技术资料

Forced expression of selected transcription factors can transform somatic cells into embryonic stem cell (ESC)-like cells,termed induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). There is no consensus regarding the preferred tissue from which to harvest donor cells for reprogramming into iPSCs,and some donor cell types may be more prone than others to accumulation of epigenetic imprints and somatic cell mutations. Here,we present a simple,reproducible,noninvasive method for generating human iPSCs from renal tubular cells present in urine. This procedure eliminates many problems associated with other protocols,and the resulting iPSCs display an excellent ability to differentiate. These data suggest that urine may be a preferred source for generating iPSCs. View Publication

Differences in ex vivo cell culture conditions can drastically affect stem cell physiology. We sought to establish an assay for measuring the effects of chemical,environmental,and genetic manipulations on the precision of repair at a single DNA double-strand break (DSB) in pluripotent and somatic human cells. DSBs in mammalian cells are primarily repaired by either homologous recombination (HR) or nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ). For the most part,previous studies of DSB repair in human cells have utilized nonspecific clastogens like ionizing radiation,which are highly nonphysiologic,or assayed repair at randomly integrated reporters. Measuring repair after random integration is potentially confounded by locus-specific effects on the efficiency and precision of repair. We show that the frequency of HR at a single DSB differs up to 20-fold between otherwise isogenic human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) based on the site of the DSB within the genome. To overcome locus-specific effects on DSB repair,we used zinc finger nucleases to efficiently target a DSB repair reporter to a safe-harbor locus in hESCs and a panel of somatic human cell lines. We demonstrate that repair at a targeted DSB is highly precise in hESCs,compared to either the somatic human cells or murine embryonic stem cells. Differentiation of hESCs harboring the targeted reporter into astrocytes reduces both the efficiency and precision of repair. Thus,the phenotype of repair at a single DSB can differ based on either the site of damage within the genome or the stage of cellular differentiation. Our approach to single DSB analysis has broad utility for defining the effects of genetic and environmental modifications on repair precision in pluripotent cells and their differentiated progeny. View Publication

Human high-grade gliomas (hHGG) remain a therapeutic challenge in neuro-oncology despite current multimodality treatments. We recently demonstrated that murine embryonic stem cell (mESC)-derived astrocytes conditionally expressing proapoptotic genes can successfully be used to induce apoptosis and tumor shrinkage of hHGG tumor in vitro and in an in vivo mouse model. The first step in the translation of these results to the clinical settings,however,requires availability of human embryonic stem cells (hESC)- and/or induced pluripotent cell (hiPSC)-derived astrocytes engineered to express proapoptotic genes. The potential for directed differentiation of hESCs and hiPSCs to functional postmitotic astrocytes is not fully characterized. In this study,we show that once specified to neuro-epithelial lineage,hiPSC could be differentiated to astrocytes with a similar efficiency as hESC. However,our analyses of 2 hESC and 2 hiPSC cell lines showed some variability in differentiation potential into astrocytic lineages. Both the hESC- and hiPSC-derived astrocytes appeared to follow the functional properties of mESC-derived astrocytes,namely,migration and tropism for hHGG. This work provides evidence that hESC- and hiPSC-derived cells are able to generate functionally active astrocytes. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using iPSC-derived astrocytes,a new potential source for therapeutic use for brain tumors and other neurological diseases. View Publication

