诱导胚胎干细胞心肌定向分化的方法及其机制

胚胎干细胞是具有分化为各种类型组织细胞潜能的全能干细胞,可在体外大量扩增,细胞因子、激素、诱导剂和细胞内转录因子等可诱导和调控胚胎干细胞进行心肌细胞定向分化．这将使干细胞移植治疗心肌损伤性疾病成为可能。该文介绍胚胎干细胞定向心肌分化的诱导因素及其机制的研究进展。     

胚胎干细胞体外分化心肌细胞的研究

胚胎干细胞是从动物胚胎内细胞团分离的具有全能性的细胞.研究证明分离的小鼠胚胎干细胞在体外可以分化成心肌细胞,这一发现为小鼠胚胎干细胞向各种特化心脏细胞(动脉样细胞、血管样细胞、窦样细胞、心室样细胞、蒲肯野氏样细胞)分化提供了依据,使基因功能的研究在体外成为可能.1998年末人类ES细胞的成功培养奠定了心脏细胞的再生性治疗的战略基础.主要综述了目前ES细胞体外分化心肌细胞的进程,讨论了此进程对心脏基因研究的促进作用.     

干细胞定向分化的基础和临床应用研究

胚胎干细胞具有多向性分化的潜能,可以分化成为内、中、外三个胚层的所有细胞,存在于组织器官中的成体干细胞（包括心脏等的前体细胞）也能分化成为某些细胞,用来修复、补充体内受损、死亡的细胞.目前干细胞研究的重点是：干细胞未分化和多向性机制的基础研究;干细胞向特定细胞群体分化的调控和分化细胞的应用研究,而后者是连接基础研究和临床研究的必经之路.干细胞的基础和临床应用研究不但可以了解正常的胚胎发育过程,而且利用掌握的知识通过体外诱导或体内激活的方法针对性地治疗某些疾病.目前我们的研究集中在神经细胞（包括视网膜细胞和内耳前体细胞）、脂肪细胞和心肌细胞定向分化的分子机理,并通过疾病动物模型验证这些定向分化的细胞的功能.希望通过建立人胚胎干细胞以及成体干细胞向外胚层的特种神经元（包括前脑神经上皮细胞、GABA和胆碱能神经元、视觉细胞、听觉细胞、多巴胺能神经元）和中胚层的脂肪细胞、骨细胞以及心肌细胞定向分化的模型,继而采用蛋白质组学和基因组学最新技术分析这些建立的模型,研究相关因子通过哪条信号传导通路导致这些细胞的定向分化或者通过改变哪个目的基因的表达,或改变目的蛋白的修饰导致干细胞定向成神经细胞、脂肪细胞和心肌细胞;研究成年脑内源性干细胞定向诱导成这些功能性神经元的机理,并进行比较研究.用Lentivirus转染干细胞高表达、或用RNA干扰抑制上述研究得到的目的基因,在细胞模型和动物体内验证这些信号通路和目的基因在干细胞定向分化中的作用.     

胚胎干细胞体外诱导分化

胚胎干细胞能在体外长期不断自我更新,具有高度分化潜能,可分化成胎儿和成体的几乎所有类型的细胞,如心肌细胞、神经细胞、上皮细胞、肝细胞、血细胞、胰岛细胞、脂肪细胞及生殖细胞等.在细胞治疗和组织器官替代治疗、发育生物学等的研究中将具有广阔的应用前景.目前已有多种胚胎干细胞体外定向诱导的报道.本文从体外诱导分化影响因素和几种主要诱导细胞类型进行分析和总结,为胚胎干细胞的诱导分化研究提供参考资料.     

