体外诱导鸡胚胎生殖细胞分化为神经干细胞

本研究探讨体外诱导鸡胚胎生殖细胞(EGCs)分化为神经干细胞(NSCs)的可能性.EGCs经类胚体(EB)阶段,以维生素A酸(RA)等进行诱导,在NSCs选择性培养基中筛培养扩增7 d,观察形态变化;采用RT-PCR法检测nestin基因表达及免疫细胞化学法检测nestin等NSCs特异性标志物,并对其扩增及分化能力进行观察.结果显示:EGCs经初级诱导,NSCs选择性培养基筛选培养7 d后,形成大量神经球样结构,可扩增传代;绝大部分神经球样结构呈nestin抗原阳性,表达nestin基因,且可分化为神经上皮样及少突胶质细胞.研究结果表明:RA等诱导的EGCs,经选择性培养基筛选培养可获得NSCs,有望为眼部神经变性疾病的治疗提供新的技术参考.     

小鼠胚胎干细胞结合丝素材料向神经细胞分化的实验研究

以小鼠胚胎干细胞（ES）为种子细胞,使用改良的4-/4+ RA方案,诱导小鼠ES细胞在丝素材料上向神经细胞分化,探讨丝素材料对其生长、黏附、分化等情况的影响。将小鼠ES细胞悬浮培养4 d得到的拟胚体（EBs）分别接种到经丝素膜和明胶包被的培养皿上进行诱导,比较不同材料上EBs的贴壁率及向神经元分化的比率。结果表明EBs在明胶和柞蚕丝素蛋白膜（TSF）上贴壁较快,平均贴壁率为90.3%和84.4%,在桑蚕丝素蛋白膜（SF）上贴壁较慢,贴壁率低,仅为38.5%,同时三者神经元的分化比率均能达到40%以上,无明显差异。通过以上实验,我们得出,TSF有望成为小鼠ES细胞向神经细胞分化的支架材料。     

胚胎干细胞向造血细胞分化研究

胚胎干（embryonic stem,ES）细胞是来源于囊胚的内细胞团（inner cell mass,ICM）,具有发育的全能性或多能性,能嵌合到早期胚胎,在体内可以参与各种组织发育甚至包括生殖细胞;在体外分化培养条件下,可以顺序分化出各种组织细胞,与体内完整胚胎发育过程相符合,而且可以通过调节ES细胞某些基因的表达而调节其分化。因此,ES细胞是研究哺乳动物早期胚胎发育、细胞分化及其关键基因鉴定的理想模型。另外,胚胎生殖脊（embryonic germ,EG）细胞系也具有同样的生物学特性,它是由早期胚胎的原始生殖脊（primordial germ,PG）细胞建株而来。最近研究显示：ES细胞在体外不但可以分化为所有造血细胞系,而且还可以分化为具有长期增殖能力的造血干细胞。作者就胚胎干细胞向造血细胞和造血干细胞分化及其诱导因子和调控基因的表达作一综述。     

Differentiation of embryonic stem cells into corneal epithelium

Our project was to determine whether embryonic stem (ES) cells could be induced to differentiate into corneal epithelia by superficial corneoscleral limbal stroma. To achieve this goal, ES-GFP cell line D3 was pre-induced by retinoic acid (RA). The pre-induced cells were seeded on deepithelialized superficial corneoscleral slices (SCSS) to form a monolayer, and divided into three groups. Group 1 was cultured and passaged in vitro for direct detection. Group 2 was exposed to air-liquid interfaces for 10 days and implanted into the subcutaneous layer of nude mice for 2 weeks for further induction in vivo. Group 3 was cultured in vitro without any inducing factors for control. There were no teratomas found in nude mice which were implanted with differentiated ES cells after two weeks. The differentiated cells showed an appearance of epithelia both in vitro and in vivo. Expression of CK3, P63 and PCNA was detected by immuno-histochemical staining in the differentiated cells in group 1 and 2. Microvillis and zonula occludens were observed on the surface of the differentiated cells under an electron microscope. In the control group, ES cells differentiated freely without any inducing factors. Most cells were shed and formed a neuronal dendrite-like structure, and a minority of cells appeared polymorphic. These results demonstrate that ES cells can differentiate into corneal epithelia on the surface of SCSS under the controlled condition. Differentiated ES cells could be used as epithelial seeding cells for the reconstruction of ocular surface and corneal tissue engineering in the future.     

