Morphologic and Gene Expression Criteria for Identifying Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be generated from somatic cells by the forced expression of four factors, Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. While a great variety of colonies grow during induction, only a few of them develop into iPS cells. Researchers currently use visual observation to identify iPS cells and select colonies resembling embryonic stem (ES) cells, and there are no established objective criteria. Therefore, we exhaustively analyzed the morphology and gene expression of all the colonies generated from human fibroblasts after transfection with four retroviral vectors encoding individual factors (192 and 203 colonies in two experiments) and with a single polycistronic retroviral vector encoding all four factors (199 and 192 colonies in two experiments). Here we demonstrate that the morphologic features of emerged colonies can be categorized based on six parameters, and all generated colonies that could be passaged were classified into seven subtypes in colonies transfected with four retroviral vectors and six subtypes with a single polycistronic retroviral vector, both including iPS cell colonies. The essential qualifications for iPS cells were: cells with a single nucleolus; nucleus to nucleolus (N/Nls) ratio ∼2.19: cell size ∼43.5 µm²: a nucleus to cytoplasm (N/C) ratio ∼0.87: cell density in a colony ∼5900 cells/mm²: and number of cell layer single. Most importantly, gene expression analysis revealed for the first time that endogenous Sox2 and Cdx2 were expressed specifically in iPS cells, whereas Oct3/4 and Nanog, popularly used markers for identifying iPS cells, are expressed in colonies other than iPS cells, suggesting that Sox2 and Cdx2 are reliable markers for identifying iPS cells. Our findings indicate that morphologic parameters and the expression of endogenous Sox2 and Cdx2 can be used to accurately identify iPS cells.     

多顺反子质粒重编程人脂肪干细胞为诱导多能干细胞

为建立多顺反子质粒载体转染技术获得人脂肪干细胞(adipose stem cells,ASCs)来源的诱导多能干细胞(induced pluripotency stem cells,iPSCs),应用2A元件连接Oct4/Sox2/KLF4/c-Myc四因子基因,构建为单一开放阅读框的多顺反子质粒载体．使用该质粒对ASCs进行转染及重编程为iPSC．采用形态学观察、特异性抗体免疫荧光鉴定、体外拟胚体诱导分化和体内畸胎瘤形成等方法进行鉴定．结果显示,ASCs成功重编程为iPSCs,具有与人胚胎干细胞相似的形态学及多向分化潜能;通过拟胚体和畸胎瘤实验证实iPSCs能在体内外分化成三胚层细胞;DNA印迹实验显示质粒载体序列未整合至iPSCs基因组中．因此,通过多顺反子质粒载体重编程技术成功建立的人iPSCs具有多向分化潜能,可减免发生插入突变和免疫排斥问题,为iPSCs在遗传性或退行性疾病的治疗奠定了实验基础．     

慢病毒介导的绿色荧光蛋白报告基因对人多能干细胞的生物风险评估研究

摘要 目的：探讨慢病毒介导的绿色荧光蛋白（GFP）标记人诱导多能干细胞（hiPSC）是否影响其细胞生物学特性,为多角度评价生物学风险提供实验基础。方法：慢病毒感染hiPSC后24小时,通过抗性基因表达筛选成功标记GFP的hiPSC。利用流式细胞分析法（FACS）检测GFP阳性的细胞比例。通过碱性磷酸酶染色检验干细胞的多能性,并通过免疫荧光染色检测多能性标记基因OCT4,NANOG,SOX2,SSEA4的表达情况。体外拟胚体分化实验检测GFP标记的hiPSC分化为不同胚层细胞的能力。结果：慢病毒感染不仅可以成功hiPSC标记上GFP,而且抗性基因表达筛选使GFP阳性细胞比例从37.5%提高到97.4%。AP染色和多能性标记基因的免疫染色证明标记后的细胞能维持多能性。体外分化实验显示感染后hiPSC可以形成拟胚体并实现三个胚层细胞共存。结论：慢病毒能够高效的标记hiPSC,并且不影响其多能性和拟胚体形成能力,可以用于后续的分化和细胞示踪研究。     

Generation of Integration-free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Using Hair-derived Keratinocytes

