Beta-Catenin Is Vital for the Integrity of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

β-catenin mediated Wnt-signaling is assumed to play a major function in embryonic stem cells in maintaining their stem cell character and the exit from this unique trait. The complexity of β-catenin action and conflicting results on the role of β-catenin in maintaining the pluripotent state have made it difficult to understand its precise cellular and molecular functions. To attempt this issue we have generated new genetically modified mouse embryonic stem cell lines allowing for the deletion of β-catenin in a controlled manner by taking advantage of the Cre-ER-T2 system and analyzed the effects in a narrow time window shortly after ablation. By using this approach, rather then taking long term cultured β-catenin null cell lines we demonstrate that β-catenin is dispensable for the maintenance of pluripotency associated genes. In addition we observed that the removal of β-catenin leads to a strong increase of cell death, the appearance of multiple clustered functional centrosomes most likely due to a mis-regulation of the polo-like-kinase 2 and furthermore, alterations in chromosome segregation. Our study demonstrates the importance of β-catenin in maintaining correct cellular functions and helps to understand its role in embryonic stem cells.     

小鼠胚胎干细胞在单层粘附培养中向神经细胞的分化

目的 :探讨小鼠胚胎干 (ES)细胞在无血清培养基中以单层粘附培养方式向神经分化的方法。方法 :比较ES细胞在不同培养基中的生长情况 ,分析ES细胞在不同时间分化形成神经细胞的比例。结果 :( 1 )DMEM F1 2和Neurobasal B2 7的 1∶1混合培养基最适合ES的生长。 ( 2 )单层粘附的ES细胞表达神经细胞粘附分子 (NCAM)的比例随时间增长而增加 ,而nestin的表达先增加后下降。 ( 3)ES细胞可在两周分化为神经胶质及神经元 ,形成神经网络。结论 :小鼠ES细胞可在单层粘附培养中获得向神经的高效分化。     

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。     

Actin-Dependent Receptor Colocalization Required for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Entry into Host Cells

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) envelope binds CD4 and a chemokine receptor in sequence, releasing hydrophobic viral gp41 residues into the target membrane. HIV entry required actin-dependent concentration of coreceptors, which could be disrupted by cytochalasin D (CytoD) without an effect on cell viability or mitosis. Pretreatment of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, but not virus, inhibited entry and infection. Immunofluorescent confocal microscopy of activated cells revealed CD4 and CXCR4 in nonoverlapping patterns. Addition of gp120 caused polarized cocapping of both molecules with subsequent pseudopod formation, while CytoD pretreatment blocked these membrane changes completely.     

诱导小鼠胚胎干细胞在体外分化为骨骼肌细胞的实验研究

小鼠胚胎干细胞是从胚泡未分化的内部细胞团中得到的干细胞,它在体外培养的环境中具有无限增殖、自我更新以及多向分化的特性。将小鼠胚胎干细胞在体外诱导分化为肌肉细胞,并且利用这些分化得来的肌肉细胞治疗肌肉退行性疾病,是干细胞研究领域的热点。该实验的目的在于筛选小鼠胚胎干细胞向骨骼肌细胞定向分化的实验条件,有效地将体外单层贴壁培养的小鼠胚胎干细胞诱导分化成骨骼肌细胞。最终发现,10-8mol/L维甲酸(retinoid acid,RA)+0.5%二甲基亚砜(dimethyl sulfoxide,DMSO)组诱导小鼠胚胎干细胞在体外分化成骨骼肌前体细胞的效率最高,分化得到的骨骼肌前体细胞经进一步纯化,能分化为多核的肌管。该实验为治疗肌肉退行性疾病提供了细胞来源,也为研究小鼠胚胎干细胞分化为骨骼肌细胞的机制提供了有利的条件。     

ROCK Inhibitor Is Not Required for Embryoid Body Formation from Singularized Human Embryonic Stem Cells

We report a technology to form human embryoid bodies (hEBs) from singularized human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) without the use of the p160 rho-associated coiled-coil kinase inhibitor (ROCKi) or centrifugation (spin). hEB formation was tested under four conditions: +ROCKi/+spin, +ROCKi/-spin, -ROCKi/+spin, and -ROCKi/-spin. Cell suspensions of BG01V/hOG and H9 hESC lines were pipetted into non-adherent hydrogel substrates containing defined microwell arrays. hEBs of consistent size and spherical geometry can be formed in each of the four conditions, including the -ROCKi/-spin condition. The hEBs formed under the -ROCKi/-spin condition differentiated to develop the three embryonic germ layers and tissues derived from each of the germ layers. This simplified hEB production technique offers homogeneity in hEB size and shape to support synchronous differentiation, elimination of the ROCKi xeno-factor and rate-limiting centrifugation treatment, and low-cost scalability, which will directly support automated, large-scale production of hEBs and hESC-derived cells needed for clinical, research, or therapeutic applications.     

