells. It affects 10-15% of couples, and male factor accounts for half of the cases. To obtain human male germ cells 'especially functional spermatids' is essential for treating male infertility. Currently, much progress has been made on generating male germ cells, including spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatids, from various types of stem cells. These germ cells can also be used in investigation of the pathology of male infertility. In this review, we focused on advances on obtaining male differentiated germ cells from different kinds of stem cells, with an emphasis on the embryonic stem (ES) cells, the induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, and spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). We illustrated the generation of male differentiated germ cells from ES cells, iPS cells and SSCs, and we summarized the phenotype for these stem cells, spermatocytes and spermatids. Moreover, we address the differentiation potentials of ES cells, iPS cells and SSCs. We also highlight the advantages, disadvantages and concerns on derivation of the differentiated male germ cells from several types of stem cells. The ability of generating mature and functional male gametes from stem cells could enable us to understand the precise etiology of male infertility and offer an invaluable source of autologous male gametes for treating male infertility of azoospermia patients. © 2014 Society for Reproduction and Fertility.

Stem cell biology and cell transplantation therapy in the retina.

Science.gov (United States)

Osakada, Fumitaka; Hirami, Yasuhiko; Takahashi, Masayo

2010-01-01

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, which are derived from the inner cell mass of mammalian blastocyst stage embryos, have the ability to differentiate into any cell type in the body and to grow indefinitely while maintaining pluripotency. During development, cells undergo progressive and irreversible differentiation into specialized adult cell types. Remarkably, in spite of this restriction in potential, adult somatic cells can be reprogrammed and returned to the naive state of pluripotency found in the early embryo simply by forcing expression of a defined set of transcription factors. These induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are molecularly and functionally equivalent to ES cells and provide powerful in vitro models for development, disease, and drug screening, as well as material for cell replacement therapy. Since functional impairment results from cell loss in most central nervous system (CNS) diseases, recovery of lost cells is an important treatment strategy. Although adult neurogenesis occurs in restricted regions, the CNS has poor potential for regeneration to compensate for cell loss. Thus, cell transplantation into damaged or diseased CNS tissues is a promising approach to treating various neurodegenerative disorders. Transplantation of photoreceptors or retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from human ES cells can restore some visual function. Patient-specific iPS cells may lead to customized cell therapy. However, regeneration of retinal function will require a detailed understanding of eye development, visual system circuitry, and retinal degeneration pathology. Here, we review the current progress in retinal regeneration, focusing on the therapeutic potential of pluripotent stem cells.

Human innate lymphoid cells.

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Mjösberg, Jenny; Spits, Hergen

2016-11-01

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) are increasingly acknowledged as important mediators of immune homeostasis and pathology. ILCs act as early orchestrators of immunity, responding to epithelium-derived signals by expressing an array of cytokines and cell-surface receptors, which shape subsequent immune responses. As such, ILCs make up interesting therapeutic targets for several diseases. In patients with allergy and asthma, group 2 innate lymphoid cells produce high amounts of IL-5 and IL-13, thereby contributing to type 2-mediated inflammation. Group 3 innate lymphoid cells are implicated in intestinal homeostasis and psoriasis pathology through abundant IL-22 production, whereas group 1 innate lymphoid cells are accumulated in chronic inflammation of the gut (inflammatory bowel disease) and lung (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), where they contribute to IFN-γ-mediated inflammation. Although the ontogeny of mouse ILCs is slowly unraveling, the development of human ILCs is far from understood. In addition, the growing complexity of the human ILC family in terms of previously unrecognized functional heterogeneity and plasticity has generated confusion within the field. Here we provide an updated view on the function and plasticity of human ILCs in tissue homeostasis and disease. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Some Ethical Concerns About Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Zheng, Yue Liang

2016-10-01

Human induced pluripotent stem cells can be obtained from somatic cells, and their derivation does not require destruction of embryos, thus avoiding ethical problems arising from the destruction of human embryos. This type of stem cell may provide an important tool for stem cell therapy, but it also results in some ethical concerns. It is likely that abnormal reprogramming occurs in the induction of human induced pluripotent stem cells, and that the stem cells generate tumors in the process of stem cell therapy. Human induced pluripotent stem cells should not be used to clone human beings, to produce human germ cells, nor to make human embryos. Informed consent should be obtained from patients in stem cell therapy.

c-Myc Represses Tumor-Suppressive microRNAs, let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b, and Induces Cyclin D2-Mediated Cell Proliferation in Ewing's Sarcoma Cell Line.

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Masanori Kawano

Full Text Available Myc oncogenic transcription factor is known to inhibit tumor suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs, resulting in greater expression of their target protein related to cell cycle, invasion or anti-apoptotic factors in human cancer cells. To explore possible oncogenic factors in Ewing's sarcoma (ES, we conducted microarray-based approach to profile the changes in the expression of miRNAs and its downstream mRNAs in five ES cell lines and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs. Three miRNAs, let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b were significantly down-regulated, whereas c-Myc and cyclin D2 (CCND2 were significantly up-regulated in all tested ES cells compared with hMSCs. To verify that let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b were the targets of c-Myc in ES cell lines, we transfected siRNA against c-Myc and confirmed the coordinate up-regulation of let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b through the repression of c-Myc. The ES cells transfected with c-Myc-siRNA and let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b exhibited the inhibition of the cell cycle progression. The increased expression of let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b resulted in the reduction of CCND2 protein expression. We also demonstrated that c-Myc-siRNA treatment of ES cells was associated with the decreased expression of CCND2 as a down-stream of three miRNAs. Furthermore, the introduction of let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b in ES cells could inhibit the c-Myc-mediated up-regulation of CCND2 resulted in the prevention of cell cycle progression. In addition, the transfection of let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b in ES cells suppressed tumor growth ex vivo treatment. These findings suggests that the up-regulation of c-Myc inhibited the expression of let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b subsequently induced CCND2 expression in ES cells. The present study might identify a novel oncogenic axis that c-Myc regulates the expression of CCND2 via let-7a, miR-16 and miR-29b, leading to the development new therapeutic targets for ES.

Comprehensive evaluation of leukocyte lineage derived from human hematopoietic cells in humanized mice.

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Takahashi, Masayuki; Tsujimura, Noriyuki; Otsuka, Kensuke; Yoshino, Tomoko; Mori, Tetsushi; Matsunaga, Tadashi; Nakasono, Satoshi

2012-04-01

Recently, humanized animals whereby a part of the animal is biologically engineered using human genes or cells have been utilized to overcome interspecific differences. Herein, we analyzed the detail of the differentiation states of various human leukocyte subpopulations in humanized mouse and evaluated comprehensively the similarity of the leukocyte lineage between humanized mice and humans. Humanized mice were established by transplanting human CD34(+) cord blood cells into irradiated severely immunodeficient NOD/Shi-scid/IL2Rγ(null) (NOG) mice, and the phenotypes of human cells contained in bone marrow, thymus, spleen and peripheral blood from the mice were analyzed at monthly intervals until 4 months after cell transplantation. The analysis revealed that transplanted human hematopoietic stem cells via the caudal vein homed and engrafted themselves successfully at the mouse bone marrow. Subsequently, the differentiated leukocytes migrated to the various tissues. Almost all of the leukocytes within the thymus were human cells. Furthermore, analysis of the differentiation states of human leukocytes in various tissues and organs indicated that it is highly likely that the human-like leukocyte lineage can be developed in mice. Copyright © 2011 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells

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Sugimura, Ryohichi; Jha, Deepak Kumar; Han, Areum; Soria-Valles, Clara; da Rocha, Edroaldo Lummertz; Lu, Yi-Fen; Goettel, Jeremy A.; Serrao, Erik; Rowe, R. Grant; Malleshaiah, Mohan; Wong, Irene; Sousa, Patricia; Zhu, Ted N.; Ditadi, Andrea; Keller, Gordon; Engelman, Alan N.; Snapper, Scott B.; Doulatov, Sergei; Daley, George Q.

2018-01-01

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. PMID:28514439

Satellite cells in human skeletal muscle plasticity

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Tim eSnijders

2015-10-01

Full Text Available Skeletal muscle satellite cells are considered to play a crucial role in muscle fiber maintenance, repair and remodelling. Our knowledge of the role of satellite cells in muscle fiber adaptation has traditionally relied on in vitro cell and in vivo animal models. Over the past decade, a genuine effort has been made to translate these results to humans under physiological conditions. Findings from in vivo human studies suggest that satellite cells play a key role in skeletal muscle fiber repair/remodelling in response to exercise. Mounting evidence indicates that aging has a profound impact on the regulation of satellite cells in human skeletal muscle. Yet, the precise role of satellite cells in the development of muscle fiber atrophy with age remains unresolved. This review seeks to integrate recent results from in vivo human studies on satellite cell function in muscle fiber repair/remodelling in the wider context of satellite cell biology whose literature is largely based on animal and cell models.

Satellite cells in human skeletal muscle plasticity.

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Snijders, Tim; Nederveen, Joshua P; McKay, Bryon R; Joanisse, Sophie; Verdijk, Lex B; van Loon, Luc J C; Parise, Gianni

2015-01-01

Skeletal muscle satellite cells are considered to play a crucial role in muscle fiber maintenance, repair and remodeling. Our knowledge of the role of satellite cells in muscle fiber adaptation has traditionally relied on in vitro cell and in vivo animal models. Over the past decade, a genuine effort has been made to translate these results to humans under physiological conditions. Findings from in vivo human studies suggest that satellite cells play a key role in skeletal muscle fiber repair/remodeling in response to exercise. Mounting evidence indicates that aging has a profound impact on the regulation of satellite cells in human skeletal muscle. Yet, the precise role of satellite cells in the development of muscle fiber atrophy with age remains unresolved. This review seeks to integrate recent results from in vivo human studies on satellite cell function in muscle fiber repair/remodeling in the wider context of satellite cell biology whose literature is largely based on animal and cell models.

Dynamic instability of genomic methylation patterns in pluripotent stem cells

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Ooi Steen KT

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic methylation patterns are established during gametogenesis, and perpetuated in somatic cells by faithful maintenance methylation. There have been previous indications that genomic methylation patterns may be less stable in embryonic stem (ES cells than in differentiated somatic cells, but it is not known whether different mechanisms of de novo and maintenance methylation operate in pluripotent stem cells compared with differentiating somatic cells. Results In this paper, we show that ablation of the DNA methyltransferase regulator DNMT3L (DNA methyltransferase 3-like in mouse ES cells renders them essentially incapable of de novo methylation of newly integrated retroviral DNA. We also show that ES cells lacking DNMT3L lose DNA methylation over time in culture, suggesting that DNA methylation in ES cells is the result of dynamic loss and gain of DNA methylation. We found that wild-type female ES cells lose DNA methylation at a much faster rate than do male ES cells; this defect could not be attributed to sex-specific differences in expression of DNMT3L or of any DNA methyltransferase. We also found that human ES and induced pluripotent stem cell lines showed marked but variable loss of methylation that could not be attributed to sex chromosome constitution or time in culture. Conclusions These data indicate that DNA methylation in pluripotent stem cells is much more dynamic and error-prone than is maintenance methylation in differentiated cells. DNA methylation requires DNMT3L in stem cells, but DNMT3L is not expressed in differentiating somatic cells. Error-prone maintenance methylation will introduce unpredictable phenotypic variation into clonal populations of pluripotent stem cells, and this variation is likely to be much more pronounced in cultured female cells. This epigenetic variability has obvious negative implications for the clinical applications of stem cells.

Induction of Skin-Derived Precursor Cells from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Sugiyama-Nakagiri, Yoriko; Fujimura, Tsutomu; Moriwaki, Shigeru

2016-01-01

The generation of full thickness human skin from dissociated cells is an attractive approach not only for treating skin diseases, but also for treating many systemic disorders. However, it is currently not possible to obtain an unlimited number of skin dermal cells. The goal of this study was to develop a procedure to produce skin dermal stem cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Skin-derived precursor cells (SKPs) were isolated as adult dermal precursors that could differentiate into both neural and mesodermal progenies and could reconstitute the dermis. Thus, we attempted to generate SKPs from iPSCs that could reconstitute the skin dermis. Human iPSCs were initially cultured with recombinant noggin and SB431542, an inhibitor of activin/nodal and TGFβ signaling, to induce neural crest progenitor cells. Those cells were then treated with SKP medium that included CHIR99021, a WNT signal activator. The induction efficacy from neural crest progenitor cells to SKPs was more than 97%. No other modifiers tested were able to induce those cells. Those human iPSC-derived SKPs (hiPSC-SKPs) showed a similar gene expression signature to SKPs isolated from human skin dermis. Human iPSC-SKPs differentiated into neural and mesodermal progenies, including adipocytes, skeletogenic cell types and Schwann cells. Moreover, they could be induced to follicular type keratinization when co-cultured with human epidermal keratinocytes. We here provide a new efficient protocol to create human skin dermal stem cells from hiPSCs that could contribute to the treatment of various skin disorders.

Human pituitary and placental hormones control human insulin-like growth factor II secretion in human granulosa cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramasharma, K.; Li, C.H.

1987-01-01

Human granulosa cells cultured with calf serum actively proliferated for 18-20 generations and secreted progesterone into the medium; progesterone levels appeared to decline with increase in generation number. Cells cultured under serum-free conditions secreted significant amounts of progesterone and insulin-like growth factor II (IGF-II). The progesterone secretion was enhanced by the addition of human follitropin, lutropin, and chorionic gonadotropin but not by growth hormone. These cells, when challenged to varying concentrations of human growth hormone, human chorionic somatomammotropin, human prolactin, chorionic gonadotropin, follitropin, and lutropin, secreted IGF-II into the medium as measured by specific IGF-II RIA. Among these human hormones, chorionic gonadotropin, follitropin, and lutropin were most effective in inducing IGF-II secretion from these cells. When synthetic lutropin-releasing hormone and α-inhibin-92 were tested, only lutropin-releasing hormone was effective in releasing IGF-II. The results described suggest that cultured human granulosa cells can proliferate and actively secrete progesterone and IGF-II into the medium. IGF-II production in human granulosa cells was influenced by a multi-hormonal complex including human growth hormone, human chorionic somatomammotropin, and prolactin

The contribution of human/non-human animal chimeras to stem cell research

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Sonya Levine

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Chimeric animals are made up of cells from two separate zygotes. Human/non-human animal chimeras have been used for a number of research purposes, including human disease modeling. Pluripotent stem cell (PSC research has relied upon the chimera approach to examine the developmental potential of stem cells, to determine the efficacy of cell replacement therapies, and to establish a means of producing human organs. Based on ethical issues, this work has faced pushback from various sources including funding agencies. We discuss here the essential role these studies have played, from gaining a better understanding of human biology to providing a stepping stone to human disease treatments. We also consider the major ethical issues, as well as the current status of support for this work in the United States.