Differentiation of embryonic stem cells into retinal neurons

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells are continuous cell lines derived from the inner mass of blastocysts. Neural progenitors derived from these cells serve as an excellent model for controlled neural differentiation and as such have tremendous potential to understand and treat neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we demonstrate that ES cell-derived neural progenitors express regulatory factors needed for retinal differentiation and that in response to epigenetic cues a subset of them differentiate along photoreceptor lineage. During the differentiation, they activate photoreceptor regulatory genes, suggesting that ES cell-derived neural progenitors recruit mechanisms normally used for photoreceptor differentiation in vivo. These observations suggest that ES cells can serve as an excellent model for understanding mechanisms that regulate specification of retinal neurons and as an unlimited source of neural progenitors for treating degenerative diseases of the retina by cell replacement.     

Differentiation of rhesus embryonic stem cells to neural progenitors and neurons

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells capable of differentiating into cell lineages derived from all primary germ layers including neural cells. In this study we describe an efficient method for differentiating rhesus monkey ES cells to neural lineages and the subsequent isolation of an enriched population of Nestin and Musashi positive neural progenitor (NP) cells. Upon differentiation, these cells exhibit electrophysiological characteristics resembling cultured primary neurons. Embryoid bodies (EBs) were formed in ES growth medium supplemented with 50% MEDII. After 7 days in suspension culture, EBs were transferred to adherent culture and either differentiated in serum containing medium or expanded in serum free medium. Immunocytochemistry on differentiating cells derived from EBs revealed large networks of MAP-2 and NF200 positive neurons. DAPI staining showed that the center of the MEDII-treated EBs was filled with rosettes. NPs isolated from adherent EB cultures expanded in serum free medium were passaged and maintained in an undifferentiated state by culture in serum free N2 with 50% MEDII and bFGF. Differentiating neurons derived from NPs fired action potentials in response to depolarizing current injection and expressed functional ionotropic receptors for the neurotransmitters glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). NPs derived in this way could serve as models for cellular replacement therapy in primate models of neurodegenerative disease, a source of neural cells for toxicity and drug testing, and as a model of the developing primate nervous system.     

Differentiation patterns of mouse embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells into neurons

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have the ability to differentiate in vitro into various cell lineages including neurons. The differentiation of these cells into neurons has potential applications in regenerative medicine. Previously, we reported that a chick dorsal root ganglion (DRG)-conditioned medium (CM) promoted the differentiation of mouse ES and iPS cells into neurons. Here, we used real-time PCR to investigate the differentiation patterns of ES and iPS cells into neurons when DRG-CM was added. DRG-CM promoted the expression levels of βIII-tubulin gene (a marker of postmitotic neurons) in ES and iPS cells. ES cells differentiated into neurons faster than iPS cells, and the maximum peaks of gene expression involved in motor, sensory, and dopaminergic neurons were different. Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitors could be very valuable at numerous stages in the production and use of stem cells in basic research and eventual cell-based therapies. Thus, we investigated whether the addition of a ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 and DRG-CM on the basis of the differentiation patterns promotes the neuronal differentiation of ES cells. When the ROCK inhibitor was added to the culture medium at the initial stages of cultivation, it stimulated the neuronal differentiation of ES cells more strongly than that stimulated by DRG-CM. Moreover, the combination of the ROCK inhibitor and DRG-CM promoted the neuronal differentiation of ES cells when the ROCK inhibitor was added to the culture medium at day 3. The ROCK inhibitor may be useful for promoting neuronal differentiation of ES cells.     

