技术资料

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a chronic metabolic disorder resulting from defects in both insulin secretion and insulin activity. The deficit and dysfunction of insulin secreting $\$-cells are signature symptoms of T2D. Additionally,in pancreatic $\$-cells,a small group of genes that are abundantly expressed in most other tissues is highly selectively repressed. Monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT1) is one of these genes. In this study,we identified an MCT1-suppressing microRNA (hsa-miR-495) and used this microRNA together with human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derived pancreatic endoderm (PE) cells transplanted into a high-fat diet induced T2D mouse model. Glucose metabolism significantly improved and other symptoms of T2D were attenuated after the procedure. Our findings support the potential for T2D treatment using the combination of microRNA and hESC differentiated PE cells. View Publication

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) has been detected in human serum,semen,placenta,cord blood and milk worldwide. However,little is known regarding the potential effects on the early human embryonic development of BDE-209. In this study,human embryonic stem cell lines FY-hES-10 and FY-hES-26 were used to evaluate the potential effects and explore the toxification mechanisms using low-level BDE-209 exposure. Our data showed that BDE-209 exposure (1,10 and 100 nM) reduced the expression of pluripotent genes such as OCT4,SOX2 and NANOG and induced human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) apoptosis. The downregulation of BIRC5/BCL2 and upregulation of BAX were related to apoptosis of hESCs induced by BDE-209 exposure. A mechanism study showed that OCT4 down-regulation accompanied by OCT4 promoter hypermethylation and increasing miR-145/miR-335 levels,OCT4 inhibitors. Moreover,BDE-209 could increase the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decrease SOD2 expression. The ROS increase and OCT4 downregulation after BDE-209 exposure could be reversed partly by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine supplement. These findings showed that BDE-209 exposure could decrease pluripotent genes expression via epigenetic regulation and induce apoptosis through ROS generation in human embryonic stem cells in vitro. View Publication

Pluripotent stem cell (PSC) usage in heart regenerative medicine requires producing enriched cardiomyocytes (CMs) with mature phenotypes in a defined medium. However,current methods are typically performed in 2D environments that produce immature CMs. Here we report a simple,growth factor-free 3D culture system to rapidly and efficiently generate 85.07 ± 1.8% of spontaneously contractile cardiac spheres (scCDSs) using 3D-cultured human and monkey PSC-spheres. Along with small molecule-based 3D induction,this protocol produces CDSs of up to 95.7% CMs at a yield of up to 237 CMs for every input pluripotent cell,is effective for human and monkey PSCs,and maintains 81.03 ± 12.43% of CDSs in spontaneous contractibility for over three months. These CDSs displayed CM ultrastructure,calcium transient,appropriate pharmacological responses and CM gene expression profiles specific for maturity. Furthermore,3D-derived CMs displayed more mature phenotypes than those from a parallel 2D-culture. The system is compatible to large-scaly produce CMs for disease study,cell therapy and pharmaceutics screening. View Publication

In the CNS,oligodendrocytes act as the myelinating cells. Oligodendrocytes have been identified to be key players in several neurodegenerative disorders. This protocol describes a robust,fast and reproducible differentiation protocol to generate human oligodendrocytes from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) using a chemically defined,growth factor-rich medium. Within 8 d,PSCs differentiate into paired box 6-positive (PAX6(+)) neural stem cells,which give rise to OLIG2(+) progenitors by day 12. Oligodendrocyte lineage transcription factor 2-positive (OLIG2(+)) cells begin to express the transcription factor NKX2.2 around day 18,followed by SRY-box 10 (SOX10) around day 40. Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) that are positive for the cell surface antigen recognized by the O4 antibody (O4(+)) appear around day 50 and reach,on average,43% of the cell population after 75 d of differentiation. O4(+) OPCs can be isolated by cell sorting for myelination studies,or they can be terminally differentiated to myelin basic protein-positive (MBP(+)) oligodendrocytes. This protocol also describes an alternative strategy for markedly reducing the length and the costs of the differentiation and generating ∼30% O4(+) cells after only 55 d of culture. View Publication

Monomeric clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-CRISPR associated 9 (Cas9) nucleases have been widely adopted for simple and robust targeted genome editing but also have the potential to induce high-frequency off-target mutations. In principle,two orthogonal strategies for reducing off-target cleavage,truncated guide RNAs (tru-gRNAs) and dimerization-dependent RNA-guided FokI-dCas9 nucleases (RFNs),could be combined as tru-RFNs to further improve genome editing specificity. Here we identify a robust tru-RFN architecture that shows high activity in human cancer cell lines and embryonic stem cells. Additionally,we demonstrate that tru-gRNAs reduce the undesirable mutagenic effects of monomeric FokI-dCas9. Tru-RFNs combine the advantages of two orthogonal strategies for improving the specificity of CRISPR-Cas nucleases and therefore provide a highly specific platform for performing genome editing. View Publication

Unintended exposure to teratogenic compounds can lead to various birth defects; however current animal-based testing is limited by time,cost and high inter-species variability. Here,we developed a human-relevant in vitro model,which recapitulated two cellular events characteristic of embryogenesis,to identify potentially teratogenic compounds. We spatially directed mesoendoderm differentiation,epithelial-mesenchymal transition and the ensuing cell migration in micropatterned human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) colonies to collectively form an annular mesoendoderm pattern. Teratogens could disrupt the two cellular processes to alter the morphology of the mesoendoderm pattern. Image processing and statistical algorithms were developed to quantify and classify the compounds' teratogenic potential. We not only could measure dose-dependent effects but also correctly classify species-specific drug (Thalidomide) and false negative drug (D-penicillamine) in the conventional mouse embryonic stem cell test. This model offers a scalable screening platform to mitigate the risks of teratogen exposures in human. View Publication