In vitro germ cell differentiation from cynomolgus monkey embryonic stem cells.

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Kaori Yamauchi

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mouse embryonic stem (ES cells can differentiate into female and male germ cells in vitro. Primate ES cells can also differentiate into immature germ cells in vitro. However, little is known about the differentiation markers and culture conditions for in vitro germ cell differentiation from ES cells in primates. Monkey ES cells are thus considered to be a useful model to study primate gametogenesis in vitro. Therefore, in order to obtain further information on germ cell differentiation from primate ES cells, this study examined the ability of cynomolgus monkey ES cells to differentiate into germ cells in vitro. METHODS AND FINDINGS: To explore the differentiation markers for detecting germ cells differentiated from ES cells, the expression of various germ cell marker genes was examined in tissues and ES cells of the cynomolgus monkey (Macaca fascicularis. VASA is a valuable gene for the detection of germ cells differentiated from ES cells. An increase of VASA expression was observed when differentiation was induced in ES cells via embryoid body (EB formation. In addition, the expression of other germ cell markers, such as NANOS and PIWIL1 genes, was also up-regulated as the EB differentiation progressed. Immunocytochemistry identified the cells expressing stage-specific embryonic antigen (SSEA 1, OCT-4, and VASA proteins in the EBs. These cells were detected in the peripheral region of the EBs as specific cell populations, such as SSEA1-positive, OCT-4-positive cells, OCT-4-positive, VASA-positive cells, and OCT-4-negative, VASA-positive cells. Thereafter, the effect of mouse gonadal cell-conditioned medium and growth factors on germ cell differentiation from monkey ES cells was examined, and this revealed that the addition of BMP4 to differentiating ES cells increased the expression of SCP1, a meiotic marker gene. CONCLUSION: VASA is a valuable gene for the detection of germ cells differentiated from ES cells in monkeys, and the

Cell sources for in vitro human liver cell culture models

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Freyer, Nora; Damm, Georg; Seehofer, Daniel; Knöspel, Fanny

2016-01-01

In vitro liver cell culture models are gaining increasing importance in pharmacological and toxicological research. The source of cells used is critical for the relevance and the predictive value of such models. Primary human hepatocytes (PHH) are currently considered to be the gold standard for hepatic in vitro culture models, since they directly reflect the specific metabolism and functionality of the human liver; however, the scarcity and difficult logistics of PHH have driven researchers to explore alternative cell sources, including liver cell lines and pluripotent stem cells. Liver cell lines generated from hepatomas or by genetic manipulation are widely used due to their good availability, but they are generally altered in certain metabolic functions. For the past few years, adult and pluripotent stem cells have been attracting increasing attention, due their ability to proliferate and to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. However, controlling the differentiation of these cells is still a challenge. This review gives an overview of the major human cell sources under investigation for in vitro liver cell culture models, including primary human liver cells, liver cell lines, and stem cells. The promises and challenges of different cell types are discussed with a focus on the complex 2D and 3D culture approaches under investigation for improving liver cell functionality in vitro. Finally, the specific application options of individual cell sources in pharmacological research or disease modeling are described. PMID:27385595

Human adipose stromal cells expanded in human serum promote engraftment of human peripheral blood hematopoietic stem cells in NOD/SCID mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Su Jin; Cho, Hyun Hwa; Kim, Yeon Jeong; Seo, Su Yeong; Kim, Han Na; Lee, Jae Bong; Kim, Jae Ho; Chung, Joo Seop; Jung, Jin Sup

2005-01-01

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC), that have been reported to be present in bone marrow, adipose tissues, dermis, muscles, and peripheral blood, have the potential to differentiate along different lineages including those forming bone, cartilage, fat, muscle, and neuron. Therefore, hMSC are attractive candidates for cell and gene therapy. The optimal conditions for hMSC expansion require medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum (FBS). Some forms of cell therapy will involve multiple doses, raising a concern over immunological reactions caused by medium-derived FBS proteins. In this study, we cultured human adipose stromal cells (hADSC) and bone marrow stroma cells (HBMSC) in human serum (HS) during their isolation and expansion, and demonstrated that they maintain their proliferative capacity and ability for multilineage differentiation and promote engraftment of peripheral blood-derived CD34(+) cells mobilized from bone marrow in NOD/SCID mice. Our results indicate that hADSC and hBMSC cultured in HS can be used for clinical trials of cell and gene therapies, including promotion of engraftment after allogeneic HSC transplantation

Ontogeny of human IgE?expressing B cells and plasma cells

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Ramadani, F.; Bowen, H.; Upton, N.; Hobson, P. S.; Chan, Y.?C.; Chen, J.?B.; Chang, T. W.; McDonnell, J. M.; Sutton, B. J.; Fear, D. J.; Gould, H. J.

2016-01-01

BACKGROUND: IgE-expressing (IgE+) plasma cells (PCs) provide a continuous source of allergen specific IgE that is central to allergic responses. The extreme sparsity of IgE+ cells in vivo has confined their study almost entirely to mouse models.OBJECTIVE: To characterise the development pathway of human IgE+ PCs and to determine the ontogeny of human IgE+ PCs.METHODS: To generate human IgE+ cells we cultured tonsil B cells with IL-4 and anti-CD40. Using FACS and RT-PCR we examined the phenoty...

Development of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from human pluripotent stem cells.

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Chen, Tong; Wang, Fen; Wu, Mengyao; Wang, Zack Z

2015-07-01

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), provide a new cell source for regenerative medicine, disease modeling, drug discovery, and preclinical toxicity screening. Understanding of the onset and the sequential process of hematopoietic cells from differentiated hPSCs will enable the achievement of personalized medicine and provide an in vitro platform for studying of human hematopoietic development and disease. During embryogenesis, hemogenic endothelial cells, a specified subset of endothelial cells in embryonic endothelium, are the primary source of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells. In this review, we discuss current status in the generation of multipotent hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells from hPSCs via hemogenic endothelial cells. We also review the achievements in direct reprogramming from non-hematopoietic cells to hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Further characterization of hematopoietic differentiation in hPSCs will improve our understanding of blood development and expedite the development of hPSC-derived blood products for therapeutic purpose. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human stem cells for craniomaxillofacial reconstruction.

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Jalali, Morteza; Kirkpatrick, William Niall Alexander; Cameron, Malcolm Gregor; Pauklin, Siim; Vallier, Ludovic

2014-07-01

Human stem cell research represents an exceptional opportunity for regenerative medicine and the surgical reconstruction of the craniomaxillofacial complex. The correct architecture and function of the vastly diverse tissues of this important anatomical region are critical for life supportive processes, the delivery of senses, social interaction, and aesthetics. Craniomaxillofacial tissue loss is commonly associated with inflammatory responses of the surrounding tissue, significant scarring, disfigurement, and psychological sequelae as an inevitable consequence. The in vitro production of fully functional cells for skin, muscle, cartilage, bone, and neurovascular tissue formation from human stem cells, may one day provide novel materials for the reconstructive surgeon operating on patients with both hard and soft tissue deficit due to cancer, congenital disease, or trauma. However, the clinical translation of human stem cell technology, including the application of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in novel regenerative therapies, faces several hurdles that must be solved to permit safe and effective use in patients. The basic biology of hPSCs remains to be fully elucidated and concerns of tumorigenicity need to be addressed, prior to the development of cell transplantation treatments. Furthermore, functional comparison of in vitro generated tissue to their in vivo counterparts will be necessary for confirmation of maturity and suitability for application in reconstructive surgery. Here, we provide an overview of human stem cells in disease modeling, drug screening, and therapeutics, while also discussing the application of regenerative medicine for craniomaxillofacial tissue deficit and surgical reconstruction.

The contribution of human/non-human animal chimeras to stem cell research.

Science.gov (United States)

Levine, Sonya; Grabel, Laura

2017-10-01

Chimeric animals are made up of cells from two separate zygotes. Human/non-human animal chimeras have been used for a number of research purposes, including human disease modeling. Pluripotent stem cell (PSC) research has relied upon the chimera approach to examine the developmental potential of stem cells, to determine the efficacy of cell replacement therapies, and to establish a means of producing human organs. Based on ethical issues, this work has faced pushback from various sources including funding agencies. We discuss here the essential role these studies have played, from gaining a better understanding of human biology to providing a stepping stone to human disease treatments. We also consider the major ethical issues, as well as the current status of support for this work in the United States. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Gene Expression in Human Embryonic Stem Cells, hESC-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells

OpenAIRE

Romain Barbet; Isabelle Peiffer; Antoinette Hatzfeld; Pierre Charbord; Jacques A. Hatzfeld

2011-01-01

We present a strategy to identify developmental/differentiation and plasma membrane marker genes of the most primitive human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs). Using sensitive and quantitative TaqMan Low Density Arrays (TLDA) methodology, we compared the expression of 381 genes in human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESCs), hESC-derived MSCs ...

Immortalization of human myogenic progenitor cell clone retaining multipotentiality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashimoto, Naohiro; Kiyono, Tohru; Wada, Michiko R.; Shimizu, Shirabe; Yasumoto, Shigeru; Inagawa, Masayo

2006-01-01

Human myogenic cells have limited ability to proliferate in culture. Although forced expression of telomerase can immortalize some cell types, telomerase alone delays senescence of human primary cultured myogenic cells, but fails to immortalize them. In contrast, constitutive expression of both telomerase and the E7 gene from human papillomavirus type 16 immortalizes primary human myogenic cells. We have established an immortalized primary human myogenic cell line preserving multipotentiality by ectopic expression of telomerase and E7. The immortalized human myogenic cells exhibit the phenotypic characteristics of their primary parent, including an ability to undergo myogenic, osteogenic, and adipogenic terminal differentiation under appropriate culture conditions. The immortalized cells will be useful for both basic and applied studies aimed at human muscle disorders. Furthermore, immortalization by transduction of telomerase and E7 represents a useful method by which to expand human myogenic cells in vitro without compromising their ability to differentiate

DNA Repair in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Is Distinct from That in Non-Pluripotent Human Cells

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Luo, Li Z.; Park, Sang-Won; Bates, Steven E.; Zeng, Xianmin; Iverson, Linda E.; O'Connor, Timothy R.

2012-01-01

The potential for human disease treatment using human pluripotent stem cells, including embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), also carries the risk of added genomic instability. Genomic instability is most often linked to DNA repair deficiencies, which indicates that screening/characterization of possible repair deficiencies in pluripotent human stem cells should be a necessary step prior to their clinical and research use. In this study, a comparison of DNA repair pathways in pluripotent cells, as compared to those in non-pluripotent cells, demonstrated that DNA repair capacities of pluripotent cell lines were more heterogeneous than those of differentiated lines examined and were generally greater. Although pluripotent cells had high DNA repair capacities for nucleotide excision repair, we show that ultraviolet radiation at low fluxes induced an apoptotic response in these cells, while differentiated cells lacked response to this stimulus, and note that pluripotent cells had a similar apoptotic response to alkylating agent damage. This sensitivity of pluripotent cells to damage is notable since viable pluripotent cells exhibit less ultraviolet light-induced DNA damage than do differentiated cells that receive the same flux. In addition, the importance of screening pluripotent cells for DNA repair defects was highlighted by an iPSC line that demonstrated a normal spectral karyotype, but showed both microsatellite instability and reduced DNA repair capacities in three out of four DNA repair pathways examined. Together, these results demonstrate a need to evaluate DNA repair capacities in pluripotent cell lines, in order to characterize their genomic stability, prior to their pre-clinical and clinical use. PMID:22412831

An interplay between extracellular signalling and the dynamics of the exit from pluripotency drives cell fate decisions in mouse ES cells

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David A. Turner

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Embryonic Stem cells derived from the epiblast tissue of the mammalian blastocyst retain the capability to differentiate into any adult cell type and are able to self-renew indefinitely under appropriate culture conditions. Despite the large amount of knowledge that we have accumulated to date about the regulation and control of self-renewal, efficient directed differentiation into specific tissues remains elusive. In this work, we have analysed in a systematic manner the interaction between the dynamics of loss of pluripotency and Activin/Nodal, BMP4 and Wnt signalling in fate assignment during the early stages of differentiation of mouse ES cells in culture. During the initial period of differentiation, cells exit from pluripotency and enter an Epi-like state. Following this transient stage, and under the influence of Activin/Nodal and BMP signalling, cells face a fate choice between differentiating into neuroectoderm and contributing to Primitive Streak fates. We find that Wnt signalling does not suppress neural development as previously thought and that it aids both fates in a context dependent manner. Our results suggest that as cells exit pluripotency they are endowed with a primary neuroectodermal fate and that the potency to become endomesodermal rises with time. We suggest that this situation translates into a “race for fates” in which the neuroectodermal fate has an advantage.

Interaction of Staphylococci with Human B cells.

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Tyler K Nygaard

Full Text Available Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of human infections worldwide. The pathogen produces numerous molecules that can interfere with recognition and binding by host innate immune cells, an initial step required for the ingestion and subsequent destruction of microbes by phagocytes. To better understand the interaction of this pathogen with human immune cells, we compared the association of S. aureus and S. epidermidis with leukocytes in human blood. We found that a significantly greater proportion of B cells associated with S. epidermidis relative to S. aureus. Complement components and complement receptors were important for the binding of B cells with S. epidermidis. Experiments using staphylococci inactivated by ultraviolet radiation and S. aureus isogenic deletion mutants indicated that S. aureus secretes molecules regulated by the SaeR/S two-component system that interfere with the ability of human B cells to bind this bacterium. We hypothesize that the relative inability of B cells to bind S. aureus contributes to the microbe's success as a human pathogen.

Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells generated from human embryonic stem cells support pluripotent cell growth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Varga, Nóra; Veréb, Zoltán; Rajnavölgyi, Éva; Német, Katalin; Uher, Ferenc; Sarkadi, Balázs; Apáti, Ágota

2011-01-01

Highlights: ► MSC like cells were derived from hESC by a simple and reproducible method. ► Differentiation and immunosuppressive features of MSCl cells were similar to bmMSC. ► MSCl cells as feeder cells support the undifferentiated growth of hESC. -- Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells were generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) through embryoid body formation, and isolated by adherence to plastic surface. MSCl cell lines could be propagated without changes in morphological or functional characteristics for more than 15 passages. These cells, as well as their fluorescent protein expressing stable derivatives, efficiently supported the growth of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells as feeder cells. The MSCl cells did not express the embryonic (Oct4, Nanog, ABCG2, PODXL, or SSEA4), or hematopoietic (CD34, CD45, CD14, CD133, HLA-DR) stem cell markers, while were positive for the characteristic cell surface markers of MSCs (CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105). MSCl cells could be differentiated toward osteogenic, chondrogenic or adipogenic directions and exhibited significant inhibition of mitogen-activated lymphocyte proliferation, and thus presented immunosuppressive features. We suggest that cultured MSCl cells can properly model human MSCs and be applied as efficient feeders in hESC cultures.

Stereological quantification of mast cells in human synovium

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Damsgaard, T E; Sørensen, Flemming Brandt; Herlin, T

1999-01-01

Mast cells participate in both the acute allergic reaction as well as in chronic inflammatory diseases. Earlier studies have revealed divergent results regarding the quantification of mast cells in the human synovium. The aim of the present study was therefore to quantify these cells in the human...... synovium, using stereological techniques. Different methods of staining and quantification have previously been used for mast cell quantification in human synovium. Stereological techniques provide precise and unbiased information on the number of cell profiles in two-dimensional tissue sections of......, in this case, human synovium. In 10 patients suffering from osteoarthritis a median of 3.6 mast cells/mm2 synovial membrane was found. The total number of cells (synoviocytes, fibroblasts, lymphocytes, leukocytes) present was 395.9 cells/mm2 (median). The mast cells constituted 0.8% of all the cell profiles...

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation into Functional Epicardial Progenitor Cells

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Juan Antonio Guadix

2017-12-01

Full Text Available Summary: Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs are widely used to study cardiovascular cell differentiation and function. Here, we induced differentiation of hPSCs (both embryonic and induced to proepicardial/epicardial progenitor cells that cover the heart during development. Addition of retinoic acid (RA and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4 promoted expression of the mesodermal marker PDGFRα, upregulated characteristic (proepicardial progenitor cell genes, and downregulated transcription of myocardial genes. We confirmed the (proepicardial-like properties of these cells using in vitro co-culture assays and in ovo grafting of hPSC-epicardial cells into chick embryos. Our data show that RA + BMP4-treated hPSCs differentiate into (proepicardial-like cells displaying functional properties (adhesion and spreading over the myocardium of their in vivo counterpart. The results extend evidence that hPSCs are an excellent model to study (proepicardial differentiation into cardiovascular cells in human development and evaluate their potential for cardiac regeneration. : The authors have shown that hPSCs can be instructed in vitro to differentiate into a specific cardiac embryonic progenitor cell population called the proepicardium. Proepicardial cells are required for normal formation of the heart during development and might contribute to the development of cell-based therapies for heart repair. Keywords: human pluripotent stem cells, proepicardium, progenitor cells, cardiovascular, differentiation

Human mesenchymal stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Abdallah, Basem; Kassem, Moustapha

2008-01-01

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are a group of clonogenic cells present among the bone marrow stroma and capable of multilineage differentiation into mesoderm-type cells such as osteoblasts, adipocytes and chondrocytes. Due to their ease of isolation and their differentiation potential, MSC are being...... introduced into clinical medicine in variety of applications and through different ways of administration. Here, we discuss approaches for isolation, characterization and directing differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC). An update of the current clinical use of the cells is also provided....

T-cell receptor transfer into human T cells with ecotropic retroviral vectors.

Science.gov (United States)

Koste, L; Beissert, T; Hoff, H; Pretsch, L; Türeci, Ö; Sahin, U

2014-05-01

Adoptive T-cell transfer for cancer immunotherapy requires genetic modification of T cells with recombinant T-cell receptors (TCRs). Amphotropic retroviral vectors (RVs) used for TCR transduction for this purpose are considered safe in principle. Despite this, TCR-coding and packaging vectors could theoretically recombine to produce replication competent vectors (RCVs), and transduced T-cell preparations must be proven free of RCV. To eliminate the need for RCV testing, we transduced human T cells with ecotropic RVs so potential RCV would be non-infectious for human cells. We show that transfection of synthetic messenger RNA encoding murine cationic amino-acid transporter 1 (mCAT-1), the receptor for murine retroviruses, enables efficient transient ecotropic transduction of human T cells. mCAT-1-dependent transduction was more efficient than amphotropic transduction performed in parallel, and preferentially targeted naive T cells. Moreover, we demonstrate that ecotropic TCR transduction results in antigen-specific restimulation of primary human T cells. Thus, ecotropic RVs represent a versatile, safe and potent tool to prepare T cells for the adoptive transfer.

Human amniotic epithelial cell feeder layers maintain human iPS cell pluripotency via inhibited endogenous microRNA-145 and increased Sox2 expression

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Te; Cheng, Weiwei; Huang, Yongyi; Huang, Qin; Jiang, Lizhen; Guo, Lihe

2012-01-01

Currently, human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were generated from patient or disease-specific sources and share the same key properties as embryonic stem cells. This makes them attractive for personalized medicine, drug screens or cellular therapy. Long-term cultivation and maintenance of normal iPS cells in an undifferentiated self-renewing state are a major challenge. Our previous studies have shown that human amniotic epithelial cells (HuAECs) could provide a good source of feeder cells for mouse and human embryonic stem cells, or spermatogonial stem cells, but the mechanism for this is unknown. Here, we examined the effect of endogenous microRNA-145 regulation on Sox2 expression in human iPS cells by HuAECs feeder cells regulation, and in turn on human iPS cells pluripotency. We found that human IPS cells transfected with a microRNA-145 mutant expressed Sox2 at high levels, allowing iPS to maintain a high level of AP activity in long-term culture and form teratomas in SCID mice. Expression of stem cell markers was increased in iPS transfected with the microRNA-145 mutant, compared with iPS was transfected with microRNA-145. Besides, the expression of Drosha proteins of the microRNA-processor complex, required for the generation of precursor pre-miRNA, was significantly increased in human iPS cells cultured on MEF but not on HuAECs. Taken together, these results suggest that endogenous Sox2 expression may be regulated by microRNA-145 in human iPS cells with HuAECs feeder cells, and Sox2 is a crucial component required for maintenance of them in an undifferentiated, proliferative state capable of self-renewal. Highlights: ► microRNA-145 inhibits Sox2 expression in human iPS cells. ► microRNA-145 suppresses the self-renewal and pluripotency of human iPS cells. ► HuAECs regulate expression of microRNA-145 and Sox2 in human iPS cells. ► HuAECs feeder layers maintain human iPS cells pluripotency. ► HuAECs negatively regulates the synthesis of

Human amniotic epithelial cell feeder layers maintain human iPS cell pluripotency via inhibited endogenous microRNA-145 and increased Sox2 expression

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Liu, Te, E-mail: liute79@yahoo.com [School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Donghua University, Shanghai 201620 (China); Shanghai Geriatric Institute of Chinese Medicine, Shanghai 200031 (China); Cheng, Weiwei [International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030 (China); Huang, Yongyi [Laboratoire PROTEE, Batiment R, Universite du Sud Toulon-Var, 83957 LA GARDE Cedex (France); Huang, Qin; Jiang, Lizhen [Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China); Guo, Lihe, E-mail: liute79@yahoo.com [Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031 (China)

2012-02-15

Currently, human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells were generated from patient or disease-specific sources and share the same key properties as embryonic stem cells. This makes them attractive for personalized medicine, drug screens or cellular therapy. Long-term cultivation and maintenance of normal iPS cells in an undifferentiated self-renewing state are a major challenge. Our previous studies have shown that human amniotic epithelial cells (HuAECs) could provide a good source of feeder cells for mouse and human embryonic stem cells, or spermatogonial stem cells, but the mechanism for this is unknown. Here, we examined the effect of endogenous microRNA-145 regulation on Sox2 expression in human iPS cells by HuAECs feeder cells regulation, and in turn on human iPS cells pluripotency. We found that human IPS cells transfected with a microRNA-145 mutant expressed Sox2 at high levels, allowing iPS to maintain a high level of AP activity in long-term culture and form teratomas in SCID mice. Expression of stem cell markers was increased in iPS transfected with the microRNA-145 mutant, compared with iPS was transfected with microRNA-145. Besides, the expression of Drosha proteins of the microRNA-processor complex, required for the generation of precursor pre-miRNA, was significantly increased in human iPS cells cultured on MEF but not on HuAECs. Taken together, these results suggest that endogenous Sox2 expression may be regulated by microRNA-145 in human iPS cells with HuAECs feeder cells, and Sox2 is a crucial component required for maintenance of them in an undifferentiated, proliferative state capable of self-renewal. Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer microRNA-145 inhibits Sox2 expression in human iPS cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer microRNA-145 suppresses the self-renewal and pluripotency of human iPS cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HuAECs regulate expression of microRNA-145 and Sox2 in human iPS cells. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer HuAECs feeder

p75 neurotrophin receptor is involved in proliferation of undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moscatelli, Ilana; Pierantozzi, Enrico; Camaioni, Antonella; Siracusa, Gregorio [Department of Public Health and Cell Biology, Section of Histology and Embryology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome (Italy); Campagnolo, Luisa, E-mail: campagno@med.uniroma2.it [Department of Public Health and Cell Biology, Section of Histology and Embryology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Via Montpellier 1, 00133 Rome (Italy)

2009-11-01

Neurotrophins and their receptors are known to play a role in the proliferation and survival of many different cell types of neuronal and non-neuronal lineages. In addition, there is much evidence in the literature showing that the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75{sup NTR}), alone or in association with members of the family of Trk receptors, is expressed in a wide variety of stem cells, although its role in such cells has not been completely elucidated. In the present work we have investigated the expression of p75{sup NTR} and Trks in totipotent and pluripotent cells, the mouse pre-implantation embryo and embryonic stem and germ cells (ES and EG cells). p75{sup NTR} and TrkA can be first detected in the blastocyst from which ES cell lines are derived. Mouse ES cells retain p75{sup NTR}/TrkA expression. Nerve growth factor is the only neurotrophin able to stimulate ES cell growth in culture, without affecting the expression of stem cell markers, alkaline phosphatase, Oct4 and Nanog. Such proliferation effect was blocked by antagonizing either p75{sup NTR} or TrkA. Interestingly, immunoreactivity to anti-p75{sup NTR} antibodies is lost upon ES cell differentiation. The expression pattern of neurotrophin receptors in murine ES cells differs from human ES cells, that only express TrkB and C, and do not respond to NGF. In this paper we also show that, while primordial germ cells (PGC) do not express p75{sup NTR}, when they are made to revert to an ES-like phenotype, becoming EG cells, expression of p75{sup NTR} is turned on.

p75 neurotrophin receptor is involved in proliferation of undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moscatelli, Ilana; Pierantozzi, Enrico; Camaioni, Antonella; Siracusa, Gregorio; Campagnolo, Luisa

2009-01-01

Neurotrophins and their receptors are known to play a role in the proliferation and survival of many different cell types of neuronal and non-neuronal lineages. In addition, there is much evidence in the literature showing that the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75 NTR ), alone or in association with members of the family of Trk receptors, is expressed in a wide variety of stem cells, although its role in such cells has not been completely elucidated. In the present work we have investigated the expression of p75 NTR and Trks in totipotent and pluripotent cells, the mouse pre-implantation embryo and embryonic stem and germ cells (ES and EG cells). p75 NTR and TrkA can be first detected in the blastocyst from which ES cell lines are derived. Mouse ES cells retain p75 NTR /TrkA expression. Nerve growth factor is the only neurotrophin able to stimulate ES cell growth in culture, without affecting the expression of stem cell markers, alkaline phosphatase, Oct4 and Nanog. Such proliferation effect was blocked by antagonizing either p75 NTR or TrkA. Interestingly, immunoreactivity to anti-p75 NTR antibodies is lost upon ES cell differentiation. The expression pattern of neurotrophin receptors in murine ES cells differs from human ES cells, that only express TrkB and C, and do not respond to NGF. In this paper we also show that, while primordial germ cells (PGC) do not express p75 NTR , when they are made to revert to an ES-like phenotype, becoming EG cells, expression of p75 NTR is turned on.

21 CFR 864.2280 - Cultured animal and human cells.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cultured animal and human cells. 864.2280 Section... Cultured animal and human cells. (a) Identification. Cultured animal and human cells are in vitro cultivated cell lines from the tissue of humans or other animals which are used in various diagnostic...

Interaction of Human Enterochromaffin Cells with Human Enteric Adenovirus 41 Leads to Serotonin Release and Subsequent Activation of Enteric Glia Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Westerberg, Sonja; Hagbom, Marie; Rajan, Anandi; Loitto, Vesa; Persson, B David; Allard, Annika; Nordgren, Johan; Sharma, Sumit; Magnusson, Karl-Eric; Arnberg, Niklas; Svensson, Lennart

2018-04-01

Human adenovirus 41 (HAdV-41) causes acute gastroenteritis in young children. The main characteristics of HAdV-41 infection are diarrhea and vomiting. Nevertheless, the precise mechanism of HAdV-41-induced diarrhea is unknown, as a suitable small-animal model has not been described. In this study, we used the human midgut carcinoid cell line GOT1 to investigate the effect of HAdV-41 infection and the individual HAdV-41 capsid proteins on serotonin release by enterochromaffin cells and on enteric glia cell (EGC) activation. We first determined that HAdV-41 could infect the enterochromaffin cells. Immunofluorescence staining revealed that the cells expressed HAdV-41-specific coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR); flow cytometry analysis supported these findings. HAdV-41 infection of the enterochromaffin cells induced serotonin secretion dose dependently. In contrast, control infection with HAdV-5 did not induce serotonin secretion in the cells. Confocal microscopy studies of enterochromaffin cells infected with HAdV-41 revealed decreased serotonin immunofluorescence compared to that in uninfected cells. Incubation of the enterochromaffin cells with purified HAdV-41 short fiber knob and hexon proteins increased the serotonin levels in the harvested cell supernatant significantly. HAdV-41 infection could also activate EGCs, as shown in the significantly altered expression of glia fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in EGCs incubated with HAdV-41. The EGCs were also activated by serotonin alone, as shown in the significantly increased GFAP staining intensity. Likewise, EGCs were activated by the cell supernatant of HAdV-41-infected enterochromaffin cells. IMPORTANCE The nonenveloped human adenovirus 41 causes diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and low-grade fever mainly in children under 2 years of age. Even though acute gastroenteritis is well described, how human adenovirus 41 causes diarrhea is unknown. In our study, we analyzed the effect of human adenovirus 41

Culture of human cell lines by a pathogen-inactivated human platelet lysate.

