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Recent advances in developmental biology and stem cell technology have led to the engineering of functional organs in a dish. However,the limited size of these organoids and absence of a large circulatory system poses limits to its clinical translation. To overcome these issues,decellularized whole kidney scaffolds with native microstructure and extracellular matrix (ECM) are employed for kidney bioengineering,using human-induced pluripotent-stem-cell-derived renal progenitor cells and endothelial cells. To demonstrate ECM-guided cellular assembly,the present work is focused on generating the functional unit of the kidney,the glomerulus. In the repopulated organ,the presence of endothelial cells broadly upregulates the expression level of genes related to renal development. When the cellularized native scaffolds are implanted in SCID mice,glomeruli assembly can be achieved by co-culture of the renal progenitors and endothelial cells. These individual glomerular units are shown to be functional in the context of the whole organ using a simulated bio-reactor set-up with urea and creatinine excretion and albumin reabsorption. Our results indicate that the repopulation of decellularized native kidney using clinically relevant,expandable patient-specific renal progenitors and endothelial cells may be a viable approach for the generation of a functional whole kidney. View Publication

As known from model organisms,such as frog,fish,mouse and chicken,the anterior-posterior patterning of the definitive endoderm (DE) into distinct domains is controlled by a variety of signaling interactions between the DE and its surrounding mesoderm. This includes Wnt/FGFs and BMPs in the posterior half and all-trans-retinoic acid,TGF-$$-ligands,Wnt- and BMP-inhibitors in the anterior half of the DE sheet. However,it is currently unclear how these embryonic tissue interactions can be translated into a defined differentiation protocol for human embryonic stem cells. Activin A has been proposed to direct DE into a SOX2-positive foregut-like cell type. Due to the pleiotropic nature of SOX2 in pluripotency and developing cells of the foregut we purified DE-cells by magnetic cell sorting and tested the effects of anteriorizing and posteriorizing factors on pure endoderm. We show in contrast to previous studies that the generation of the foregut marked by SOX2/FOXA2 double-positive cells does not depend on activin A/TGF-$$-signaling but is mediated by the inhibition of Wnt- and BMP-signaling. Retinoic acid can posteriorize and at the same time dorsalize the foregut towards a PDX1-positive pancreatic duodenal cell type whereas active Wnt/beta-catenin signaling synergistically with FGF-2,BMP-4 and RA induces the formation of CDX2-positive posterior endoderm. Thus,these results provide new insights into the mechanisms behind cell specification of human DE derived from pluripotent stem cells. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View Publication

Mechanisms determining intrinsic differentiation bias inherent to human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) toward cardiogenic fate remain elusive. We evaluated the interplay between ErbB4 and EGFR in determining cardiac differentiation in vitro as these receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) are key to heart and brain development in vivo. Our results demonstrate that during cardiac differentiation,cell fate biases exist in hPSCs due to cardiac/neuroectoderm divergence post cardiac mesoderm stage. Stage-specific up-regulation of EGFR in concert with persistent Wnt3a signaling post cardiac mesoderm favors commitment towards neural progenitor cells (NPCs). Inhibition of EGFR abrogates these effects with enhanced (textgreater2-fold) cardiac differentiation efficiencies by increasing proliferation of Nkx2-5 expressing cardiac progenitors while reducing proliferation of Sox2 expressing NPCs. Forced overexpression of ErbB4 rescued cardiac commitment by augmenting Wnt11 signaling. Convergence between EGFR/ErbB4 and canonical/non-canonical Wnt signaling determines cardiogenic fate in hPSCs. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. View Publication

Introduction Appropriate neural patterning of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is critical to generate specific neural cells/tissues and even mini-brains that are physiologically relevant to model neurological diseases. However,the capacity of signaling factors that regulate 3-D neural tissue patterning in vitro and differential responses of the resulting neural populations to various biomolecules have not yet been fully understood. Methods By tuning neural patterning of hiPSCs with small molecules targeting sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling,this study generated different 3-D neuronal cultures that were mainly comprised of either cortical glutamatergic neurons or motor neurons. Results Abundant glutamatergic neurons were observed following the treatment with an antagonist of SHH signaling,cyclopamine,while Islet-1 and HB9-expressing motor neurons were enriched by an SHH agonist,purmorphamine. In neurons derived with different neural patterning factors,whole-cell patch clamp recordings showed similar voltage-gated Na+/K+ currents,depolarization-evoked action potentials and spontaneous excitatory post-synaptic currents. Moreover,these different neuronal populations exhibited differential responses to three classes of biomolecules,including (1) matrix metalloproteinase inhibitors that affect extracellular matrix remodeling; (2) N-methyl-D-aspartate that induces general neurotoxicity; and (3) amyloid ?? (1???42) oligomers that cause neuronal subtype-specific neurotoxicity. Conclusions This study should advance our understanding of hiPSC self-organization and neural tissue development and provide a transformative approach to establish 3-D models for neurological disease modeling and drug discovery. Statement of Significance Appropriate neural patterning of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is critical to generate specific neural cells,tissues and even mini-brains that are physiologically relevant to model neurological diseases. However,the capability of sonic hedgehog-related small molecules to tune different neuronal subtypes in 3-D differentiation from hiPSCs and the differential cellular responses of region-specific neuronal subtypes to various biomolecules have not been fully investigated. By tuning neural patterning of hiPSCs with small molecules targeting sonic hedgehog signaling,this study provides knowledge on the differential susceptibility of region-specific neuronal subtypes derived from hiPSCs to different biomolecules in extracellular matrix remodeling and neurotoxicity. The findings are significant for understanding 3-D neural patterning of hiPSCs for the applications in brain organoid formation,neurological disease modeling,and drug discovery. View Publication