胚胎干细胞体外诱导分化

胚胎干细胞能在体外长期不断自我更新,具有高度分化潜能,可分化成胎儿和成体的几乎所有类型的细胞,如心肌细胞、神经细胞、上皮细胞、肝细胞、血细胞、胰岛细胞、脂肪细胞及生殖细胞等。在细胞治疗和组织器官替代治疗、发育生物学等的研究中将具有广阔的应用前景。目前已有多种胚胎干细胞体外定向诱导的报道。本文从体外诱导分化影响因素和几种主要诱导细胞类型进行分析和总结,为胚胎干细胞的诱导分化研究提供参考资料。     

胚胎干细胞的心脏应用

心肌梗死期间死亡的心肌细胞将由没有收缩功能的疤痕组织替代,因而极可能引起心力衰竭。对治疗心衰来说,修复死亡或损伤的心肌以及改善心功能仍面临着极大挑战。干细胞移植已在近年来的实验中用于修复损失的心肌。本文总结了近期在心肌损伤动物中实施胚胎干细胞移植的实验结果,并着重介绍对这类特定细胞的研究进展。胚胎干细胞取源于早期哺乳类胚胎的胚芽细胞,属于多功能干细胞。这类细胞具有长期增殖而不分化的能力,或台色够在培养过程中分化成包括心肌细胞在内的所有特殊体细胞。由于胚胎干细胞具有极大的增殖和分化为成熟组织的能力,它们可能成为一种潜在的很有实用价值的细胞来源,可用于对病态心脏的功能心肌再生的细胞治疗。新近的研究表明,在心肌梗死动物模型中,心肌内移植胚胎干细胞或由其分化成的心肌样细胞,能导致已损伤心肌的再生,并改善心脏功能。另外,在病毒性心肌炎小鼠中,静脉输入胚胎干细胞可明显提高生存率和减轻心肌损伤。有关人类胚胎干细胞在体外分化成心肌细胞以及这些细胞的特性,近来已有报道。然而,要在临床能应用人类胚胎干细胞或由其分化成的心肌细胞来治疗晚期心脏疾病,还必须越过大量的伦理、法律和科学上的障碍。     

干细胞与心肌细胞替代治疗

胚胎干细胞及来源于骨髓、骨骼肌、血管、肝脏、皮肤、脂肪等组织器官的成体干细胞均有多向分化潜能。胚胎干细胞可分化为3个胚层的所有组织细胞。成体干细胞具有可塑性和转分化的潜能。在一定条件下,这些干细胞可被诱导分化为心肌细胞。成年心脏可能存在心肌干细胞,具有增殖和分化为包括跳动性心肌细胞的多种细胞的潜能。因此,干细胞可用于心肌细胞替代治疗,以替代死亡的心肌细胞,改善心脏功能,防治心肌梗塞后心衰、减少心肌重构等症状。本文对干细胞治疗心肌梗塞有关进展及问题作一综述。     

胚胎干细胞的体外诱导分化模型

胚胎干细胞是具有全能性及无限制的自我更新与分化能力的一类特殊的细胞群体 ,它能通过祖细胞为中介 ,分化为各种类型的体细胞 ,可重演体内干细胞的分化过程。自 80年代从小鼠囊胚的内细胞团分离到胚胎干细胞并建系到现在已建立了神经细胞、肌肉细胞、上皮细胞、造血细胞等体外分化体系。将胚胎干细胞体外分化成为可利用的分化模型 ,无论从组织结构、细胞及分子水平都体现了体内分化过程的体外重演 ,再加上胚胎干细胞系具有体系简单 ,影响因子少 ,可控制 ,便于研究等特点 ,因此可用于研究早期胚胎发育和细胞分化调控 ;可成为器官移植和修复…     