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Fazzina, R; Iudicone, P; Mariotti, A; Fioravanti, D; Procoli, A; Cicchetti, E; Scambia, G; Bonanno, G; Pierelli, L

2016-08-01

Alternatives to the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) have been investigated to ensure xeno-free growth condition. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of human platelet lysate (PL) as a substitute of FBS for the in vitro culture of some human cell lines. PL was obtained by pools of pathogen inactivated human donor platelet (PLT) concentrates. Human leukemia cell lines (KG-1, K562, JURKAT, HL-60) and epithelial tumor cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7) were cultured with either FBS or PL. Changes in cell proliferation, viability, morphology, surface markers and cell cycle were evaluated for each cell line. Functional characteristics were analysed by drug sensitivity test and cytotoxicity assay. Our results demonstrated that PL can support growth and expansion of all cell lines, although the cells cultured in presence of PL experienced a less massive proliferation compared to those grown with FBS. We found a comparable percentage of viable specific marker-expressing cells in both conditions, confirming lineage fidelity in all cultures. Functionality assays showed that cells in both FBS- and PL-supported cultures maintained their normal responsiveness to adriamycin and NK cell-mediated lysis. Our findings indicate that PL is a feasible serum substitute for supporting growth and propagation of haematopoietic and epithelial cell lines with many advantages from a perspective of process standardization, ethicality and product safety.

Maintenance and induction of murine embryonic stem cell differentiation using E-cadherin-Fc substrata without colony formation

Science.gov (United States)

Meng, Qing-Yuan; Akaike, Toshihiro

2013-03-01

Induced embryonic stem (ES) cells are expected to be promising cell resources for the observation of the cell behaviors in developmental biology as well as the implantation in cell treatments in human diseases. A recombinant E-cadherin substratum was developed as a cell recognizable substratum to maintain the ES cells' self-renewal and pluripotency at single cell level. Furthermore, the generation of various cell lineages in different germ layers, including hepatic or neural cells, was achieved on the chimeric protein layer precisely and effectively. The induction and isolation of specific cell population was carried out with the enhancing effect of other artificial extracellular matrices (ECMs) in enzyme-free process. The murine ES cell-derived cells showed highly morphological similarities and functional expressions to matured hepatocytes or neural progenitor cells.

Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells generated from human embryonic stem cells support pluripotent cell growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varga, Nora [Membrane Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary); Vereb, Zoltan; Rajnavoelgyi, Eva [Department of Immunology, Medical and Health Science Centre, University of Debrecen, Debrecen (Hungary); Nemet, Katalin; Uher, Ferenc; Sarkadi, Balazs [Membrane Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary); Apati, Agota, E-mail: apati@kkk.org.hu [Membrane Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Semmelweis University, Budapest (Hungary)

2011-10-28

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MSC like cells were derived from hESC by a simple and reproducible method. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Differentiation and immunosuppressive features of MSCl cells were similar to bmMSC. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer MSCl cells as feeder cells support the undifferentiated growth of hESC. -- Abstract: Mesenchymal stem cell like (MSCl) cells were generated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) through embryoid body formation, and isolated by adherence to plastic surface. MSCl cell lines could be propagated without changes in morphological or functional characteristics for more than 15 passages. These cells, as well as their fluorescent protein expressing stable derivatives, efficiently supported the growth of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells as feeder cells. The MSCl cells did not express the embryonic (Oct4, Nanog, ABCG2, PODXL, or SSEA4), or hematopoietic (CD34, CD45, CD14, CD133, HLA-DR) stem cell markers, while were positive for the characteristic cell surface markers of MSCs (CD44, CD73, CD90, CD105). MSCl cells could be differentiated toward osteogenic, chondrogenic or adipogenic directions and exhibited significant inhibition of mitogen-activated lymphocyte proliferation, and thus presented immunosuppressive features. We suggest that cultured MSCl cells can properly model human MSCs and be applied as efficient feeders in hESC cultures.

Male germline stem cells in non-human primates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Sharma

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Over the past few decades, several studies have attempted to decipher the biology of mammalian germline stem cells (GSCs. These studies provide evidence that regulatory mechanisms for germ cell specification and migration are evolutionarily conserved across species. The characteristics and functions of primate GSCs are highly distinct from rodent species; therefore the findings from rodent models cannot be extrapolated to primates. Due to limited availability of human embryonic and testicular samples for research purposes, two non-human primate models (marmoset and macaque monkeys are extensively employed to understand human germline development and differentiation. This review provides a broader introduction to the in vivo and in vitro germline stem cell terminology from primordial to differentiating germ cells. Primordial germ cells (PGCs are the most immature germ cells colonizing the gonad prior to sex differentiation into testes or ovaries. PGC specification and migratory patterns among different primate species are compared in the review. It also reports the distinctions and similarities in expression patterns of pluripotency markers (OCT4A, NANOG, SALL4 and LIN28 during embryonic developmental stages, among marmosets, macaques and humans. This review presents a comparative summary with immunohistochemical and molecular evidence of germ cell marker expression patterns during postnatal developmental stages, among humans and non-human primates. Furthermore, it reports findings from the recent literature investigating the plasticity behavior of germ cells and stem cells in other organs of humans and monkeys. The use of non-human primate models would enable bridging the knowledge gap in primate GSC research and understanding the mechanisms involved in germline development. Reported similarities in regulatory mechanisms and germ cell expression profile in primates demonstrate the preclinical significance of monkey models for development of

Human interleukin for DA cells or leukemia inhibitory factor is released by Vero cells in human embryo coculture.

Science.gov (United States)

Papaxanthos-Roche, A; Taupin, J L; Mayer, G; Daniel, J Y; Moreau, J F

1994-09-01

In the light of the newly discovered implications of human interleukin for DA cells and leukemia inhibitory factor in embryology, we searched for the presence of this soluble cytokine in the supernatant of Vero cell coculture systems. Using a bioassay as well as a specific ELISA, we demonstrated that Vero cells are able to release large quantities of human interleukin for DA cells and leukemia inhibitory factor in the embryo-growing medium of such cocultures.

TGF-β/Smad2/3 signaling directly regulates several miRNAs in mouse ES cells and early embryos.

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Nicholas Redshaw

Full Text Available The Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β signaling pathway is one of the major pathways essential for normal embryonic development and tissue homeostasis, with anti-tumor but also pro-metastatic properties in cancer. This pathway directly regulates several target genes that mediate its downstream functions, however very few microRNAs (miRNAs have been identified as targets. miRNAs are modulators of gene expression with essential roles in development and a clear association with diseases including cancer. Little is known about the transcriptional regulation of the primary transcripts (pri-miRNA, pri-miR from which several mature miRNAs are often derived. Here we present the identification of miRNAs regulated by TGF-β signaling in mouse embryonic stem (ES cells and early embryos. We used an inducible ES cell system to maintain high levels of the TGF-β activated/phosphorylated Smad2/3 effectors, which are the transcription factors of the pathway, and a specific inhibitor that blocks their activation. By performing short RNA deep-sequencing after 12 hours Smad2/3 activation and after 16 hours inhibition, we generated a database of responsive miRNAs. Promoter/enhancer analysis of a subset of these miRNAs revealed that the transcription of pri-miR-181c/d and the pri-miR-341∼3072 cluster were found to depend on activated Smad2/3. Several of these miRNAs are expressed in early mouse embryos, when the pathway is known to play an essential role. Treatment of embryos with TGF-β inhibitor caused a reduction of their levels confirming that they are targets of this pathway in vivo. Furthermore, we showed that pri-miR-341∼3072 transcription also depends on FoxH1, a known Smad2/3 transcription partner during early development. Together, our data show that miRNAs are regulated directly by the TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway in ES cells and early embryos. As somatic abnormalities in functions known to be regulated by the TGF-β/Smad2/3 pathway underlie tumor

Generation of Human Immunosuppressive Myeloid Cell Populations in Human Interleukin-6 Transgenic NOG Mice

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Asami Hanazawa

2018-02-01

Full Text Available The tumor microenvironment contains unique immune cells, termed myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs, and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs that suppress host anti-tumor immunity and promote tumor angiogenesis and metastasis. Although these cells are considered a key target of cancer immune therapy, in vivo animal models allowing differentiation of human immunosuppressive myeloid cells have yet to be established, hampering the development of novel cancer therapies. In this study, we established a novel humanized transgenic (Tg mouse strain, human interleukin (hIL-6-expressing NOG mice (NOG-hIL-6 transgenic mice. After transplantation of human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs, the HSC-transplanted NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice (HSC-NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice showed enhanced human monocyte/macrophage differentiation. A significant number of human monocytes were negative for HLA-DR expression and resembled immature myeloid cells in the spleen and peripheral blood from HSC-NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice, but not from HSC-NOG non-Tg mice. Engraftment of HSC4 cells, a human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma-derived cell line producing various factors including IL-6, IL-1β, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF, into HSC-NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice induced a significant number of TAM-like cells, but few were induced in HSC-NOG non-Tg mice. The tumor-infiltrating macrophages in HSC-NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice expressed a high level of CD163, a marker of immunoregulatory myeloid cells, and produced immunosuppressive molecules such as arginase-1 (Arg-1, IL-10, and VEGF. Such cells from HSC-NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice, but not HSC-NOG non-Tg mice, suppressed human T cell proliferation in response to antigen stimulation in in vitro cultures. These results suggest that functional human TAMs can be developed in NOG-hIL-6 Tg mice. This mouse model will contribute to the development of novel cancer immune therapies targeting immunoregulatory

Defensin-like ZmES4 mediates pollen tube burst in maize via opening of the potassium channel KZM1.

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Suseno Amien

2010-06-01

Full Text Available In contrast to animals and lower plant species, sperm cells of flowering plants are non-motile and are transported to the female gametes via the pollen tube, i.e. the male gametophyte. Upon arrival at the female gametophyte two sperm cells are discharged into the receptive synergid cell to execute double fertilization. The first players involved in inter-gametophyte signaling to attract pollen tubes and to arrest their growth have been recently identified. In contrast the physiological mechanisms leading to pollen tube burst and thus sperm discharge remained elusive. Here, we describe the role of polymorphic defensin-like cysteine-rich proteins ZmES1-4 (Zea mays embryo sac from maize, leading to pollen tube growth arrest, burst, and explosive sperm release. ZmES1-4 genes are exclusively expressed in the cells of the female gametophyte. ZmES4-GFP fusion proteins accumulate in vesicles at the secretory zone of mature synergid cells and are released during the fertilization process. Using RNAi knock-down and synthetic ZmES4 proteins, we found that ZmES4 induces pollen tube burst in a species-preferential manner. Pollen tube plasma membrane depolarization, which occurs immediately after ZmES4 application, as well as channel blocker experiments point to a role of K(+-influx in the pollen tube rupture mechanism. Finally, we discovered the intrinsic rectifying K(+ channel KZM1 as a direct target of ZmES4. Following ZmES4 application, KZM1 opens at physiological membrane potentials and closes after wash-out. In conclusion, we suggest that vesicles containing ZmES4 are released from the synergid cells upon male-female gametophyte signaling. Subsequent interaction between ZmES4 and KZM1 results in channel opening and K(+ influx. We further suggest that K(+ influx leads to water uptake and culminates in osmotic tube burst. The species-preferential activity of polymorphic ZmES4 indicates that the mechanism described represents a pre-zygotic hybridization

Defensin-Like ZmES4 Mediates Pollen Tube Burst in Maize via Opening of the Potassium Channel KZM1

Science.gov (United States)

Márton, Mihaela L.; Debener, Thomas; Geiger, Dietmar; Becker, Dirk; Dresselhaus, Thomas

2010-01-01

In contrast to animals and lower plant species, sperm cells of flowering plants are non-motile and are transported to the female gametes via the pollen tube, i.e. the male gametophyte. Upon arrival at the female gametophyte two sperm cells are discharged into the receptive synergid cell to execute double fertilization. The first players involved in inter-gametophyte signaling to attract pollen tubes and to arrest their growth have been recently identified. In contrast the physiological mechanisms leading to pollen tube burst and thus sperm discharge remained elusive. Here, we describe the role of polymorphic defensin-like cysteine-rich proteins ZmES1-4 (Zea mays embryo sac) from maize, leading to pollen tube growth arrest, burst, and explosive sperm release. ZmES1-4 genes are exclusively expressed in the cells of the female gametophyte. ZmES4-GFP fusion proteins accumulate in vesicles at the secretory zone of mature synergid cells and are released during the fertilization process. Using RNAi knock-down and synthetic ZmES4 proteins, we found that ZmES4 induces pollen tube burst in a species-preferential manner. Pollen tube plasma membrane depolarization, which occurs immediately after ZmES4 application, as well as channel blocker experiments point to a role of K+-influx in the pollen tube rupture mechanism. Finally, we discovered the intrinsic rectifying K+ channel KZM1 as a direct target of ZmES4. Following ZmES4 application, KZM1 opens at physiological membrane potentials and closes after wash-out. In conclusion, we suggest that vesicles containing ZmES4 are released from the synergid cells upon male-female gametophyte signaling. Subsequent interaction between ZmES4 and KZM1 results in channel opening and K+ influx. We further suggest that K+ influx leads to water uptake and culminates in osmotic tube burst. The species-preferential activity of polymorphic ZmES4 indicates that the mechanism described represents a pre-zygotic hybridization barrier and may be a

Bidirectional enhancing activities between human T cell leukemia-lymphoma virus type I and human cytomegalovirus in human term syncytiotrophoblast cells cultured in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Tóth, F D; Aboagye-Mathiesen, G; Szabó, J; Liu, X; Mosborg-Petersen, P; Kiss, J; Hager, H; Zdravkovic, M; Andirkó, I; Aranyosi, J

1995-12-01

The syncytiotrophoblast layer of the human placenta has an important role in limiting transplacental viral spread from mother to fetus. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is capable of establishing a latent infection in syncytiotrophoblast cells, with restriction of gene expression to immediate-early and early proteins. We analyzed the extent of replication of human T cell leukemia-lymphoma virus type I (HTLV-I) in human term syncytiotrophoblasts infected with HTLV-I alone or coinfected with HTLV-I and HCMV. Although syncytiotrophoblasts could be infected with cell-free HTLV-I, no viral protein expression was found in the singly infected cells. On the contrary, coinfection of the cells with HTLV-I and HCMV resulted in simultaneous replication of both viruses. Bidirectional enhancing activities between HTLV-I and HCMV were mediated primarily by the Tax and immediate-early proteins, respectively. The stimulatory effect of HTLV-I Tax on HCMV replication appeared to be mediated partly by tumor necrosis factor beta and transforming growth factor beta-1. We observed formation of pseudotypes with HTLV-I nucleocapsids within HCMV envelopes, whereas HCMV was not pseudotyped by HTLV-I envelopes in dually infected syncytiotrophoblast cells. Our data suggest that in vivo dual infection of syncytiotrophoblast cells with HTLV-I and HCMV may facilitate the transplacental transmission of both viruses.

