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.     

Naive-like Conversion Overcomes the Limited Differentiation Capacity of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Although induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are indistinguishable from ES cells in their expression of pluripotent markers, their differentiation into targeted cells is often limited. Here, we examined whether the limited capacity of iPS cells to differentiate into neural lineage cells could be mitigated by improving their base-line level of pluripotency, i.e. by converting them into the so-called “naive” state. In this study, we used rabbit iPS and ES cells because of the easy availability of both cell types and their typical primed state characters. Repeated passages of the iPS cells permitted their differentiation into early neural cell types (neural stem cells, neurons, and glial astrocytes) with efficiencies similar to ES cells. However, unlike ES cells, their ability to differentiate later into neural cells (oligodendrocytes) was severely compromised. In contrast, after these iPS cells had been converted to a naive-like state, they readily differentiated into mature oligodendrocytes developing characteristic ramified branches, which could not be attained even with ES cells. These results suggest that the naive-like conversion of iPS cells might endow them with a higher differentiation capacity.     

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

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.     

Spatial distribution and initial changes of SSEA-1 and other cell adhesion-related molecules on mouse embryonic stem cells before and during differentiation.

We examined the distribution of cell adhesion-related molecules (CAMs) among mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and the spatial distribution on cell surfaces before and during differentiation. The cell-cell heterogeneity of SSEA-1, PECAM-1, and ICAM-1 among the undifferentiated cells in the ES cell colonies was evident by immunohistochemistry and immuno-SEM, supporting the flow cytometry findings. In contrast, most undifferentiated ES cells strongly expressed CD9. SSEA-1 was located preferentially on the edge of low protuberances and microvilli and formed clusters or linear arrays of 3-20 particles. PECAM-1 and ICAM-1 were randomly localized on the free cell surfaces, whereas CD9 was preferentially localized on the microvilli or protuberances, especially in the cell periphery. Both the SSEA-1(+) fraction and the SSEA-1(-) fraction of magnetic cell sorting (MACS) formed undifferentiated colonies after plating. Flow cytometry showed that these populations reverted separately again to a culture with a mixed phenotype. Differentiation induced by retinoic acid downregulated the expression of all CAMs. Immuno-SEM showed decreases of SSEA-1 in the differentiated ES cells, although some clustering still remained. Our findings help to elucidate the significance of these molecules in ES cell maintenance and differentiation and suggest that cell surface antigens may be useful for defining the phenotype of undifferentiated and differentiated ES cells.     

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.     

诱导型细胞的研究进展

胚胎干细胞(ES细胞)和诱导型多能干细胞(iPS细胞)的研究进展为生物学基础研究注入了新的活力,然而免疫排斥、致瘤性以及诱导效率低等缺陷制约其进一步快速发展和临床应用．最近,科学家借鉴iPS细胞诱导技术和传统的诱导体系,将终末分化细胞直接诱导为功能性细胞,如心肌细胞、神经细胞和肝脏细胞,称为诱导型细胞．这些研究进展极大地促进了细胞分化、重编程和表观遗传学的研究,也为人类再生医学的研究提供了新的途径．     

Genomic analysis of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells: routes to reprogramming

The phenomenal proliferation of scientific studies into the nature of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells following publication of the findings of Takahashi and Yamanaka little more than 2 years ago, have significantly expanded our understanding of cellular mechanisms relating to cell lineage, differentiation, and proliferation. While the full potential of iPS cell lineages for both scientific tool and therapeutic applications is as yet unclear, findings from several lines of investigation suggests that multipotential and terminally differentiated cells from an array of cell types are competent to undergo epigenetic reprogramming to a pluripotential state. The nature of this pluripotential state appears to be similar to, but not identical with that previously described for embryonic stem (ES) cells. Understanding the nature of this induced reprogrammed state will be critical to determining the full potential of iPS cells. Recently, this issue has been examined through an integrated analysis of the genome in fully and partially reprogrammed iPS cell lineages. These results provide a window onto the temporal components of reprogramming and suggest mechanisms by which the efficacy of reprogramming can be enhanced.     

The Role of NF-κB Signaling in the Maintenance of Pluripotency of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

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.     