心脏干/祖细胞与心肌损伤修复

细胞移植是一种有希望的组织再生的治疗手段.多种类型的细胞已经用于动物心 肌损伤的修复中,包括胚胎干细胞、胚胎和新生动物的心肌细胞、骨骼肌成肌细胞、 骨髓干细胞、脂肪来源的干细胞、可诱导的多能干细胞等.但是,这些用于移植的细胞 存在成活率低、在心脏局部存留少、与宿主心肌细胞不能整合和免疫排斥等问题,这 些问题限制了它们的应用.心脏自身存在的干细胞因为没有其他来源细胞存在的种种 问题,因而成为备受关注的治疗心肌梗死的种子细胞.但是,心脏干/祖细胞也有自身 弊端,包括干细胞群的细胞生物学或遗传学标志没有统一,在心肌中数量极少,体外 扩增能力有限等,因而限制了心脏干/祖细胞的有效应用.如何能有效动员和促进心脏 干/祖细胞增殖,依赖于人们对心脏干/祖细胞增殖、分化、归巢的调控机制,包括心 脏干/祖细胞修复损伤心肌的分子机制的深入了解.本文将就近年来在心脏再生领域中 ,心脏干/祖细胞的研究新进展进行综述.     

人胚胎干细胞和诱导型人多能干细胞分化的心肌细胞在药物心脏毒性筛选中的应用

心脏毒性是药物研发失败的主要原因之一,也是临床前安全评价研究的难题之一。人胚胎干细胞和诱导型人多能干细胞均具有无限增殖、自我更新和多向分化的特性,为体外心脏毒性筛选实验提供了细胞资源。人胚胎干细胞和诱导型人多能干细胞诱导分化的心肌细胞相似,具有相同的形态结构,且随着培养时间的推移,功能性心、Na^＋、Ca^2＋通道密度逐渐增加、心肌特异性基因ANF、α—MHC、MLC-2α的表达量增加,具有相似的动作电位时程和收缩性等特点,相当于幼稚型心肌细胞。将它们应用于已知作用药物的心脏毒性筛选,检测心肌细胞离子通道、动作电位、心脏损伤标志物、收缩功能的变化,获得与临床相似的结果。因此,建立人胚胎干细胞和诱导型人多能干细胞诱导分化心肌细胞的体外评价模型,大大减少了药物研发的时间和成本,克服了种属间的差异,推动了心脏毒性体外评价方法的发展。     

Generation of pluripotent stem cells from neonatal mouse testis

Although germline cells can form multipotential embryonic stem (ES)/embryonic germ (EG) cells, these cells can be derived only from embryonic tissues, and such multipotent cells have not been available from neonatal gonads. Here we report the successful establishment of ES-like cells from neonatal mouse testis. These ES-like cells were phenotypically similar to ES/EG cells except in their genomic imprinting pattern. They differentiated into various types of somatic cells in vitro under conditions used to induce the differentiation of ES cells and produced teratomas after inoculation into mice. Furthermore, these ES-like cells formed germline chimeras when injected into blastocysts. Thus, the capacity to form multipotent cells persists in neonatal testis. The ability to derive multipotential stem cells from the neonatal testis has important implications for germ cell biology and opens the possibility of using these cells for biotechnology and medicine.     

Embryonic stem cells and cardiomyocyte differentiation: phenotypic and molecular analyses

Embryonic stem (ES) cell lines, derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of blastocyst-stage embryos, are pluripotent and have a virtually unlimited capacity for self-renewal and differentiation into all cell types of an embryoproper. Both human and mouse ES cell lines are the subject of intensive investigation for potential applications in developmental biology and medicine. ES cells from both sources differentiate in vitro into cells of ecto-, endoand meso-dermal lineages, and robust cardiomyogenic differentiation is readily observed in spontaneously differentiating ES cells when cultured under appropriate conditions. Molecular, cellular and physiologic analyses demonstrate that ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes are functionally viable and that these cell derivatives exhibit characteristics typical of heart cells in early stages of cardiac development. Because terminal heart failure is characterized by a significant loss of cardiomyocytes, the use of human ES cell-derived progeny represents one possible source for cell transplantation therapies. With these issues in mind, this review will focus on the differentiation of pluripotent embryonic stem cells into cardiomyocytes as a developmental model, and the possible use of ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes as source of donor cells.     