Blood flow promotes emergence of definitive hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in the developing embryo,yet the signals generated by hemodynamic forces that influence hematopoietic potential remain poorly defined. Here we show that fluid shear stress endows long-term multilineage engraftment potential upon early hematopoietic tissues at embryonic day 9.5,an embryonic stage not previously described to harbor HSCs. Effects on hematopoiesis are mediated in part by a cascade downstream of wall shear stress that involves calcium efflux and stimulation of the prostaglandin E2 (PGE2)-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP)-protein kinase A (PKA) signaling axis. Blockade of the PGE2-cAMP-PKA pathway in the aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) abolished enhancement in hematopoietic activity. Furthermore,Ncx1 heartbeat mutants,as well as static cultures of AGM,exhibit lower levels of expression of prostaglandin synthases and reduced phosphorylation of the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB). Similar to flow-exposed cultures,transient treatment of AGM with the synthetic analogue 16,16-dimethyl-PGE2 stimulates more robust engraftment of adult recipients and greater lymphoid reconstitution. These data provide one mechanism by which biomechanical forces induced by blood flow modulate hematopoietic potential. View Publication

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are essential for maintaining self-renewal in human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Recombinant basic FGF (bFGF or FGF2) is conventionally used to culture pluripotent stem cells; however,because of the instability of bFGF,repeated addition of fresh bFGF into the culture medium is required in order to maintain its concentration. In this study,we demonstrate that a heat-stable chimeric variant of FGF,termed FGFC,can be successfully used for maintaining human pluripotent stem cells. FGFC is a chimeric protein composed of human FGF1 and FGF2 domains that exhibits higher thermal stability and protease resistance than do both FGF1 and FGF2. Both human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells were maintained in ordinary culture medium containing FGFC instead of FGF2. Comparison of cells grown in FGFC with those grown in conventional FGF2 media showed no significant differences in terms of the expression of pluripotency markers,global gene expression,karyotype,or differentiation potential in the three germ lineages. We therefore propose that FGFC may be an effective alternative to FGF2,for maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells. View Publication

The incidence of cardiovascular disease represents a significant and growing health-care challenge to the developed and developing world. The ability of native heart muscle to regenerate in response to myocardial infarct is minimal. Tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches represent one promising response to this difficulty. Here,we present methods for the construction of a cell-seeded cardiac patch with the potential to promote regenerative outcomes in heart muscle with damage secondary to myocardial infarct. This method leverages iPS cells and a fibrin-based scaffold to create a simple and commercially viable tissue-engineered cardiac patch. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can,in principle,be differentiated into cells of any lineage. However,most of the protocols used to generate hiPSC-derived endothelial cells (ECs) and cardiomyocytes (CMs) are unsatisfactory because the yield and phenotypic stability of the hiPSC-ECs are low,and the hiPSC-CMs are often purified via selection for expression of a promoter-reporter construct. In this chapter,we describe an hiPSC-EC differentiation protocol that generates large numbers of stable ECs and an hiPSC-CM differentiation protocol that does not require genetic manipulation,single-cell selection,or sorting with fluorescent dyes or other reagents. We also provide a simple but effective method that can be used to combine hiPSC-ECs and hiPSC-CMs with hiPSC-derived smooth muscle cells to engineer a contracting patch of cardiac cells. View Publication

Differentiation of pluripotent stem cells into cells of the definitive endoderm requires an in vitro gastrulation event. Differentiated somatic cells derived from this germ layer may then be used for cell replacement therapies of degenerative diseases of the liver,lung,and pancreas. Here we describe an endoderm differentiation protocol,which initiates the differentiation from a defined cell number of dispersed single cells and reliably yields in textgreater70-80 % endoderm-committed cells in a short 5-day treatment regimen. View Publication

The process of X chromosome inactivation (XCI) during reprogramming to produce human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs),as well as during the extensive programming that occurs in human preimplantation development,is not well-understood. Indeed,studies of XCI during reprogramming to iPSCs report cells with two active X chromosomes and/or cells with one inactive X chromosome. Here,we examine expression of the long noncoding RNA,XIST,in single cells of human embryos through the oocyte-to-embryo transition and in new mRNA reprogrammed iPSCs. We show that XIST is first expressed beginning at the 4-cell stage,coincident with the onset of embryonic genome activation in an asynchronous manner. Additionally,we report that mRNA reprogramming produces iPSCs that initially express XIST transcript; however,expression is rapidly lost with culture. Loss of XIST and H3K27me3 enrichment at the inactive X chromosome at late passage results in X chromosome expression changes. Our data may contribute to applications in disease modeling and potential translational applications of female stem cells. View Publication

Loss of pluripotency is a gradual event whose initiating factors are largely unknown. Here we report the earliest metabolic changes induced during the first hours of differentiation. High-resolution NMR identified 44 metabolites and a distinct metabolic transition occurring during early differentiation. Metabolic and transcriptional analyses showed that pluripotent cells produced acetyl-CoA through glycolysis and rapidly lost this function during differentiation. Importantly,modulation of glycolysis blocked histone deacetylation and differentiation in human and mouse embryonic stem cells. Acetate,a precursor of acetyl-CoA,delayed differentiation and blocked early histone deacetylation in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibitors upstream of acetyl-CoA caused differentiation of pluripotent cells,while those downstream delayed differentiation. Our results show a metabolic switch causing a loss of histone acetylation and pluripotent state during the first hours of differentiation. Our data highlight the important role metabolism plays in pluripotency and suggest that a glycolytic switch controlling histone acetylation can release stem cells from pluripotency. View Publication