Sensing radiosensitivity of human epidermal stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rachidi, Walid; Harfourche, Ghida; Lemaitre, Gilles; Amiot, Franck; Vaigot, Pierre; Martin, Michele T.

2007-01-01

Purpose: Radiosensitivity of stem cells is a matter of debate. For mouse somatic stem cells, both radiosensitive and radioresistant stem cells have been described. By contrast, the response of human stem cells to radiation has been poorly studied. As epidermis is a radiosensitive tissue, we evaluated in the present work the radiosensitivity of cell populations enriched for epithelial stem cells of human epidermis. Methods and materials: The total keratinocyte population was enzymatically isolated from normal human skin. We used flow cytometry and antibodies against cell surface markers to isolate basal cell populations from human foreskin. Cell survival was measured after a dose of 2 Gy with the XTT assay at 72 h after exposure and with a clonogenic assay at 2 weeks. Transcriptome analysis using oligonucleotide microarrays was performed to assess the genomic cell responses to radiation. Results: Cell sorting based on two membrane proteins, α6 integrin and the transferrin receptor CD71, allowed isolation of keratinocyte populations enriched for the two types of cells found in the basal layer of epidermis: stem cells and progenitors. Both the XTT assay and the clonogenic assay showed that the stem cells were radioresistant whereas the progenitors were radiosensitive. We made the hypothesis that upstream DNA damage signalling might be different in the stem cells and used microarray technology to test this hypothesis. The stem cells exhibited a much more reduced gene response to a dose of 2 Gy than the progenitors, as we found that 6% of the spotted genes were regulated in the stem cells and 20% in the progenitors. Using Ingenuity Pathway Analysis software, we found that radiation exposure induced very specific pathways in the stem cells. The most striking responses were the repression of a network of genes involved in apoptosis and the induction of a network of cytokines and growth factors. Conclusion: These results show for the first time that keratinocyte

New frontiers in human cell biology and medicine: can pluripotent stem cells deliver?

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Goldstein, Lawrence S B

2012-11-12

Human pluripotent stem cells provide enormous opportunities to treat disease using cell therapy. But human stem cells can also drive biomedical and cell biological discoveries in a human model system, which can be directly linked to understanding disease or developing new therapies. Finally, rigorous scientific studies of these cells can and should inform the many science and medical policy issues that confront the translation of these technologies to medicine. In this paper, I discuss these issues using amyotrophic lateral sclerosis as an example.

The lifetime of hypoxic human tumor cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durand, Ralph E.; Sham, Edward

1998-01-01

Purpose: For hypoxic and anoxic cells in solid tumors to be a therapeutic problem, they must live long enough to be therapeutically relevant, or else be rapidly recruited into the proliferating compartment during therapy. We have, therefore, estimated lifetime and recruitment rate of hypoxic human tumor cells in multicell spheroids in vitro, or in xenografted tumors in SCID mice. Materials and Methods: Cell turnover was followed by flow cytometry techniques, using antibodies directed at incorporated halogenated pyrimidines. The disappearance of labeled cells was quantified, and verified to be cell loss rather than label dilution. Repopulation was studied in SiHa tumor xenografts during twice-daily 2.5-Gy radiation exposures. Results: The longevity of hypoxic human tumor cells in spheroids or xenografts exceeded that of rodent cell lines, and cell turnover was slower in xenografts than under static growth as spheroids. Human tumor cells remained viable in the hypoxic regions of xenografts for 4-10 days, compared to 3-5 days in spheroids, and 1-3 days for most rodent cells in spheroids. Repopulation was observed within the first few radiation treatments for the SiHa xenografts and, with accumulated doses of more than 10 Gy, virtually all recovered cells had progressed through at least one S-phase. Conclusion: Our results suggest an important difference in the ability of human vs. rodent tumor cells to withstand hypoxia, and raise questions concerning the increased longevity seen in vivo relative to the steady-state spheroid system

Toxicity of diuron in human cancer cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Huovinen, Marjo; Loikkanen, Jarkko; Naarala, Jonne; Vähäkangas, Kirsi

2015-10-01

Diuron is a substituted phenylurea used as a herbicide to control broadleaf and grass weeds and as a biocidal antifouling agent. Diuron is carcinogenic in rat urinary bladder and toxic to the reproductive system of oysters, sea urchins and lizards. The few studies carried out in human cells do not include the genotoxicity of diuron. We have investigated the toxicity of diuron in human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7) and human placental choriocarcinoma (BeWo) cells. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was statistically significantly increased in both cell lines but only at the highest 200 μM concentration. Diuron clearly reduced the viability of BeWo, but not MCF-7 cells. The relative cell number was decreased in both cell lines indicative of inhibition of cell proliferation. In the Comet assay, diuron increased DNA fragmentation in MCF-7 but not in BeWo cells. The expressions of p53 protein, a marker for cell stress, and p21 protein, a transcriptional target of p53, were increased, but only in MCF-7 cells. In conclusion, our results suggest that diuron is cytotoxic and potentially genotoxic in a tissue-specific manner and that ROS play a role in its toxicity. Thus, exposure to diuron may exert harmful effects on fetal development and damage human health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Expansion and conversion of human pancreatic ductal cells into insulin-secreting endocrine cells.

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Lee, Jonghyeob; Sugiyama, Takuya; Liu, Yinghua; Wang, Jing; Gu, Xueying; Lei, Ji; Markmann, James F; Miyazaki, Satsuki; Miyazaki, Jun-Ichi; Szot, Gregory L; Bottino, Rita; Kim, Seung K

2013-11-19

Pancreatic islet β-cell insufficiency underlies pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus; thus, functional β-cell replacement from renewable sources is the focus of intensive worldwide effort. However, in vitro production of progeny that secrete insulin in response to physiological cues from primary human cells has proven elusive. Here we describe fractionation, expansion and conversion of primary adult human pancreatic ductal cells into progeny resembling native β-cells. FACS-sorted adult human ductal cells clonally expanded as spheres in culture, while retaining ductal characteristics. Expression of the cardinal islet developmental regulators Neurog3, MafA, Pdx1 and Pax6 converted exocrine duct cells into endocrine progeny with hallmark β-cell properties, including the ability to synthesize, process and store insulin, and secrete it in response to glucose or other depolarizing stimuli. These studies provide evidence that genetic reprogramming of expandable human pancreatic cells with defined factors may serve as a general strategy for islet replacement in diabetes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.00940.001.

Lobaplatin arrests cell cycle progression in human hepatocellular carcinoma cells

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Chen Chang-Jie

2010-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC still is a big burden for China. In recent years, the third-generation platinum compounds have been proposed as potential active agents for HCC. However, more experimental and clinical data are warranted to support the proposal. In the present study, the effect of lobaplatin was assessed in five HCC cell lines and the underlying molecular mechanisms in terms of cell cycle kinetics were explored. Methods Cytotoxicity of lobaplatin to human HCC cell lines was examined using MTT cell proliferation assay. Cell cycle distribution was determined by flow cytometry. Expression of cell cycle-regulated genes was examined at both the mRNA (RT-PCR and protein (Western blot levels. The phosphorylation status of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs and retinoblastoma (Rb protein was also examined using Western blot analysis. Results Lobaplatin inhibited proliferation of human HCC cells in a dose-dependent manner. For the most sensitive SMMC-7721 cells, lobaplatin arrested cell cycle progression in G1 and G2/M phases time-dependently which might be associated with the down-regulation of cyclin B, CDK1, CDC25C, phosphorylated CDK1 (pCDK1, pCDK4, Rb, E2F, and pRb, and the up-regulation of p53, p21, and p27. Conclusion Cytotoxicity of lobaplatin in human HCC cells might be due to its ability to arrest cell cycle progression which would contribute to the potential use of lobaplatin for the management of HCC.

Identification of proteins specific for human herpesvirus 6-infected human T cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balachandran, N.; Amelse, R.E.; Zhou, W.W.; Chang, C.K.

1989-01-01

Proteins specific for human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)-infected human T cells (HSB-2) were examined by using polyclonal rabbit antibodies and monoclonal antibodies against HHV-6-infected cells and human sera. More than 20 proteins and six glycoproteins specific for HHV-6-infected cells were identified from [ 35 S]methionine- and [ 3 H]glucosamine-labeled total-cell extracts. Polyclonal rabbit antibodies immunoprecipitated 33 [ 35 S]methionine-labeled HHV-6-specific polypeptides with approximate molecular weights ranging from 180,000 to 31,000. In immunoprecipitation and Western immunoblot reactions, a patient's serum also recognized more than 30 HHV-6-specific proteins and seven glycoproteins. In contrast, sera from individuals with high-titered antibodies against other human herpesviruses reacted with fewer HHV-6-infected cell proteins, and only a 135,000-M r polypeptide was prominent. Monoclonal antibodies to HHV-6-infected cells reacted with single and multiple polypeptides specific for virus-infected cells and immunoprecipitated three distinct sets of glycoproteins, which were designated gp105k and gp82k, gp116k, gp64k, and gp54k, and gp102k

Identification of proteins specific for human herpesvirus 6-infected human T cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balachandran, N.; Amelse, R.E.; Zhou, W.W.; Chang, C.K.

1989-01-01

Proteins specific for human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6)-infected human T cells (HSB-2) were examined by using polyclonal rabbit antibodies and monoclonal antibodies against HHV-6-infected cells and human sera. More than 20 proteins and six glycoproteins specific for HHV-6-infected cells were identified from [ 35 S]methionine- and [ 3 H]glucosamine-labeled total-cell extracts. Polyclonal rabbit antibodies immunoprecipitated 33 [ 35 S]methionine-labeled HHV-6-specific polypeptides with approximate molecular weights ranging from 180,000 to 31,000. In immunoprecipitation and Western immunoblot reactions, a patient's serum also recognized more than 30 HHV-6-specific proteins and seven glycoproteins. In contrast, sera from individuals with high-titered antibodies against other human herpes viruses reacted with few HHV-6-infected cell proteins, and only a 135,000-M/sub r/ polypeptide was prominent. Monoclonal antibodies to HHV-6-infected cells reacted with single and multiple polypeptides specific for virus-infected cells and immunoprecipitated three distinct sets of glycoproteins, which were designated gp105K and gp92k, gp116k, gp64k, and gp54k, and gp102k

The response of human and rodent cells to hyperthermia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roizin-Towle, L.; Pirro, J.P.

1991-01-01

Inherent cellular radiosensitivity in vitro has been shown to be a good predictor of human tumor response in vivo. In contrast, the importance of the intrinsic thermosensitivity of normal and neoplastic human cells as a factor in the responsiveness of human tumors to adjuvant hyperthermia has never been analyzed systematically. A comparison of thermal sensitivity and thermo-radiosensitization in four rodent and eight human-derived cell lines was made in vitro. Arrhenius plots indicated that the rodent cells were more sensitive to heat killing than the human, and the break-point was 0.5 degrees C higher for the human than rodent cells. The relationship between thermal sensitivity and the interaction of heat with X rays at low doses was documented by thermal enhancement ratios (TER's). Cells received either a 1 hr exposure to 43 degrees C or a 20 minute treatment at 45 degrees C before exposure to 300 kVp X rays. Thermal enhancement ratios ranged from 1.0 to 2.7 for human cells heated at 43 degrees C and from 2.1 to 5.3 for heat exposures at 45 degrees C. Thermal enhancement ratios for rodent cells were generally 2 to 3 times higher than for human cells, because of the fact that the greater thermosensitivity of rodent cells results in a greater enhancement of radiation damage. Intrinsic thermosensitivity of human cells has relevance to the concept of thermal dose; intrinsic thermo-radiosensitization of a range of different tumor cells is useful in documenting the interactive effects of radiation combined with heat

Survival and differentiation of human embryonic stem cell-derived neural precursors grafted spinally in spinal ischemia-injured rats or in naive immunosuppressed minipigs: a qualitative and quantitative study

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kakinohana, O.; Juhásová, Jana; Juhás, Štefan; Motlík, Jan; Platoshyn, O.; Galik, J.; Hefferan, M. P.; Yuan, S. H.; Vidal, J. G.; Carson, C. T.; Van Gorp, S.; Goldberg, D.; Leerink, M.; Lazar, P.; Maršala, S.; Miyanohara, A.; Keshavarzi, S.; Ciacci, J. D.; Maršala, M.

2012-01-01

Roč. 21, č. 12 (2012), s. 2603-2619 ISSN 0963-6897 R&D Projects: GA MŠk 1M0538; GA TA ČR TA01011466 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : spinal cord ischemia * human embryonic stem (ES) cells * neuronal precursors (NPCs) Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 4.422, year: 2012

Repurposing Lesogaberan to Promote Human Islet Cell Survival and β-Cell Replication

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Jide Tian

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The activation of β-cell’s A- and B-type gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors (GABAA-Rs and GABAB-Rs can promote their survival and replication, and the activation of α-cell GABAA-Rs promotes their conversion into β-cells. However, GABA and the most clinically applicable GABA-R ligands may be suboptimal for the long-term treatment of diabetes due to their pharmacological properties or potential side-effects on the central nervous system (CNS. Lesogaberan (AZD3355 is a peripherally restricted high-affinity GABAB-R-specific agonist, originally developed for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD that appears to be safe for human use. This study tested the hypothesis that lesogaberan could be repurposed to promote human islet cell survival and β-cell replication. Treatment with lesogaberan significantly enhanced replication of human islet cells in vitro, which was abrogated by a GABAB-R antagonist. Immunohistochemical analysis of human islets that were grafted into immune-deficient mice revealed that oral treatment with lesogaberan promoted human β-cell replication and islet cell survival in vivo as effectively as GABA (which activates both GABAA-Rs and GABAB-Rs, perhaps because of its more favorable pharmacokinetics. Lesogaberan may be a promising drug candidate for clinical studies of diabetes intervention and islet transplantation.