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are common,complex and heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorders. Cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for ASD pathogenesis have been proposed based on genetic studies,brain pathology and imaging,but a major impediment to testing ASD hypotheses is the lack of human cell models. Here,we reprogrammed fibroblasts to generate induced pluripotent stem cells,neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and neurons from ASD individuals with early brain overgrowth and non-ASD controls with normal brain size. ASD-derived NPCs display increased cell proliferation because of dysregulation of a β-catenin/BRN2 transcriptional cascade. ASD-derived neurons display abnormal neurogenesis and reduced synaptogenesis leading to functional defects in neuronal networks. Interestingly,defects in neuronal networks could be rescued by insulin growth factor 1 (IGF-1),a drug that is currently in clinical trials for ASD. This work demonstrates that selection of ASD subjects based on endophenotypes unraveled biologically relevant pathway disruption and revealed a potential cellular mechanism for the therapeutic effect of IGF-1 View Publication

There is an urgent need for an efficient approach to obtain a large-scale and renewable source of functional human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to establish robust,patient-specific tissue model systems for studying the pathogenesis of vascular disease,and for developing novel therapeutic interventions. Here,we have derived a large quantity of highly enriched functional VSMCs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-VSMCs). Furthermore,we have engineered 3D tissue rings from hiPSC-VSMCs using a facile one-step cellular self-assembly approach. The tissue rings are mechanically robust and can be used for vascular tissue engineering and disease modeling of supravalvular aortic stenosis syndrome. Our method may serve as a model system,extendable to study other vascular proliferative diseases for drug screening. Thus,this report describes an exciting platform technology with broad utility for manufacturing cell-based tissues and materials for various biomedical applications. View Publication

In order to develop a novel method of visualizing possible Ca(2+) signaling during the early differentiation of hESCs into cardiomyocytes and avoid some of the inherent problems associated with using fluorescent reporters,we expressed the bioluminescent Ca(2+) reporter,apo-aequorin,in HES2 cells and then reconstituted active holo-aequorin by incubation with f-coelenterazine. The temporal nature of the Ca(2+) signals generated by the holo-f-aequorin-expressing HES2 cells during the earliest stages of differentiation into cardiomyocytes was then investigated. Our data show that no endogenous Ca(2+) transients (generated by release from intracellular stores) were detected in 1-12-day-old cardiospheres but transients were generated in cardiospheres following stimulation with KCl or CaCl2,indicating that holo-f-aequorin was functional in these cells. Furthermore,following the addition of exogenous ATP,an inositol trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) agonist,small Ca(2+) transients were generated from day 1 onward. That ATP was inducing Ca(2+) release from functional IP3Rs was demonstrated by treatment with 2-APB,a known IP3R antagonist. In contrast,following treatment with caffeine,a ryanodine receptor (RyR) agonist,a minimal Ca(2+) response was observed at day 8 of differentiation only. Thus,our data indicate that unlike RyRs,IP3Rs are present and continually functional at these early stages of cardiomyocyte differentiation. View Publication

Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an acquired hemolytic anemia caused by lack of CD55 and CD59 on blood cell membrane leading to increased sensitivity of blood cells to complement. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only curative therapy for PNH,however,lack of HLA-matched donors and post-transplant complications are major concerns. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from patients are an attractive source for generating autologous HSCs to avoid adverse effects resulting from allogeneic HSCT. The disease involves only HSCs and their progeny; therefore,other tissues are not affected by the mutation and may be used to produce disease-free autologous HSCs. This study aimed to derive PNH patient-specific iPSCs from human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs),characterize and differentiate to hematopoietic cells using a feeder-free protocol. Analysis of CD55 and CD59 expression was performed before and after reprogramming,and hematopoietic differentiation. Patients' dermal fibroblasts expressed CD55 and CD59 at normal levels and the normal expression remained after reprogramming. The iPSCs derived from PNH patients had typical pluripotent properties and differentiation capacities with normal karyotype. After hematopoietic differentiation,the differentiated cells expressed early hematopoietic markers (CD34 and CD43) with normal CD59 expression. The iPSCs derived from HDFs of PNH patients have normal levels of CD55 and CD59 expression and hold promise as a potential source of HSCs for autologous transplantation to cure PNH patients. View Publication

Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can self-renew or differentiate from naive or more differentiated,primed,pluripotent states established by specific culture conditions. Increased intracellular α-ketoglutarate (αKG) was shown to favor self-renewal in naive mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). The effect of αKG or αKG/succinate levels on differentiation from primed human PSCs (hPSCs) or mouse epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) remains unknown. We examined primed hPSCs and EpiSCs and show that increased αKG or αKG-to-succinate ratios accelerate,and elevated succinate levels delay,primed PSC differentiation. αKG has been shown to inhibit the mitochondrial ATP synthase and to regulate epigenome-modifying dioxygenase enzymes. Mitochondrial uncoupling did not impede αKG-accelerated primed PSC differentiation. Instead,αKG induced,and succinate impaired,global histone and DNA demethylation in primed PSCs. The data support αKG promotion of self-renewal or differentiation depending on the pluripotent state. View Publication

When SUCNR1/GPR91-expressing macrophages are activated by inflammatory signals,they change their metabolism and accumulate succinate. In this study,we show that during this activation,macrophages release succinate into the extracellular milieu. They simultaneously up-regulate GPR91,which functions as an autocrine and paracrine sensor for extracellular succinate to enhance IL-1β production. GPR91-deficient mice lack this metabolic sensor and show reduced macrophage activation and production of IL-1β during antigen-induced arthritis. Succinate is abundant in synovial fluids from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients,and these fluids elicit IL-1β release from macrophages in a GPR91-dependent manner. Together,we reveal a GPR91/succinate-dependent feed-forward loop of macrophage activation and propose GPR91 antagonists as novel therapeutic principles to treat RA. View Publication

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate into all somatic lineages including stratified squamous epithelia. Thus,efficient methods are required to direct hESC differentiation to obtain a pure subpopulation for tissue engineering. The study aimed to assess the effects of retinoic acid (RA),bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4),and ascorbic acid (AA) on the differentiation of hESCs into keratinocyte progenitors in vitro. The first media contained AA and BMP4; the second contained RA,AA,and BMP4; the third was commercial-defined keratinocyte serum-free medium,which was used to differentiate H9 hESCs (direct approach) or embryoid bodies (EBs) (indirect approach) into keratinocyte progenitors. Real-time RT-PCR,immunofluorescence,and flow-cytometry were used to characterize the differentiated cells. Cells induced by AA + BMP4 + RA showed the typical epithelial morphology,while cells induced by AA + BMP4 showed multiple appearances. CK14 and p63 messenger RNA (mRNA) expressions in the AA + BMP4 + RA-treated cells were higher than those of the AA + BMP4-treated cells (CK14: 22.4-fold; p63: 84.7-fold). Epithelial marker CK18 mRNA expressions at 14 d of differentiation and keratinocyte marker CK14 and transcription factor p63 mRNA expressions at 35 d of differentiation were higher in cells differentiated from hESCs compared with those differentiated from EBs (CK18 10.51 ± 3.26 vs. 6.67 ± 1.28; CK14 9.27 ± 3.61 vs. 5.32 ± 1.86; p63 0.73 ± 0.06 vs. 0.44 ± 0.12,all P textless 0.05) After hESC induction by AA+BMP4+RA,CK14 mRNA expression was upregulated after day 21,peaking by 35 d of differentiation. Combined RA,BMP4,and AA could effectively induce differentiation of hESCs into keratinocyte progenitors in vitro. These keratinocytes could be used for oral mucosa and skin tissue engineering. View Publication

Inefficient neural differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) motivates recent investigation of the influence of biophysical characteristics of cellular microenvironment,in particular nanotopography,on hiPSC fate decision. However,the roles of geometry and dimensions of nanotopography in neural lineage commitment of hiPSCs have not been well understood. The objective of this study is to delineate the effects of geometry,feature size and height of nanotopography on neuronal differentiation of hiPSCs. HiPSCs were seeded on equally spaced nanogratings (500 and 1000nm in linewidth) and hexagonally arranged nanopillars (500nm in diameter),each having a height of 150 or 560nm,and induced for neuronal differentiation in concert with dual Smad inhibitors. The gratings of 560nm height reduced cell proliferation,enhanced cytoplasmic localization of Yes-associated protein,and promoted neuronal differentiation (up to 60% βIII-tubulin(+) cells) compared with the flat control. Nanograting-induced cell polarity and cytoplasmic YAP localization were shown to be critical to the induced neural differentiation of hiPSCs. The derived neuronal cells express MAP2,Tau,glutamate,GABA and Islet-1,indicating the existence of multiple neuronal subtypes. This study contributes to the delineation of cell-nanotopography interactions and provides the insights into the design of nanotopography configuration for pluripotent stem cell neural lineage commitment. View Publication