Differentiation and characterization of embryonic stem cells into three germ layers

Embryonic stem cells differentiated on M15 cells have previously been shown to give rise to cells of the mesendodermal and definitive endodermal lineages. Here we demonstrate that neuroectodermal and mesodermal lineages can be derived from ES cells cultured on M15 cells and subsequently subjected to specific culture conditions, as confirmed by the expression of molecular markers. Prospective isolation and microarray analyses showed that neuroectodermal cells expressed anterior-to-posterior, as well as dorso-ventral regional markers, suggesting that this procedure could be used for the induction of cells belonging to a wide variety of neural lineages. Lateral mesoderm and paraxial mesoderm cells were also produced and their gene expression profiles were confirmed by microarray analyses. These results indicate that the M15 cell system provides a valuable tool for generating ES cell-derived lineage-specific cell types belonging to the three germ layers, namely neuroectoderm, mesoderm, and definitive endoderm.     

Differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into endoderm without embryoid body formation

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells hold a great promise as an unlimited source of tissue for treatment of chronic diseases such as Type 1 diabetes. Herein, we describe a protocol using all-trans-retinoic acid, basic fibroblast growth factor and dibutyryl cAMP (DBcAMP) in the absence of embryoid body formation, for differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells into definitive endoderm that may serve as pancreatic precursors. The produced cells were analyzed by quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry and static insulin release assay for markers of trilaminar embryo, and pancreas. Differentiated cells displayed increased Sox17 and Foxa2 expression consistent with definitive endoderm production. There was minimal production of Sox7, an extraembryonic endoderm marker, and Oct4, a marker of pluripotency. There was minimal mesoderm or neuroectoderm formation based on expression levels of the markers brachyury and Sox1, respectively. Various assays revealed that the cell clusters generated by this protocol express markers of the pancreatic lineage including insulin I, insulin II, C-peptide, PDX-1, carboxypeptidase E, pan-cytokeratin, amylase, glucagon, PAX6, Ngn3 and Nkx6.1. This protocol using all-trans-retinoic acid, DBcAMP, in the absence of embryoid bodies, generated cells that have features of definitive endoderm that may serve as pancreatic endocrine precursors.     

Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into smooth muscle cells in adherent monolayer culture

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) plays critical roles in many human diseases, an in vitro system that recapitulates human SMC differentiation would be invaluable for exploring molecular mechanisms leading to the human diseases. We report a directed and highly efficient SMC differentiation system by treating the monolayer-cultivated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) with all-trans retinoid acid (atRA). When the hESCs were cultivated in differentiation medium containing 10microM RA, more than 93% of the cells expressed SMC-marker genes along with the steadily accumulation of such SMC-specific proteins as SM alpha-actin and SM-MHC. The fully differentiated SMCs were stable in phenotype and capable of contraction. This inducible and highly efficient in vitro human SMC system could be an important resource to study the mechanisms of SMC phenotype determination in human.     

胚胎干细胞向造血干/祖细胞定向诱导分化的研究进展

胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cell,ES细胞)是指由胚胎内细胞团(inner cell mass,ICM)细胞经体外抑制培养而筛选得到的细胞,具有无限增殖潜能,在体外可以向造血细胞分化,有可能为造血干细胞移植和血细胞输注开辟新的来源．此外,ES细胞向造血干/祖细胞的定向诱导分化也为阐明哺乳动物造血发育的细胞和分子机制提供了良好的体外模型．对ES细胞向造血干/祖细胞定向分化的研究进展进行了综述．     

BMP signaling regulates the differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into lung epithelial cell lineages

Somatic stem/progenitor cells are known to be present in most adult tissues. However, those in the lung have limited abilities for tissue regeneration after serious damage as a result of chronic disease. Therefore, regenerative medicine using exogenous stem cells has been suggested for the treatment of progressive lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and pulmonary fibrosis. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, with their potent differentiation abilities, are promising sources for the generation of various tissue cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of various differentiation-inducing growth factors on the differentiation of lung cells from ES cells in vitro. Several factors, including activin, nodal, and noggin, significantly promoted the induction of Nkx2.1-positive lung progenitor cells when cells were cultured as embryoid bodies. Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) 4 signaling controls the lineage commitment of lung cells along the proximal–distal axis. BMP4 promotes the induction of distal cell lineages of alveolar bud, such as Clara cells and mucus-producing goblet cells. These results suggest that several developmentally essential factors, including nodal/activin and BMP signaling, are important in the control of the differentiation of lung epithelial cells from mouse ES cells in vitro.