Comparative reactivity of human IgE to cynomolgus monkey and human effector cells and effects on IgE effector cell potency

Science.gov (United States)

Saul, Louise; Saul, Louise; Josephs, Debra H; Josephs, Debra H; Cutler, Keith; Cutler, Keith; Bradwell, Andrew; Bradwell, Andrew; Karagiannis, Panagiotis; Karagiannis, Panagiotis; Selkirk, Chris; Selkirk, Chris; Gould, Hannah J; Gould, Hannah J; Jones, Paul; Jones, Paul; Spicer, James F; Spicer, James F; Karagiannis, Sophia N; Karagiannis, Sophia N

2014-01-01

Background: Due to genetic similarities with humans, primates of the macaque genus such as the cynomolgus monkey are often chosen as models for toxicology studies of antibody therapies. IgE therapeutics in development depend upon engagement with the FcεRI and FcεRII receptors on immune effector cells for their function. Only limited knowledge of the primate IgE immune system is available to inform the choice of models for mechanistic and safety evaluations.   Methods: The recognition of human IgE by peripheral blood lymphocytes from cynomolgus monkey and man was compared. We used effector cells from each species in ex vivo affinity, dose-response, antibody-receptor dissociation and potency assays. Results: We report cross-reactivity of human IgE Fc with cynomolgus monkey cells, and comparable binding kinetics to peripheral blood lymphocytes from both species. In competition and dissociation assays, however, human IgE dissociated faster from cynomolgus monkey compared with human effector cells. Differences in association and dissociation kinetics were reflected in effector cell potency assays of IgE-mediated target cell killing, with higher concentrations of human IgE needed to elicit effector response in the cynomolgus monkey system. Additionally, human IgE binding on immune effector cells yielded significantly different cytokine release profiles in each species. Conclusion: These data suggest that human IgE binds with different characteristics to human and cynomolgus monkey IgE effector cells. This is likely to affect the potency of IgE effector functions in these two species, and so has relevance for the selection of biologically-relevant model systems when designing pre-clinical toxicology and functional studies. PMID:24492303

Retinal Ganglion Cell Diversity and Subtype Specification from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Kirstin B. Langer

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs are the projection neurons of the retina and transmit visual information to postsynaptic targets in the brain. While this function is shared among nearly all RGCs, this class of cell is remarkably diverse, comprised of multiple subtypes. Previous efforts have identified numerous RGC subtypes in animal models, but less attention has been paid to human RGCs. Thus, efforts of this study examined the diversity of RGCs differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs and characterized defined subtypes through the expression of subtype-specific markers. Further investigation of these subtypes was achieved using single-cell transcriptomics, confirming the combinatorial expression of molecular markers associated with these subtypes, and also provided insight into more subtype-specific markers. Thus, the results of this study describe the derivation of RGC subtypes from hPSCs and will support the future exploration of phenotypic and functional diversity within human RGCs. : In this article, Langer and colleagues present extensive characterization of RGC subtypes derived from human pluripotent stem cells, with multiple subtypes identified by subtype-specific molecular markers. Their results present a more detailed analysis of RGC diversity in human cells and yield the use of different markers to identify RGC subtypes. Keywords: iPSC, retina, retinal ganglion cell, RGC subtype, stem cell, ipRGC, alpha RGC, direction selective RGC, RNA-seq

Alternative Sources of Adult Stem Cells: Human Amniotic Membrane

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Wolbank, Susanne; van Griensven, Martijn; Grillari-Voglauer, Regina; Peterbauer-Scherb, Anja

Human amniotic membrane is a highly promising cell source for tissue engineering. The cells thereof, human amniotic epithelial cells (hAEC) and human amniotic mesenchymal stromal cells (hAMSC), may be immunoprivileged, they represent an early developmental status, and their application is ethically uncontroversial. Cell banking strategies may use freshly isolated cells or involve in vitro expansion to increase cell numbers. Therefore, we have thoroughly characterized the effect of in vitro cultivation on both phenotype and differentiation potential of hAEC. Moreover, we present different strategies to improve expansion including replacement of animal-derived supplements by human platelet products or the introduction of the catalytic subunit of human telomerase to extend the in vitro lifespan of amniotic cells. Characterization of the resulting cultures includes phenotype, growth characteristics, and differentiation potential, as well as immunogenic and immunomodulatory properties.

Ginsenoside Rg3 induces DNA damage in human osteosarcoma cells and reduces MNNG-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in normal human cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yue-Hui; Li, Hai-Dong; Li, Bo; Jiang, Sheng-Dan; Jiang, Lei-Sheng

2014-02-01

Panax ginseng is a Chinese medicinal herb. Ginsenosides are the main bioactive components of P. ginseng, and ginsenoside Rg3 is the primary ginsenoside. Ginsenosides can potently kill various types of cancer cells. The present study was designed to evaluate the potential genotoxicity of ginsenoside Rg3 in human osteosarcoma cells and the protective effect of ginsenoside Rg3 with respect to N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in a normal human cell line (human fibroblasts). Four human osteosarcoma cell lines (MG-63, OS732, U-2OS and HOS cells) and a normal human cell line (human fibroblasts) were employed to investigate the cytotoxicity of ginsenosides Rg3 by MTT assay. Alkaline comet assay and γH2AX focus staining were used to detect the DNA damage in MG-63 and U-2OS cells. The extent of cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry and a DNA ladder assay. Our results demonstrated that the cytotoxicity of ginsenoside Rg3 was dose-dependent in the human osteosarcoma cell lines, and MG-63 and U-2OS cells were the most sensitive to ginsenoside Rg3. As expected, compared to the negative control, ginsenoside Rg3 significantly increased DNA damage in a concentration-dependent manner. In agreement with the comet assay data, the percentage of γH2AX-positive MG-63 and U-2OS cells indicated that ginsenoside Rg3 induced DNA double-strand breaks in a concentration-dependent manner. The results also suggest that ginsenoside Rg3 reduces the extent of MNNG-induced DNA damage and apoptosis in human fibroblasts.

Genetically-modified pig mesenchymal stromal cells: xenoantigenicity and effect on human T-cell xenoresponses.

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Ezzelarab, Mohamed; Ezzelarab, Corin; Wilhite, Tyler; Kumar, Goutham; Hara, Hidetaka; Ayares, David; Cooper, David K C

2011-01-01

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) are being investigated as immunomodulatory therapy in the field of transplantation, particularly islet transplantation. While MSC can regenerate across species barriers, the immunoregulatory influence of genetically modified pig MSC (pMSC) on the human and non-human primate T-cell responses has not been studied. Mesenchymal stromal cells from wild-type (WT), α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene knockout (GTKO) and GTKO pigs transgenic for the human complement-regulatory protein CD46 (GTKO/CD46) were isolated and tested for differentiation. Antibody binding and T-cell responses to WT and GTKO pMSC in comparison with GTKO pig aortic endothelial cells (pAEC) were investigated. The expression of swine leukocyte antigen (SLA) class II (SLA II) was tested. Costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 mRNA levels were measured. Human T-cell proliferation and the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in response to GTKO and GTKO/CD46 pMSC in comparison with human MSC (hMSC) were evaluated. α1,3-galactosyltransferase gene knockout and GTKO/CD46 pMSC isolation and differentiation were achieved in vitro. Binding of human antibodies and T-cell responses were lower to GTKO than those to WT pMSC. Human and baboon (naïve and sensitized) antibody binding were significantly lower to GTKO pMSC than to GTKO pAEC. Before activation, human CD4(+) T-cell response to GTKO pMSC was significantly weaker than that to GTKO pAEC, even after pIFN-γ activation. More than 99% of GTKO/CD46 pMSC expressed hCD46. Human peripheral blood mononuclear cells and CD4(+) T-cell responses to GTKO and GTKO/CD46 pMSC were comparable with those to hMSC, and all were significantly lower than to GTKO pAEC. GTKO/CD46 pMSC downregulated human T-cell proliferation as efficiently as hMSC. The level of proinflammatory cytokines IL-2, IFN-γ, TNF-α, and sCD40L correlated with the downregulation of T-cell proliferation by all types of MSC. Genetically modified pMSC is significantly less

A DNA Vaccine Protects Human Immune Cells against Zika Virus Infection in Humanized Mice

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Guohua Yi

2017-11-01

Full Text Available A DNA vaccine encoding prM and E protein has been shown to induce protection against Zika virus (ZIKV infection in mice and monkeys. However, its effectiveness in humans remains undefined. Moreover, identification of which immune cell types are specifically infected in humans is unclear. We show that human myeloid cells and B cells are primary targets of ZIKV in humanized mice. We also show that a DNA vaccine encoding full length prM and E protein protects humanized mice from ZIKV infection. Following administration of the DNA vaccine, humanized DRAG mice developed antibodies targeting ZIKV as measured by ELISA and neutralization assays. Moreover, following ZIKV challenge, vaccinated animals presented virtually no detectable virus in human cells and in serum, whereas unvaccinated animals displayed robust infection, as measured by qRT-PCR. Our results utilizing humanized mice show potential efficacy for a targeted DNA vaccine against ZIKV in humans.

Differentiation of insulin-producing cells from human neural progenitor cells.

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Yuichi Hori

2005-04-01

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Success in islet-transplantation-based therapies for type 1 diabetes, coupled with a worldwide shortage of transplant-ready islets, has motivated efforts to develop renewable sources of islet-replacement tissue. Islets and neurons share features, including common developmental programs, and in some species brain neurons are the principal source of systemic insulin. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Here we show that brain-derived human neural progenitor cells, exposed to a series of signals that regulate in vivo pancreatic islet development, form clusters of glucose-responsive insulin-producing cells (IPCs. During in vitro differentiation of neural progenitor cells with this novel method, genes encoding essential known in vivo regulators of pancreatic islet development were expressed. Following transplantation into immunocompromised mice, IPCs released insulin C-peptide upon glucose challenge, remained differentiated, and did not form detectable tumors. CONCLUSION: Production of IPCs solely through extracellular factor modulation in the absence of genetic manipulations may promote strategies to derive transplantable islet-replacement tissues from human neural progenitor cells and other types of multipotent human stem cells.

Searching for a placental derived ES-62-like molecule to explain rheumatoid arthritis amelioration in pregnancy

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Craig D. Scoville

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The majority of women with rheumatoid arthritis (RA experience disease amelioration during pregnancy for unclear reasons. One possible explanation pursued and described here is whether the placenta produces a protein similar to the immunomodulating protein, ES-62, excreted by filarial nematodes. This protein has also been shown to reduce disease activity in animal models of RA. Eleven human placentas were prepared and a polyclonal anti-ES-62 antiserum was used to identify if any ES-62-like molecule exists from human placental tissues. Any bands identified were then excised from the gel and sent for mass spectrometry and protein identification. The anti-serum showed consistent cross reactivity with the heavy chain from immunoglobulin G (IgG from the eleven human placentas by mass spectrometry. No primary sequence homology between the heavy chain of IgG and ES-62 was identified. The placenta does not produce an ES-62-like molecule. However the binding of the antiserum to the Fc region of IgG suggests that this may be a possible mechanism for rheumatoid factor production in some patients with chronic filarial infections.

Human leukaemic cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andronikashvili, E.L.; Mosulishvili, L.M.; Belokobil'skiy, A.I.; Kharabadze, N.E.; Shonia, N.I.; Desai, L.S.; Foley, G.E.

1976-01-01

The results of the determination of trace elements in nucleic acids and histones in human leukaemic cells by activation analysis are reported. The Cr 2+ , Fe 2+ , Zn 2+ , Co 2+ and Sb 2+ content of DNA and RNA of leukaemic cells compared to that of lymphocytes from a patient with infectious mononucleosis or a normal donor are shown tabulated. Similar comparisons are shown for the same trace metal content of histones isolated from the same type of cells. It is felt that the results afford further interesting speculation that trace metals may be involved in the interactions between histones and DNA (especially at the binding sites of histones to DNA), which affect transcription characteristics. (U.K.)

Increasing cell culture population doublings for long-term growth of finite life span human cell cultures

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Stampfer, Martha R; Garbe, James C

2015-02-24

Cell culture media formulations for culturing human epithelial cells are herein described. Also described are methods of increasing population doublings in a cell culture of finite life span human epithelial cells and prolonging the life span of human cell cultures. Using the cell culture media disclosed alone and in combination with addition to the cell culture of a compound associated with anti-stress activity achieves extended growth of pre-stasis cells and increased population doublings and life span in human epithelial cell cultures.

A Chemical Probe that Labels Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Nao Hirata

2014-03-01

Full Text Available A small-molecule fluorescent probe specific for human pluripotent stem cells would serve as a useful tool for basic cell biology research and stem cell therapy. Screening of fluorescent chemical libraries with human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs and subsequent evaluation of hit molecules identified a fluorescent compound (Kyoto probe 1 [KP-1] that selectively labels human pluripotent stem cells. Our analyses indicated that the selectivity results primarily from a distinct expression pattern of ABC transporters in human pluripotent stem cells and from the transporter selectivity of KP-1. Expression of ABCB1 (MDR1 and ABCG2 (BCRP, both of which cause the efflux of KP-1, is repressed in human pluripotent stem cells. Although KP-1, like other pluripotent markers, is not absolutely specific for pluripotent stem cells, the identified chemical probe may be used in conjunction with other reagents.

Lipofectamine and related cationic lipids strongly improve adenoviral infection efficiency of primitive human hematopoietic cells.

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Byk, T; Haddada, H; Vainchenker, W; Louache, F

1998-11-20

Adenoviral vectors have the potential to infect a large number of cell types including quiescent cells. Their use in hematopoietic cells is limited by the episomal form of their DNA, leading to transgene loss in the progeny cells. However, the use of this vector may be interesting for short-term in vitro modifications of primitive human hematopoietic cells. Therefore, we have investigated the ability of adenovirus to transduce cord blood CD34+ cells. Several promoters were tested using the lacZ reporter gene. The PGK and CMV promoters induced transgene expression in 18-25% of the cells, whereas the HTLV-I and especially the RSV promoter were almost inactive. To improve infection efficiency, adenovirus was complexed with cationic lipids. Lipofectamine, Cellfectin, and RPR120535b, but not Lipofectin, Lipofectace, or DOTAP, markedly improved transgene expression in CD34+ cells (from 19 to 35%). Lipofectamine strongly enhanced infection efficiency of the poorly infectable primitive CD34+CD38low cells (from 11 to 28%) whereas the more mature CD34+CD38+ cells were only slightly affected (from 24 to 31%). Lipofectamine tripled the infection of CFU-GMs and LTC-ICs derived from the CD34+CD38low cell fraction (from 4 to 12% and from 5 to 16%, respectively) and doubled that of BFU-Es (from 13 to 26%). We conclude that cationic lipids can markedly increase the efficiency of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer into primitive hematopoietic cells.