动物胚胎干细胞诱导分化的研究进展

胚胎干细胞 (ES细胞 )是从动物早期胚胎的内细胞团或原始生殖细胞分离出来的具有发育全能性的一种未分化的无限增殖细胞系 ,ES细胞能体外诱导分化为神经细胞、肌肉细胞、成纤维细胞等各种细胞。综述了动物的ES细胞的分化诱导机理及目前体外诱导分化的研究现状     

Embryonic stem (ES) cell-derived cardiomyocytes: A good candidate for cell therapy applications

During the last decade, embryonic stem cells (ESC) have unleashed new avenues in the field of developmental biology and emerged as a potential tool to understand the molecular mechanisms taking place during the process of differentiation from the embryonic stage to adult phenotype. Their uniqueness lies in retaining the capacity of unlimited proliferation and to differentiate into all somatic cells. Together with promising results from rodent models, ESC has raised great hope among for human ESC-based cell replacement therapy. ESC could potentially revolutionize medicine by providing a powerful and renewable cell source capable of replacing or repairing tissues that have been damaged in almost all degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease, myocardial infarction (MI) and diabetes. Somatic stem cells are an attractive option to explore for transplantation because they are autologous, but their differentiation potential is very limited. Currently, the major sources of somatic cells used for basic research and clinical trials come from bone marrow. But their widespread acceptability has not been gained because many of the results are confusing and inconsistent. The focus here is on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), using methods to induce their differentiation to cardiomyocytes in vitro. Their properties in relation to primary human cardiomyocytes and their ability to integrate into host myocardium have been investigated into how they can enhance cardiac function. However, important aspects of stem cell biology and the transplantation process remain unresolved. In summary, this review updates the recent progress of ES cell research in cell therapy, discusses the problems in the practical utility of ESC, and evaluates how far this adjunctive experimental approach can be successful.     

Engineered heart tissue graft derived from somatic cell nuclear transferred embryonic stem cells improve myocardial performance in infarcted rat heart

The concept of regenerating diseased myocardium by implanting engineered heart tissue (EHT) is intriguing. Yet it was limited by immune rejection and difficulties to be generated at a size with contractile properties. Somatic cell nuclear transfer is proposed as a practical strategy for generating autologous histocompatible stem (nuclear transferred embryonic stem [NT‐ES]) cells to treat diseases. Nevertheless, it is controversial as NT‐ES cells may pose risks in their therapeutic application. EHT from NT‐ES cell‐derived cardiomyocytes was generated through a series of improved techniques in a self‐made mould to keep the EHTs from contraction and provide static stretch simultaneously. After 7 days of static and mechanical stretching, respectively, the EHTs were implanted to the infarcted rat heart. Four weeks after transplantation, the suitability of EHT in heart muscle repair after myocardial infarction was evaluated by histological examination, echocardiography and multielectrode array measurement. The results showed that large (thickness/diameter, 2–4 mm/10 mm) spontaneously contracting EHTs was generated successfully. The EHTs, which were derived from NT‐ES cells, inte grated and electrically coupled to host myocardium and exerted beneficial effects on the left ventricular function of infarcted rat heart. No teratoma formation was observed in the rat heart implanted with EHTs for 4 weeks. NT‐ES cells can be used as a source of seeding cells for cardiac tissue engineering. Large contractile EHT grafts can be constructed in vitro with the ability to survive after implantation and improve myocardial performance of infarcted rat hearts.     

Trichostatin A induces myocardial differentiation of monkey ES cells

Human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines are one of the possible sources of cardiac myocytes to be transplanted in patients with end-staged heart failure. However, prior to the application of human of ES cells for heart failure therapy, it is critical to validate their clinical use in large animals such as primates. Cynomolgus monkey ES cells have similar properties to human ES cells and can be used for primate studies. We demonstrate that 24-h stimulation by a histone deacetylase inhibitor, trichostatin A (TSA) facilitated myocardial differentiation of monkey ES cells with embryonic bodies that were seeded on gelatin-coated dishes. TSA-induced acetylating of histone-3/4 and expression of p300, one of the intrinsic histone acetyltransferases. Thus, such induction as well as inhibition of histone deacetylase may be involved in TSA-induced differentiation of cynomolgus monkey ES cells into cardiomyocytes.