Recent advances in reprogramming allow us to turn somatic cells into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). Disease modeling using patient-specific hiPSCs allows the study of the underlying mechanism for pathogenesis, also providing a platform for the development of in vitro drug screening and gene therapy to improve treatment options. The promising potential of hiPSCs for regenerative medicine is also evident from the increasing number of publications (>7000) on iPSCs in recent years. Various cell types from distinct lineages have been successfully used for hiPSC generation, including skin fibroblasts, hematopoietic cells and epidermal keratinocytes. While skin biopsies and blood collection are routinely performed in many labs as a source of somatic cells for the generation of hiPSCs, the collection and subsequent derivation of hair keratinocytes are less commonly used. Hair-derived keratinocytes represent a non-invasive approach to obtain cell samples from patients. Here we outline a simple non-invasive method for the derivation of keratinocytes from plucked hair. We also provide instructions for maintenance of keratinocytes and subsequent reprogramming to generate integration-free hiPSC using episomal vectors.     

人诱导多能干细胞与人胚胎干细胞分化过程中Oct4/Nanog 基因 表达的比较

目的:比较通过慢病毒方法获得的人诱导多能性干细胞(iPSCs)与人胚胎干细胞(hESCs)分化过程中全能性基因Oct4、Nanog的表达变化。方法:收集分化不同时间点的拟胚体(EBs),检测三胚层分化基因以及全能性基因Oct4/Nanog的表达,并通过畸胎瘤组织切片的荧光染色分析Oct4的表达。结果:iPSCs获得的EB中内外三胚层分化基因表达的出现明显晚于hESCs来源的EB。不同于hESCs,iPSCs悬浮培养获得的EBs在体外培养18天未见内源性Oct4、Nanog基因表达的下调。未分化的iPSCs注射严重联合免疫缺陷(SCID)小鼠培养10周后获得的畸胎瘤中仍存在Oct4阳性的细胞,但iPS-#2中明显少于iPS-#5。结论:通过慢病毒方法获得的iPSCs虽然具有向三胚层分化的能力,但在分化过程中仍维持较高水平的全能性基因Oct4、Nanog的表达。     

Histone Variants Enriched in Oocytes Enhance Reprogramming to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

1. Download : Download high-res image (228KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

人诱导多能干细胞与人胚胎干细胞分化过程中Oct4/Nanog基因表达的比较

目的：比较通过慢病毒方法获得的人诱导多能性干细胞（iPSCs）与人胚胎干细胞（hESCs）分化过程中全能性基因Oct4、Nanog的表达变化。方法：收集分化不同时间点的拟胚体（EBs）,检测三胚层分化基因以及全能性基因Oct4/Nanog的表达,并通过畸胎瘤组织切片的荧光染色分析Oct4的表达。结果：iPSCs获得的EB中内外三胚层分化基因表达的出现明显晚于hESCs来源的EB。不同于hESCs,iPSCs悬浮培养获得的EBs在体外培养18天未见内源性Oct4、Nanog基因表达的下调。未分化的iPSCs注射严重联合免疫缺陷（SCID）小鼠培养10周后获得的畸胎瘤中仍存在Oct4阳性的细胞,但iPS-#2中明显少于iPS-#5。结论：通过慢病毒方法获得的iPSCs虽然具有向三胚层分化的能力,但在分化过程中仍维持较高水平的全能性基因Oct4、Nanog的表达。     

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.     

Transfecting and Nucleofecting Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Genetic modification is continuing to be an essential tool in studying stem cell biology and in setting forth potential clinical applications of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs)¹. While improvements in several gene delivery methods have been described^2-9, transfection remains a capricious process for HESCs, and has not yet been reported in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this video, we demonstrate how our lab routinely transfects and nucleofects human iPSCs using plasmid with an enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) reporter. Human iPSCs are adapted and maintained as feeder-free cultures to eliminate the possibility of feeder cell transfection and to allow efficient selection of stable transgenic iPSC clones following transfection. For nucleofection, human iPSCs are pre-treated with ROCK inhibitor¹¹, trypsinized into small clumps of cells, nucleofected and replated on feeders in feeder cell-conditioned medium to enhance cell recovery. Transgene-expressing human iPSCs can be obtained after 6 hours. Antibiotic selection is applied after 24 hours and stable transgenic lines appear within 1 week. Our protocol is robust and reproducible for human iPSC lines without altering pluripotency of these cells.     