Generation of Oligodendrogenic Spinal Neural Progenitor Cells From Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

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Khazaei, Mohamad; Ahuja, Christopher S; Fehlings, Michael G

2017-08-14

This unit describes protocols for the efficient generation of oligodendrogenic neural progenitor cells (o-NPCs) from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Specifically, detailed methods are provided for the maintenance and differentiation of hiPSCs, human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural progenitor cells (hiPS-NPCs), and human induced pluripotent stem cell-oligodendrogenic neural progenitor cells (hiPSC-o-NPCs) with the final products being suitable for in vitro experimentation or in vivo transplantation. Throughout, cell exposure to growth factors and patterning morphogens has been optimized for both concentration and timing, based on the literature and empirical experience, resulting in a robust and highly efficient protocol. Using this derivation procedure, it is possible to obtain millions of oligodendrogenic-NPCs within 40 days of initial cell plating which is substantially shorter than other protocols for similar cell types. This protocol has also been optimized to use translationally relevant human iPSCs as the parent cell line. The resultant cells have been extensively characterized both in vitro and in vivo and express key markers of an oligodendrogenic lineage. © 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Characterization of Bovine 5′-flanking Region during Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

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Hye-Jeong Jang

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Embryonic stem cells (ESCs have been used as a powerful tool for research including gene manipulated animal models and the study of developmental gene regulation. Among the critical regulatory factors that maintain the pluripotency and self-renewal of undifferentiated ESCs, NANOG plays a very important role. Nevertheless, because pluripotency maintaining factors and specific markers for livestock ESCs have not yet been probed, few studies of the NANOG gene from domestic animals including bovine have been reported. Therefore, we chose mouse ESCs in order to understand and compare NANOG expression between bovine, human, and mouse during ESCs differentiation. We cloned a 600 bp (−420/+181 bovine NANOG 5′-flanking region, and tagged it with humanized recombinant green fluorescent protein (hrGFP as a tracing reporter. Very high GFP expression for bovine NANOG promoter was observed in the mouse ESC line. GFP expression was monitored upon ESC differentiation and was gradually reduced along with differentiation toward neurons and adipocyte cells. Activity of bovine NANOG (−420/+181 promoter was compared with already known mouse and human NANOG promoters in mouse ESC and they were likely to show a similar pattern of regulation. In conclusion, bovine NANOG 5-flanking region functions in mouse ES cells and has characteristics similar to those of mouse and human. These results suggest that bovine gene function studied in mouse ES cells should be evaluated and extrapolated for application to characterization of bovine ES cells.

Niche-independent symmetrical self-renewal of a mammalian tissue stem cell.

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Luciano Conti

2005-09-01

Full Text Available Pluripotent mouse embryonic stem (ES cells multiply in simple monoculture by symmetrical divisions. In vivo, however, stem cells are generally thought to depend on specialised cellular microenvironments and to undergo predominantly asymmetric divisions. Ex vivo expansion of pure populations of tissue stem cells has proven elusive. Neural progenitor cells are propagated in combination with differentiating progeny in floating clusters called neurospheres. The proportion of stem cells in neurospheres is low, however, and they cannot be directly observed or interrogated. Here we demonstrate that the complex neurosphere environment is dispensable for stem cell maintenance, and that the combination of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2 and epidermal growth factor (EGF is sufficient for derivation and continuous expansion by symmetrical division of pure cultures of neural stem (NS cells. NS cells were derived first from mouse ES cells. Neural lineage induction was followed by growth factor addition in basal culture media. In the presence of only EGF and FGF-2, resulting NS cells proliferate continuously, are diploid, and clonogenic. After prolonged expansion, they remain able to differentiate efficiently into neurons and astrocytes in vitro and upon transplantation into the adult brain. Colonies generated from single NS cells all produce neurons upon growth factor withdrawal. NS cells uniformly express morphological, cell biological, and molecular features of radial glia, developmental precursors of neurons and glia. Consistent with this profile, adherent NS cell lines can readily be established from foetal mouse brain. Similar NS cells can be generated from human ES cells and human foetal brain. The extrinsic factors EGF plus FGF-2 are sufficient to sustain pure symmetrical self-renewing divisions of NS cells. The resultant cultures constitute the first known example of tissue-specific stem cells that can be propagated without accompanying

Interleukin-2 production by human leukemia cell lines of pre-B cell origin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Holan, V.; Minowada, J.

1993-01-01

Cells of 7 tested human leukemia cell lines of pre-B cell origin (as characterized by immunophenotyping and by the expression of cytoplasmic micro chains, but not by surface immunoglobulins) produced after stimulation with bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) a lymphokine activity which supported the growth of the interleukin-2 (IL-2)-dependent CTLL-2 cell line. Three pieces of evidence indicate that the secreted lymphokine was functionally and antigenically very similar, if not identical, to human IL-2: (1) The lymphokine supported the growth of murine IL-2-dependent CTLL-2 cells, which did not respond to human lymphokines other than IL-2, but it did not stimulate the growth of murine IL-3-dependent FDC-P2 cells, (2) the biological activity of the lymphokine was was inhibited by monoclonal antibody (mAb) anti-human-IL-2, and (3) the proliferation of IL-2-dependent cells in the presence of the active materials was completely inhibited by the inclusion of the anti-mouse-IL-2 receptor (IL-2R) mAb. Since leukemia cells of immature B-cell origin also synthesize IL-2R, the human pre-B cell leukemias could represent another type of hematological malignancy where the autocrine processes of IL-2 production and utilization are involved in the expansion of the disease. (author)

Pluripotent stem cells and their use in hearing loss

OpenAIRE

KEPEKÇİ, AHMET HAMDİ; ÖZTURAN, OKAN ÖZGÜR; KÖKER, MUSTAFA YAVUZ

2016-01-01

Throughout its half a century of development, stem cell research has included two main fields: embryonic stem (ES) cell research and the reprogramming of body somatic cells. In the present review we focused on stem cell reprogramming and its relation with otolaryngology. The human body somatic cells are transformed into pluripotent cells by three basic methods: the somatic nuclear transfer method, the somatic cell fusion method (getting cellular pluripotent capacity in cellular reprogramming)...

Human stromal (mesenchymal) stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aldahmash, Abdullah; Zaher, Walid; Al-Nbaheen, May

2012-01-01

Human stromal (mesenchymal) stem cells (hMSC) represent a group of non-hematopoietic stem cells present in the bone marrow stroma and the stroma of other organs including subcutaneous adipose tissue, placenta, and muscles. They exhibit the characteristics of somatic stem cells of self......-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation into mesoderm-type of cells, e.g., to osteoblasts, adipocytes, chondrocytes and possibly other cell types including hepatocytes and astrocytes. Due to their ease of culture and multipotentiality, hMSC are increasingly employed as a source for cells suitable for a number...

Human Decidua-Derived Mesenchymal Cells Are a Promising Source for the Generation and Cell Banking of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Science.gov (United States)

Shofuda, Tomoko; Kanematsu, Daisuke; Fukusumi, Hayato; Yamamoto, Atsuyo; Bamba, Yohei; Yoshitatsu, Sumiko; Suemizu, Hiroshi; Nakamura, Masato; Sugimoto, Yoshikazu; Furue, Miho Kusuda; Kohara, Arihiro; Akamatsu, Wado; Okada, Yohei; Okano, Hideyuki; Yamasaki, Mami; Kanemura, Yonehiro

2013-01-01

Placental tissue is a biomaterial with remarkable potential for use in regenerative medicine. It has a three-layer structure derived from the fetus (amnion and chorion) and the mother (decidua), and it contains huge numbers of cells. Moreover, placental tissue can be collected without any physical danger to the donor and can be matched with a variety of HLA types. The decidua-derived mesenchymal cells (DMCs) are highly proliferative fibroblast-like cells that express a similar pattern of CD antigens as bone marrow-derived mesenchymal cells (BM-MSCs). Here we demonstrated that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells could be efficiently generated from DMCs by retroviral transfer of reprogramming factor genes. DMC-hiPS cells showed equivalent characteristics to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in colony morphology, global gene expression profile (including human pluripotent stem cell markers), DNA methylation status of the OCT3/4 and NANOG promoters, and ability to differentiate into components of the three germ layers in vitro and in vivo. The RNA expression of XIST and the methylation status of its promoter region suggested that DMC-iPSCs, when maintained undifferentiated and pluripotent, had three distinct states: (1) complete X-chromosome reactivation, (2) one inactive X-chromosome, or (3) an epigenetic aberration. Because DMCs are derived from the maternal portion of the placenta, they can be collected with the full consent of the adult donor and have considerable ethical advantages for cell banking and the subsequent generation of human iPS cells for regenerative applications. PMID:26858858

Tuft (caveolated) cells in two human colon carcinoma cell lines.

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Barkla, D H; Whitehead, R H; Foster, H; Tutton, P J

1988-09-01

The presence of an unusual cell type in two human colon carcinoma cell lines is reported. The cells show the same morphology as "tuft" (caveolated) cells present in normal gastrointestinal epithelium. Tuft cells were seen in cell line LIM 1863 growing in vitro and in human colon carcinoma cell line LIM 2210 growing as subcutaneous solid tumour xenografts in nude mice. Characteristic morphologic features of tuft cells included a wide base, narrow apex and a tuft of long microvilli projecting from the apical surface. The microvilli are attached by a core of long microfilaments passing deep into the apical cytoplasm. Between the microvilli are parallel arrays of vesicles (caveoli) containing flocculent material. Two different but not mutually exclusive explanations for the presence of tuft cells are proposed. The first explanation is that tuft cells came from the resected tumour and have survived by mitotic division during subsequent passages. The second explanation suggests that tuft cells are the progeny of undifferentiated tumour cells. Descriptions of tuft cells in colon carcinomas are uncommon and possible reasons for this are presented. The morphology of tuft cells is consistent with that of a highly differentiated cell specialised for absorption, and these new models provide an opportunity to further investigate the structure and function of tuft cells.

Modeling Human Natural Killer Cell Development in the Era of Innate Lymphoid Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Scoville, Steven D; Freud, Aharon G; Caligiuri, Michael A

2017-01-01

Decades after the discovery of natural killer (NK) cells, their developmental pathways in mice and humans have not yet been completely deciphered. Accumulating evidence indicates that NK cells can develop in multiple tissues throughout the body. Moreover, detailed and comprehensive models of NK cell development were proposed soon after the turn of the century. However, with the recent identification and characterization of other subtypes of innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), which show some overlapping functional and phenotypic features with NK cell developmental intermediates, the distinct stages through which human NK cells develop from early hematopoietic progenitor cells remain unclear. Thus, there is a need to reassess and refine older models of NK cell development in the context of new data and in the era of ILCs. Our group has focused on elucidating the developmental pathway of human NK cells in secondary lymphoid tissues (SLTs), including tonsils and lymph nodes. Here, we provide an update of recent progress that has been made with regard to human NK cell development in SLTs, and we discuss these new findings in the context of contemporary models of ILC development.

CD1 and mycobacterial lipids activate human T cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Van Rhijn, Ildiko; Moody, D Branch

2015-03-01

For decades, proteins were thought to be the sole or at least the dominant source of antigens for T cells. Studies in the 1990s demonstrated that CD1 proteins and mycobacterial lipids form specific targets of human αβ T cells. The molecular basis by which T-cell receptors (TCRs) recognize CD1-lipid complexes is now well understood. Many types of mycobacterial lipids function as antigens in the CD1 system, and new studies done with CD1 tetramers identify T-cell populations in the blood of tuberculosis patients. In human populations, a fundamental difference between the CD1 and major histocompatibility complex systems is that all humans express nearly identical CD1 proteins. Correspondingly, human CD1 responsive T cells show evidence of conserved TCRs. In addition to natural killer T cells and mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT cells), conserved TCRs define other subsets of human T cells, including germline-encoded mycolyl-reactive (GEM) T cells. The simple immunogenetics of the CD1 system and new investigative tools to measure T-cell responses in humans now creates a situation in which known lipid antigens can be developed as immunodiagnostic and immunotherapeutic reagents for tuberculosis disease. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Molecular regulation of human hematopoietic stem cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Galen, P.L.J.

2014-01-01

Peter van Galen focuses on understanding the determinants that maintain the stem cell state. Using human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) as a model, processes that govern self-renewal and tissue regeneration were investigated. Specifically, a role for microRNAs in balancing the human HSC

Technical Challenges in the Derivation of Human Pluripotent Cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Parinya Noisa

2011-01-01

Full Text Available It has long been discovered that human pluripotent cells could be isolated from the blastocyst state of embryos and called human embryonic stem cells (ESCs. These cells can be adapted and propagated indefinitely in culture in an undifferentiated manner as well as differentiated into cell representing the three major germ layers: endoderm, mesoderm, and ectoderm. However, the derivation of human pluripotent cells from donated embryos is limited and restricted by ethical concerns. Therefore, various approaches have been explored and proved their success. Human pluripotent cells can also be derived experimentally by the nuclear reprogramming of somatic cells. These techniques include somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT, cell fusion and overexpression of pluripotent genes. In this paper, we discuss the technical challenges of these approaches for nuclear reprogramming, involving their advantages and limitations. We will also highlight the possible applications of these techniques in the study of stem cell biology.

A non-destructive culturing and cell sorting method for cardiomyocytes and neurons using a double alginate layer.

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Hideyuki Terazono

Full Text Available A non-destructive method of collecting cultured cells after identifying their in situ functional characteristics is proposed. In this method, cells are cultivated on an alginate layer in a culture dish and released by spot application of a calcium chelate buffer that locally melts the alginate layer and enables the collection of cultured cells at the single-cell level. Primary hippocampal neurons, beating human embryonic stem (hES cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and beating hES cell-derived cardiomyocyte clusters cultivated on an alginate layer were successfully released and collected with a micropipette. The collected cells were recultured while maintaining their physiological function, including beating, and elongated neurites. These results suggest that the proposed method may eventually facilitate the transplantation of ES- or iPS-derived cardiomyocytes and neurons differentiated in culture.