Mouse ES cells maintained in different pluripotency-promoting conditions differ in their neural differentiation propensity

Prior to differentiation, embryonic stem (ES) cells in culture are maintained in a so-called “undifferentiated” state, allowing derivation of multiple downstream cell lineages when induced in a directed manner, which in turn grants these cells their “pluripotent” state. The current work is based on a simple observation that the initial culture condition for maintaining mouse ES cells in an “undifferentiated” state does impact on the differentiation propensity of these cells, in this case to a neuronal fate. We point out the importance in judging the “pluripotency” of a given stem cell culture, as this clearly demonstrated that the “undifferentiated” state of these cells is not necessarily a “pluripotent” state, even for a widely used mouse ES cell line. We partly attribute this difference in the initial value of ES cells to the naïve-to-primed status of pluripotency, which in turn may affect early events of the differentiation in vitro.     

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells on Autologous Feeders

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.     

小鼠胚胎干细胞的培养

目的:建立小鼠胚胎干细胞(embryonic stem cells,ES)的培养方法。方法:制备G418抗性的原代小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞,经丝裂霉素C处理后成滋养层细胞,将小鼠胚胎干细胞复苏后,应用含白血病抑制因子的ES细胞培养液,培养小鼠ES细胞,观察集落的生长情况,并在光镜下观察细胞形态。结果:小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞生长良好,ES细胞呈克隆状生长,且保持未分化状态。结论:建立了小鼠胚胎干细胞培养的有效方法,为下一步基因打靶奠定基础。     

Selective Development of Myogenic Mesenchymal Cells from Human Embryonic and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are promising sources for the cell therapy of muscle diseases and can serve as powerful experimental tools for skeletal muscle research, provided an effective method to induce skeletal muscle cells is established. However, the current methods for myogenic differentiation from human ES cells are still inefficient for clinical use, while myogenic differentiation from human iPS cells remains to be accomplished. Here, we aimed to establish a practical differentiation method to induce skeletal myogenesis from both human ES and iPS cells. To accomplish this goal, we developed a novel stepwise culture method for the selective expansion of mesenchymal cells from cell aggregations called embryoid bodies. These mesenchymal cells, which were obtained by dissociation and re-cultivation of embryoid bodies, uniformly expressed CD56 and the mesenchymal markers CD73, CD105, CD166, and CD29, and finally differentiated into mature myotubes in vitro. Furthermore, these myogenic mesenchymal cells exhibited stable long-term engraftment in injured muscles of immunodeficient mice in vivo and were reactivated upon subsequent muscle damage, increasing in number to reconstruct damaged muscles. Our simple differentiation system facilitates further utilization of ES and iPS cells in both developmental and pathological muscle research and in serving as a practical donor source for cell therapy of muscle diseases.     

PRIMORDIAL GERM CELL-DERIVED MOUSE EMBRYONIC GERM (EG) CELLSIN VITRORESEMBLE UNDIFFERENTIATED STEM CELLS WITH RESPECT TO DIFFERENTIATION CAPACITY AND CELL CYCLE DISTRIBUTION

Embryonic germ (EG) cells of line EG-1 derived from mouse primordial germ cells were investigated for theirin vitrodifferentiation capacity. By cultivation as embryo-like aggregates EG-1 cells differentiated into cardiac, skeletal muscle and neuronal cells accompanied by the expression of tissue-specific genes and proteins as shown by RT-PCR analysis and indirect immunofluorescence. In comparison to embryonic stem (ES) cells of line D3 the efficiency of differentiation into cardiac and muscle cells was comparatively low, whereas spontaneous neuronal differentiation was more efficient than in D3 cells. Furthermore, the distribution of cell cycle phases as a parameter for the differentiation state was analysed in undifferentiated EG cells and ES cells and compared to data obtained for embryonic carcinoma (EC) cells of line P19 and differentiated, epithelioid EPI-7 cells. Flow cytometric analysis revealed similar cell cycle phase distributions in EG, EC and ES cells. In contrast, the somatic differentiated EPI-7 cells showed a longer G₁-phase and shorter S- and G₂/M-phases. Together, our results demonstrate that the differentiation state and capacity of EG cellsin vitroresemble that of totipotent ES cells.