Efficient Generation Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Somatic Cells with Sendai-virus

A few years ago, the establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ushered in a new era in biomedicine. Potential uses of human iPSCs include modeling pathogenesis of human genetic diseases, autologous cell therapy after gene correction, and personalized drug screening by providing a source of patient-specific and symptom relevant cells. However, there are several hurdles to overcome, such as eliminating the remaining reprogramming factor transgene expression after human iPSCs production. More importantly, residual transgene expression in undifferentiated human iPSCs could hamper proper differentiations and misguide the interpretation of disease-relevant in vitro phenotypes. With this reason, integration-free and/or transgene-free human iPSCs have been developed using several methods, such as adenovirus, the piggyBac system, minicircle vector, episomal vectors, direct protein delivery and synthesized mRNA. However, efficiency of reprogramming using integration-free methods is quite low in most cases.Here, we present a method to isolate human iPSCs by using Sendai-virus (RNA virus) based reprogramming system. This reprogramming method shows consistent results and high efficiency in cost-effective manner.     

人诱导性多潜能干细胞(iPS细胞)系的建立

掌握建立人iPS细胞系(induced pluripotent stem cells,iPSCs)的技术,以便为人肿瘤细胞重编程为iPS细胞建立技术平台.在人胚胎干细胞的培养条件下,通过携带Oct4、Sox2、c-Myc、Klf44个混合因子的慢病毒感染人皮肤成纤维细胞(CCD-1079SK细胞),从而诱导成干细胞样的克隆.根据人胚胎干细胞的特性进行如下鉴定:克隆形态、碱性磷酸酶活性、核型和CCD-1079SK细胞来源的克隆拟胚体(embryoid bodies,EBs)形成及分化等.结果显示,在人胚胎干细胞的培养环境中,导入Oct4、Sox2、c-Myc、Klf44个因子的CCD-1079SK细胞产生了一株iPSC克隆,这株iPSC克隆在细胞形态、增殖能力、胚胎细胞特异性表面抗原以及基因表达与人胚胎干细胞相似,此外,iPSC克隆在体外悬浮培养中形成拟胚体并分化成3个胚层.人iPS细胞系的成功建立为利用iPS细胞技术开展肿瘤细胞重编程研究奠定了坚实基础.     

Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Models to Investigate Human Cytomegalovirus Infection in Neural Cells

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.     

Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Peripheral T Cells Using Sendai Virus in Feeder-free Conditions

Recently, iPSCs have attracted attention as a new source of cells for regenerative therapies. Although the initial method for generating iPSCs relied on dermal fibroblasts obtained by invasive biopsy and retroviral genomic insertion of transgenes, there have been many efforts to avoid these disadvantages. Human peripheral T cells are a unique cell source for generating iPSCs. iPSCs derived from T cells contain rearrangements of the T cell receptor (TCR) genes and are a source of antigen-specific T cells. Additionally, T cell receptor rearrangement in the genome has the potential to label individual cell lines and distinguish between transplanted and donor cells. For safe clinical application of iPSCs, it is important to minimize the risk of exposing newly generated iPSCs to harmful agents. Although fetal bovine serum and feeder cells have been essential for pluripotent stem cell culture, it is preferable to remove them from the culture system to reduce the risk of unpredictable pathogenicity. To address this, we have established a protocol for generating iPSCs from human peripheral T cells using Sendai virus to reduce the risk of exposing iPSCs to undefined pathogens. Although handling Sendai virus requires equipment with the appropriate biosafety level, Sendai virus infects activated T cells without genome insertion, yet with high efficiency. In this protocol, we demonstrate the generation of iPSCs from human peripheral T cells in feeder-free conditions using a combination of activated T cell culture and Sendai virus.     

A Comprehensive Library of Familial Human Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a progressive disease characterized by the loss of upper and lower motor neurons, leading to paralysis of voluntary muscles. About 10% of all ALS cases are familial (fALS), among which 15–20% are linked to Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) mutations, usually inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. To date only one FDA approved drug is available which increases survival moderately. Our understanding of ALS disease mechanisms is largely derived from rodent model studies, however due to the differences between rodents and humans, it is necessary to have humanized models for studies of disease pathogenesis as well as drug development. Therefore, we generated a comprehensive library of a total 22 of fALS patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines. These cells were thoroughly characterized before being deposited into the library. The library of cells includes a variety of C9orf72 mutations, sod1 mutations, FUS, ANG and FIG4 mutations. Certain mutations are represented with more than one line, which allows for studies of variable genetic backgrounds. In addition, these iPSCs can be successfully differentiated to astroglia, a cell type known to play a critical role in ALS disease progression. This library represents a comprehensive resource that can be used for ALS disease modeling and the development of novel therapeutics.