无血清无饲养层条件下培养小鼠胚胎干细胞

目的研究在无血清无饲养层条件下小鼠胚胎干细胞的培养方法,为最终建立无血清无饲养层培养系统打下基础。方法比较小鼠胚胎干细胞ES-S8株在无血清培养体系和有血清培养体系中的生长情况,分析ES-S8细胞克隆形成效率,测定其生长速度;然后在撤去血清和饲养层的条件下培养ES-S8细胞,进行AKP染色和表面标记物SSEA-1免疫荧光检测。结果ES-S8细胞在无血清培养条件下细胞生长速度减缓,克隆形成率降低,但AKP染色、SSEA-1免疫荧光均显阳性;在无血清无饲养层条件下ES-S8细胞培养仍能形成克隆,且AKP染色、SSEA-1免疫荧光均显阳性。结论研究表明ES-S8细胞能够在无血清无饲养层的培养条件下生长,保持其良好的未分化特性。     

对小鼠ES细胞进行特异性的标记

虽然ES细胞技术的应用十分广泛,对ES细胞多能性本质的研究还不是很深入,体外培养的ES细胞群体的不均一性加大了这方面研究的难度,报道了对ES细胞中特异表达的基因,将报告基因βgeo插入oct-基因转录元件中构建了标记载体pG18NG,转染ES细胞MESPU22和MESPU13后获得了稳定整合的细胞克隆,经体外培养、诱导分化、嵌入体制作等实验,证明利用该载体对ES细胞中的未分化细胞成功进行了标记,该标记在体内、体外都是有效的。     

小鼠胚胎干细胞建系技术研究进展

目前,对小鼠胚胎干细胞的研究较为深入,并已成为研究细胞分化及信号转导、新基因发现及功能鉴定、器官发生、人类疾病和药物开发等的有效手段。胚胎干细胞建系是一项基础性工作。虽然技术日趋成熟,有些品系小鼠的胚胎干细胞建系已是常规技术,但不同品系小鼠胚胎干细胞的建系效率仍有很大差异,建系途径和方法各有特点,一个品系胚胎干细胞的建系方法不一定都适用于其他品系。本文从小鼠胚胎干细胞建系的途径、分离操作技术、培养体系等方面进行综述,并就与之相关的有些问题提出思考和对策。     

胚胎干细胞向肝细胞诱导分化

胚胎干细胞具有分化成三胚层细胞的潜能。它已被视为治疗多种疾痛的一种新兴策略。在现阶段,通过不同的诱导途径可将胚胎干细胞诱导成为肝细胞：体外诱导、体内诱导以及体外和体内相结合诱导分化。然而从体内实验结果来看,其嵌合率及分化率不高,这是一个亟需解决的问题,否则就无法成功地将其应用于临床治疗。     

潮霉素抗性的小鼠胚胎干细胞滋养层的制备

目的：获得潮霉素抗性的小鼠胚胎干细胞滋养层。方法：利用基因组整合了潮霉素B磷酸转移酶基因的小鼠品系Smad4hygro＋/-,从受精14d的小鼠胚胎中制备原代胚胎成纤维细胞;鉴定基因型后,挑选一株潮霉素B磷酸转移酶基因杂合型胚胎成纤维细胞,用丝裂霉素C处理,以获得潮霉素抗性的滋养层细胞。结果：经潮霉素B加压处理后,杂合型滋养层细胞可存活2周左右,并可维持胚胎干细胞的生长。结论：制备的滋养层细胞可用于潮霉素抗性胚胎干细胞的筛选。     

Embryonic Stem Cells Do Not Stiffen on Rigid Substrates

It has been previously established that living cells, including mesenchymal stem cells, stiffen in response to elevation of substrate stiffness. This stiffening is largely attributed to the elevation of the tractions at the cell base that is associated with increases in cell spreading on more-rigid substrates. We show here, surprisingly, that mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs) do not stiffen when substrate stiffness increases. As shown recently, these cells do not increase spreading on more-rigid substrates either. However, these ESCs do increase their basal tractions as substrate stiffness increases. We conclude that these ESCs exhibit mechanical behaviors distinct from those of mesenchymal stem cells and of terminally differentiated cells, and decouple its apical cell stiffness from its basal tractional stresses during the substrate rigidity response.     

小鼠胚胎干细胞对黑色素瘤细胞体外生物学行为的影响

探讨体外共培养环境中小鼠胚胎干细胞对小鼠黑色素瘤B16细胞的影响。建立C57BL/6小鼠胚胎干细胞系,通过小鼠胚胎干细胞与肿瘤细胞体外共培养模型观察小鼠胚胎干细胞对肿瘤细胞的形态及生长行为的影响,MTT法与transwell小室法分别检测共培养后肿瘤细胞粘附性、迁移性及侵袭性的变化。共培养中小鼠胚胎干细胞能够侵入并推开小鼠黑色素瘤细胞形成自己的生长空间,与对照组比较共培养后肿瘤细胞的粘附性、迁移性及侵袭性均显著降低(P<0.05,P<0.01)。结果表明体外共培养体系中小鼠胚胎干细胞能够侵袭肿瘤细胞,并降低细胞粘附、迁移及侵袭相关恶性生物学行为。