干细胞生物工程研究展望

 由于最近两年干细胞研究技术的突破 ,一门崭新的学科“干细胞生物工程”已经形成 .人类胚胎干细胞在体外的成功培养以及一种组织的干细胞 (成体干细胞 )向另一种组织细胞横向分化的发现 ,为利用“干细胞生物工程”技术治疗疾病奠定了基础 .本综述着重介绍干细胞研究领域的一些新概念和新技术以及干细胞分化的基因调控 .对干细胞生物工程的临床应用前景作了概括性讨论     

Promoting human embryonic stem cell renewal or differentiation by modulating Wnt signal and culture conditions

We previously showed that Wnt3a could stimulate human embryonic stem （hES） cell proliferation and affect cell fate determination. In the absence of feeder cell--derived factors, hES cells cultured under a feeder-free condition survived and proliferated poorly. Adding recombinant Wnt3a in the absence of feeder cell derived-factors stimulated hES cell proliferation but also differentiation. In the present study, we further extended our analysis to other Wnt ligands such as Wntl and Wnt5a. While Wntl displayed a similar effect on hES cells as Wnt3a, Wnt5a had little effect in this system. Wnt3a and Wntl enhanced proliferation of undifferentiated hES cells when feeder-derived self-renewal factors and bFGF are also present. To explore the possibility to promote the proliferation of undifferentiated hES cells by activating the Wnt signaling, we overexpressed Wnt3a or Wntl gene in immortalized human adult fibroblast （HAFi） cells that are superior in supporting long-term growth of undifferentiated hES cells than primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts. HAFi cells with or without a Wnt tmnsgene can be propagated indefinitely. Over-expression of the Wnt3a gene significantly enhanced the ability of HAFi feeder cells to support the undifferentiated growth of 3 different hES cell lines we tested. Co-expression of three commonly-used drug selection genes in Wnt3a-overpressing HAFi cells further enabled us to select rare hES clones after stable transfection or transduction. These immortalized engineered feeder cells （W3R） that co-express growth-promoting genes such as Wnt3a and three drug selection genes should empower us to efficiently make genetic modified hES cell lines for basic and translational research.     

Influence of substrate composition on human embryonic stem cell differentiation and extracellular matrix production in embryoid bodies

Stem cells reside in specialized niches in vivo. Specific factors, including the extracellular matrix (ECM), in these niches are directly responsible for maintaining the stem cell population. During development, components of the stem cell microenvironment also control differentiation with precise spatial and temporal organization. The stem cell microenvironment is dynamically regulated by the cellular component, including stem cells themselves. Thus, a mechanism exists whereby stem cells modify the ECM, which in turn affects the fate of the stem cell. In this study, we investigated whether the type of ECM initially adsorbed to the culture substrate can influence the composition of the ECM deposited by human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) differentiating in embryoid bodies, and whether different ECM composition and deposition profiles elicit distinct differentiation fates. We have shown that the initial ECM environment hESCs are exposed to affects the fate decisions of those cells and that this initial ECM environment is constantly modified during the differentiation process. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 31:212–219, 2015     

Neural precursors derived from human embryonic stem cells

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells provide a promising supply of specific cell types for transplantation therapy. We presented here the method to induce differentiation of purified neural precursors from hES cells. hES cells (Line PKU-1 and Line PKU-2) were cultured in suspension in bacteriological Petri dishes, which differentiated into cystic embryoid bodies (EBs). The EBs were then cultured in N₂ medium containing bFGF in poly-L-lysine-coated tissue culture dishes for two weeks. The central, small cells with 2–3 short processes of the spreading outgrowth were isolated mechanically and replated. The resulting neurospheres were cultured in suspension for 10 days, then dissociated into single cell suspension with a Pasteur pipette and plated. Cells grew vigorously in an attached way and were passed every 4–5 days. Almost all the cells were proved nestin positive by immunostaining. Following withdrawal of bFGF, they differentiated into neurons expressing β-tubulin isotype_III, GABA, serotonin and synaptophysin. Through induction of PDGF-AA, they differentiated into astrocytes expressing GFAP and oligodendrocytes expressing O₄. The results showed that hES cells can differentiate into typical neural precursors expressing the specific marker nestin and capable of generating all three cell types of the central nervous system (CNS)in vitro.     