A Non-Destructive Culturing and Cell Sorting Method for Cardiomyocytes and Neurons Using a Double Alginate Layer

Science.gov (United States)

Terazono, Hideyuki; Kim, Hyonchol; Hayashi, Masahito; Hattori, Akihiro; Nomura, Fumimasa; Kaneko, Tomoyuki; Yasuda, Kenji

2012-01-01

A non-destructive method of collecting cultured cells after identifying their in situ functional characteristics is proposed. In this method, cells are cultivated on an alginate layer in a culture dish and released by spot application of a calcium chelate buffer that locally melts the alginate layer and enables the collection of cultured cells at the single-cell level. Primary hippocampal neurons, beating human embryonic stem (hES) cell-derived cardiomyocytes, and beating hES cell-derived cardiomyocyte clusters cultivated on an alginate layer were successfully released and collected with a micropipette. The collected cells were recultured while maintaining their physiological function, including beating, and elongated neurites. These results suggest that the proposed method may eventually facilitate the transplantation of ES- or iPS-derived cardiomyocytes and neurons differentiated in culture. PMID:22870332

Rabbit embryonic stem cell lines derived from fertilized, parthenogenetic or somatic cell nuclear transfer embryos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fang, Zhen F.; Gai, Hui; Huang, You Z.; Li, Shan G.; Chen, Xue J.; Shi, Jian J.; Wu, Li; Liu, Ailian; Xu, Ping; Sheng, Hui Z.

2006-01-01

Embryonic stem cells were isolated from rabbit blastocysts derived from fertilization (conventional rbES cells), parthenogenesis (pES cells) and nuclear transfer (ntES cells), and propagated in a serum-free culture system. Rabbit ES (rbES) cells proliferated for a prolonged time in an undifferentiated state and maintained a normal karyotype. These cells grew in a monolayer with a high nuclear/cytoplasm ratio and contained a high level of alkaline phosphate activity. In addition, rbES cells expressed the pluripotent marker Oct-4, as well as EBAF2, FGF4, TDGF1, but not antigens recognized by antibodies against SSEA-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-10 and TRA-1-81. All 3 types of ES cells formed embryoid bodies and generated teratoma that contained tissue types of all three germ layers. rbES cells exhibited a high cloning efficiency, were genetically modified readily and were used as nuclear donors to generate a viable rabbit through somatic cell nuclear transfer. In combination with genetic engineering, the ES cell technology should facilitate the creation of new rabbit lines

In Vitro Modeling of Human Germ Cell Development Using Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Yuncheng Zhao

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Summary: Due to differences across species, the mechanisms of cell fate decisions determined in mice cannot be readily extrapolated to humans. In this study, we developed a feeder- and xeno-free culture protocol that efficiently induced human pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs into PLZF+/GPR125+/CD90+ spermatogonium-like cells (SLCs. These SLCs were enriched with key genes in germ cell development such as MVH, DAZL, GFRα1, NANOS3, and DMRT1. In addition, a small fraction of SLCs went through meiosis in vitro to develop into haploid cells. We further demonstrated that this chemically defined induction protocol faithfully recapitulated the features of compromised germ cell development of PSCs with NANOS3 deficiency or iPSC lines established from patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. Taken together, we established a powerful experimental platform to investigate human germ cell development and pathology related to male infertility. : In this article, Wang and colleagues established a feeder- and xeno-free system to robustly induce human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs into spermatogonia-like cells. This chemically defined induction protocol faithfully recapitulated the features of compromised germ cell development of PSCs with NANOS3 deficiency or iPSC lines established from patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. Keywords: pluripotent stem cells, spermatogonia, infertility, non-obstructive azoospermia

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Differentiation into Functional Epicardial Progenitor Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Guadix, Juan Antonio; Orlova, Valeria V.; Giacomelli, Elisa; Bellin, Milena; Ribeiro, Marcelo C.; Mummery, Christine L.; Pérez-Pomares, José M.; Passier, Robert

2017-01-01

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are widely used to study cardiovascular cell differentiation and function. Here, we induced differentiation of hPSCs (both embryonic and induced) to proepicardial/epicardial progenitor cells that cover the heart during development. Addition of retinoic acid (RA)

Human anti-CAIX antibodies mediate immune cell inhibition of renal cell carcinoma in vitro and in a humanized mouse model in vivo.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, De-Kuan; Moniz, Raymond J; Xu, Zhongyao; Sun, Jiusong; Signoretti, Sabina; Zhu, Quan; Marasco, Wayne A

2015-06-11

Carbonic anhydrase (CA) IX is a surface-expressed protein that is upregulated by the hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) and represents a prototypic tumor-associated antigen that is overexpressed on renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Therapeutic approaches targeting CAIX have focused on the development of CAIX inhibitors and specific immunotherapies including monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, current in vivo mouse models used to characterize the anti-tumor properties of fully human anti-CAIX mAbs have significant limitations since the role of human effector cells in tumor cell killing in vivo is not directly evaluated. The role of human anti-CAIX mAbs on CAIX(+) RCC tumor cell killing by immunocytes or complement was tested in vitro by antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) as well as on CAIX(+) RCC cellular motility, wound healing, migration and proliferation. The in vivo therapeutic activity mediated by anti-CAIX mAbs was determined by using a novel orthotopic RCC xenograft humanized animal model and analyzed by histology and FACS staining. Our studies demonstrate the capacity of human anti-CAIX mAbs that inhibit CA enzymatic activity to result in immune-mediated killing of RCC, including nature killer (NK) cell-mediated ADCC, CDC, and macrophage-mediated ADCP. The killing activity correlated positively with the level of CAIX expression on RCC tumor cell lines. In addition, Fc engineering of anti-CAIX mAbs was shown to enhance the ADCC activity against RCC. We also demonstrate that these anti-CAIX mAbs inhibit migration of RCC cells in vitro. Finally, through the implementation of a novel orthotopic RCC model utilizing allogeneic human peripheral blood mononuclear cells in NOD/SCID/IL2Rγ(-/-) mice, we show that anti-CAIX mAbs are capable of mediating human immune response in vivo including tumor infiltration of NK cells and activation of T cells, resulting in

Molecular aging and rejuvenation of human muscle stem cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlson, Morgan E; Suetta, Charlotte; Conboy, Michael J

2009-01-01

. Our findings establish key evolutionarily conserved mechanisms of human stem cell aging. We find that satellite cells are maintained in aged human skeletal muscle, but fail to activate in response to muscle attrition, due to diminished activation of Notch compounded by elevated transforming growth...... factor beta (TGF-beta)/phospho Smad3 (pSmad3). Furthermore, this work reveals that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/phosphate extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) signalling declines in human muscle with age, and is important for activating Notch in human muscle stem cells. This molecular......Very little remains known about the regulation of human organ stem cells (in general, and during the aging process), and most previous data were collected in short-lived rodents. We examined whether stem cell aging in rodents could be extrapolated to genetically and environmentally variable humans...

Prospectively Isolated Human Bone Marrow Cell-Derived MSCs Support Primitive Human CD34-Negative Hematopoietic Stem Cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Matsuoka, Yoshikazu; Nakatsuka, Ryusuke; Sumide, Keisuke; Kawamura, Hiroshi; Takahashi, Masaya; Fujioka, Tatsuya; Uemura, Yasushi; Asano, Hiroaki; Sasaki, Yutaka; Inoue, Masami; Ogawa, Hiroyasu; Takahashi, Takayuki; Hino, Masayuki; Sonoda, Yoshiaki

2015-05-01

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are maintained in a specialized bone marrow (BM) niche, which consists of osteoblasts, endothelial cells, and a variety of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs). However, precisely what types of MSCs support human HSCs in the BM remain to be elucidated because of their heterogeneity. In this study, we succeeded in prospectively isolating/establishing three types of MSCs from human BM-derived lineage- and CD45-negative cells, according to their cell surface expression of CD271 and stage-specific embryonic antigen (SSEA)-4. Among them, the MSCs established from the Lineage(-) CD45(-) CD271(+) SSEA-4(+) fraction (DP MSC) could differentiate into osteoblasts and chondrocytes, but they lacked adipogenic differentiation potential. The DP MSCs expressed significantly higher levels of well-characterized HSC-supportive genes, including IGF-2, Wnt3a, Jagged1, TGFβ3, nestin, CXCL12, and Foxc1, compared with other MSCs. Interestingly, these osteo-chondrogenic DP MSCs possessed the ability to support cord blood-derived primitive human CD34-negative severe combined immunodeficiency-repopulating cells. The HSC-supportive actions of DP MSCs were partially carried out by soluble factors, including IGF-2, Wnt3a, and Jagged1. Moreover, contact between DP MSCs and CD34-positive (CD34(+) ) as well as CD34-negative (CD34(-) ) HSCs was important for the support/maintenance of the CD34(+/-) HSCs in vitro. These data suggest that DP MSCs might play an important role in the maintenance of human primitive HSCs in the BM niche. Therefore, the establishment of DP MSCs provides a new tool for the elucidation of the human HSC/niche interaction in vitro as well as in vivo. © 2014 AlphaMed Press.

Symmetry breaking in human neuroblastoma cells

Science.gov (United States)

Izumi, Hideki; Kaneko, Yasuhiko

2014-01-01

Asymmetric cell division (ACD) is a characteristic of cancer stem cells, which exhibit high malignant potential. However, the cellular mechanisms that regulate symmetric (self-renewal) and asymmetric cell divisions are mostly unknown. Using human neuroblastoma cells, we found that the oncosuppressor protein tripartite motif containing 32 (TRIM32) positively regulates ACD. PMID:27308367

DNA repair in murine embryonic stem cells and differentiated cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tichy, Elisia D.; Stambrook, Peter J.

2008-01-01

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are rapidly proliferating, self-renewing cells that have the capacity to differentiate into all three germ layers to form the embryo proper. Since these cells are critical for embryo formation, they must have robust prophylactic mechanisms to ensure that their genomic integrity is preserved. Indeed, several studies have suggested that ES cells are hypersensitive to DNA damaging agents and readily undergo apoptosis to eliminate damaged cells from the population. Other evidence suggests that DNA damage can cause premature differentiation in these cells. Several laboratories have also begun to investigate the role of DNA repair in the maintenance of ES cell genomic integrity. It does appear that ES cells differ in their capacity to repair damaged DNA compared to differentiated cells. This minireview focuses on repair mechanisms ES cells may use to help preserve genomic integrity and compares available data regarding these mechanisms with those utilized by differentiated cells

Proteomic Analysis of Human Blastocoel Fluid and Blastocyst Cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Linnert Jensen, Pernille; Beck, Hans Christian; Petersen, Jørgen

The human blastocyst consists of 100-200 cells that are organized in an outer layer of differentiated trophectoderm (TE) cells lining the blastocyst cavity into which the undifferentiated inner cell mass (ICM) protrudes. The cavity of the blastocyst is filled with blastocoel fluid to which all...... the cells of the blastocyst are exposed. The ICM is the starting point for the development of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), which posses the potential to develop into any cell type present in the adult human body [1,2]. This ability makes hESCs a potential source of cells...

Differentiation of blood T cells: Reprogramming human induced pluripotent stem cells into neuronal cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ping-Hsing Tsai

2015-06-01

Conclusion: We have developed a safer method to generate integration-free and nonviral human iPSCs from adult somatic cells. This induction method will be useful for the derivation of human integration-free iPSCs and will also be applicable to the generation of iPSCs-derived neuronal cells for drug screening or therapeutics in the near future.

Human beta-cell precursors mature into functional insulin-producing cells in an immunoisolation device: implications for diabetes cell therapies.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung-Hee; Hao, Ergeng; Savinov, Alexei Y; Geron, Ifat; Strongin, Alex Y; Itkin-Ansari, Pamela

2009-04-15

Islet transplantation is limited by the need for chronic immunosuppression and the paucity of donor tissue. As new sources of human beta-cells are developed (e.g., stem cell-derived tissue), transplanting them in a durable device could obviate the need for immunosuppression, while also protecting the patient from any risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we studied (1) the survival and function of encapsulated human beta-cells and their progenitors and (2) the engraftment of encapsulated murine beta-cells in allo- and autoimmune settings. Human islets and human fetal pancreatic islet-like cell clusters were encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene devices (TheraCyte) and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Graft survival and function was measured by immunohistochemistry, circulating human C-peptide levels, and blood glucose levels. Bioluminescent imaging was used to monitor encapsulated neonatal murine islets. Encapsulated human islet-like cell clusters survived, replicated, and acquired a level of glucose responsive insulin secretion sufficient to ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Bioluminescent imaging of encapsulated murine neonatal islets revealed a dynamic process of cell death followed by regrowth, resulting in robust long-term allograft survival. Further, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type I diabetes, encapsulated primary beta-cells ameliorated diabetes without stimulating a detectable T-cell response. We demonstrate for the first time that human beta-cells function is compatible with encapsulation in a durable, immunoprotective device. Moreover, our study suggests that encapsulation of beta-cells before terminal differentiation will be a successful approach for new cell-based therapies for diabetes, such as those derived from stem cells.

Human β-cell Precursors Mature Into Functional Insulin-producing Cells in an Immunoisolation Device: Implications for Diabetes Cell Therapies

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Seung-Hee; Hao, Ergeng; Savinov, Alexei Y.; Geron, Ifat; Strongin, Alex Y.; Itkin-Ansari, Pamela

2009-01-01

Background Islet transplantation is limited by the need for chronic immunosuppression and the paucity of donor tissue. As new sources of human β-cells are developed (e.g., stem cell-derived tissue), transplanting them in a durable device could obviate the need for immunosuppression, while also protecting the patient from any risk of tumorigenicity. Here, we studied (1) the survival and function of encapsulated human β-cells and their progenitors and (2) the engraftment of encapsulated murine β-cells in allo- and autoimmune settings. Methods Human islets and human fetal pancreatic islet-like cell clusters were encapsulated in polytetrafluorethylene devices (TheraCyte) and transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Graft survival and function was measured by immunohistochemistry, circulating human C-peptide levels, and blood glucose levels. Bioluminescent imaging was used to monitor encapsulated neonatal murine islets. Results Encapsulated human islet-like cell clusters survived, replicated, and acquired a level of glucose responsive insulin secretion sufficient to ameliorate hyperglycemia in diabetic mice. Bioluminescent imaging of encapsulated murine neonatal islets revealed a dynamic process of cell death followed by regrowth, resulting in robust long-term allograft survival. Further, in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of type I diabetes, encapsulated primary β-cells ameliorated diabetes without stimulating a detectable T-cell response. Conclusions We demonstrate for the first time that human β-cells function is compatible with encapsulation in a durable, immunoprotective device. Moreover, our study suggests that encapsulation of β-cells before terminal differentiation will be a successful approach for new cell-based therapies for diabetes, such as those derived from stem cells. PMID:19352116