人胚胎干细胞的体外定向分化

人胚胎干细胞（human embryonic stem cells,hESCs）由囊胚期胚胎内细胞团分离培养获得,具有保持未分化状态的无限增殖能力。hESCs具有多向分化潜能,在体内和体外均可分化形成所有三个胚层（外胚层、中胚层、内胚层）的衍生物。hESCs一般在鼠胚胎成纤维细胞（mouse embryonic fibroblast,MEF）饲养层上培养和扩增。为了优化培养条件,目前人们已发展了多种人类细胞饲养层和无饲养层、非条件培养基体系。hESCs可以在体外定向诱导分化为多种细胞类型,为揭示人胚早期发育机制和发展多种疾病的细胞移植治疗奠定了基础。hESCs可以在体外进行遗传修饰,将有助于揭示特定基因在发育过程中的调控和功能。对hESCs的深入研究将极大地推动医学和生命科学的进展,并将最终应用于临床,造福人类。     

Chimeric contribution of human extended pluripotent stem cells to monkey embryos ex vivo

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成体干细胞研究进展

近年来由于成体干细胞研究技术的突破 ,成体干细胞的多向分化潜能日益为人们所关注。尤其“横向分化”的发现 ,不仅更新了对成体干细胞的传统认识 ,而且为其临床疾病治疗奠定了基础。介绍了成体干细胞的特点及分化潜能 ,并对其临床应用作了概括性讨论。     

人胚胎干细胞建系和鉴定

人胚胎干细胞是一种取自人囊胚内细胞团且具有形成所有三个胚层细胞能力的全能细胞。建立一个理想的人胚胎干细胞培养系统是研究和利用这种具有巨大潜力细胞的首要条件。本文讨论了目前建立的人胚胎干细胞培养系统,阐述了其有利的和不利的一面,并着重讨论其体外培养方法和鉴定策略。     

人多能干细胞来源的肾定向分化平台的构建

肾是一种重要的人体器官,具有多种生理功能。然而,全球范围内约有10%的人口患有肾疾病。因此,建立一种接近人体肾的结构与功能的模型进行肾疾病的研究是十分必要的。多能干细胞体外定向诱导分化技术的兴起,为再生医学和精准医学领域注入了新的动力。本研究通过在体外条件下模拟体内肾发育的过程,将人多能干细胞包括胚胎干细胞和诱导多能干细胞,通过体外定向诱导分化形成肾的祖细胞,进而建立肾的结构与功能单位：肾元。该研究通过激活WNT信号通路,同时抑制TGF-β信号通路,将人多能干细胞从多能态定向诱导至原条阶段。之后通过细胞自分化的能力使其发育至中间中胚层,再通过激活FGF信号通路,将其分化至肾祖细胞阶段。流式细胞检测结果显示,肾祖细胞占总细胞数的51.5%～61.9%。通过免疫荧光检测发现：分化得到的结构中包含肾小球足细胞、近端小管、远端小管等肾组织结构。该研究建立的肾体外分化方法,具有稳定性好、分化效率高、重复性好的特点。为研究人类肾的早期发育机制,肾疾病模型构建,以及药物筛选提供了一种新的方法。     

生长因子诱导人脐带/胎盘间充质干细胞定向分化

近年来,间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cell,MSC)已成为干细胞领域的研究热点,其不仅支持造血系统,还可在特定的培养条件下向多种组织细胞分化。人脐带和胎盘来源的MSC取材容易,较骨髓间充质干细胞有更广泛的应用前景。本文就含有特定生长因子的培养基诱导人脐带MSC和人胎盘MSC定向分化的研究进展作一简要的综述。     

再生胰腺提取物诱导人羊膜间充质干细胞定向分化为胰岛素分泌细胞

利用天然生物诱导剂大鼠再生胰腺提取物(Rgenerating pancreatic extract,RPE)定向诱导人羊膜间充质干细胞(Human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells,hAMSCs)向胰岛素分泌细胞分化。切除大鼠60%胰腺刺激胰腺再生,而后制备RPE,以终浓度为20 mg/L的RPE诱导hAMSCs。实验通过形态学鉴定、双硫腙染色、免疫荧光分析、RT-PCR基因检测和高糖刺激胰岛素分泌等实验鉴定细胞诱导结果。实验结果显示P3代hAMSCs经RPE诱导后形态变化明显,诱导15 d后细胞呈簇状生长,经双硫腙染色可见棕红色细胞团;免疫荧光染色结果显示诱导细胞呈胰岛素阳性表达;RT-PCR实验证明诱导细胞阳性表达人胰岛相关基因Pdx1和insulin;高糖刺激实验证明培养液中有胰岛素成分产生,且分泌量随刺激时间的延长先增加而后趋于稳定。实验结果表明hAMSCs在体外经RPE诱导可以分化为胰岛素分泌细胞。