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are pivotal for regulation of hematopoiesis but their critical targets remain largely unknown. Here,we show that ectopic expression of miR-17,-20,-93 and -106,all AAAGUGC seed-containing miRNAs,increases proliferation,colony outgrowth and replating capacity of myeloid progenitors and results in enhanced P-ERK levels. We found that these miRNAs are endogenously and abundantly expressed in myeloid progenitors and down-regulated in mature neutrophils. Quantitative proteomics identified sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1),an ubiquitin-binding protein and regulator of autophagy-mediated protein degradation,as a major target for these miRNAs in myeloid progenitors. In addition,we found increased expression of Sqstm1 transcripts during CSF3-induced neutrophil differentiation of 32D-CSF3R cells and an inverse correlation of SQSTM1 protein levels and miR-106 expression in AML samples. ShRNA-mediated silencing of Sqstm1 phenocopied the effects of ectopic miR-17/20/93/106 expression in hematopoietic progenitors in vitro and in mice. Further,SQSTM1 binds to the ligand-activated colony-stimulating factor 3 receptor (CSF3R) mainly in the late endosomal compartment,but not in LC3 positive autophagosomes. SQSTM1 regulates CSF3R stability and ligand-induced mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling. We demonstrate that AAAGUGC seed-containing miRNAs promote cell expansion,replating capacity and signaling in hematopoietic cells by interference with SQSTM1-regulated pathways. View Publication

Pim kinases are Ser/Thr kinases with multiple substrates that affect survival pathways. These proteins are overexpressed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts and we hypothesized that Pim kinase inhibition would affect AML cell survival. Imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazine compound,SGI-1776 inhibits Pim-1,Pim-2 and Pim-3,and was evaluated in AML-cell line,-xenograft model,and -primary blasts. Treatment of AML cells with SGI-1776 results in a concentration-dependent induction of apoptosis and we investigated its effect on Pim kinase functions. Phosphorylation of traditional Pim kinase targets,c-Myc(Ser62) and 4E-BP1 (Thr36/Thr47),were both decreased in actively cycling AML cell lines MV-4-11,MOLM-13 and OCI-AML-3. Levels of antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2,Bcl-x(L),XIAP,and proapoptotic Bak and Bax were unchanged; however,a significant reduction in Mcl-1 was observed. This was correlated with inhibition of global RNA and protein synthesis and MCL-1 transcript decline after SGI-1776 treatment. These data suggest that SGI-1776 mechanism in AML involves Mcl-1 protein reduction. Consistent with cell line data,xenograft model studies with mice bearing MV-4-11 tumors showed efficacy with SGI-1776. Importantly,SGI-1776 was also cytotoxic in AML primary cells,irrespective of FLT3 mutation status and resulted in Mcl-1 protein decline. Pim kinase inhibition may be a new strategy for AML treatment. View Publication

The aorta-gonad-mesonephros region plays an important role in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) development during mouse embryogenesis. The vascular endothelial cadherin�?� CD45�?� (VE-cad�?�CD45�?�) population contains the major type of immature pre-HSCs capable of developing into long-term repopulating definitive HSCs. In this study,we developed a new coaggregation culture system,which supports maturation of a novel population of CD45-negative (VE-cad�?�CD45�?�CD41�?�) pre-HSCs into definitive HSCs. The appearance of these pre-HSCs precedes development of the VE-cad�?�CD45�?� pre-HSCs (termed here type I and type II pre-HSCs,respectively),thus establishing a hierarchical directionality in the developing HSC lineage. By labeling the luminal surface of the dorsal aorta,we show that both type I and type II pre-HSCs are distributed broadly within the endothelial and subendothelial aortic layers,in contrast to mature definitive HSCs which localize to the aortic endothelial layer. In agreement with expression of CD41 in pre-HSCs,in vivo CD41-Cre-mediated genetic tagging occurs in embryonic pre-HSCs and persists in all lymphomyeloid lineages of the adult animal. View Publication

A potential application of embryonic and inducible pluripotent stem cells for the therapy of degenerative diseases involves pure somatic cells,free of tumorigenic undifferentiated embryonic and inducible pluripotent stem cells. In complex collections of chemicals with pharmacological potential we expect to find molecules able to induce specific pluripotent stem cell death,which could be used in some cell therapy settings to eliminate undifferentiated cells. Therefore,we have screened a chemical library of 1120 small chemicals to identify compounds that induce specifically apoptotic cell death in undifferentiated mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs). Interestingly,three compounds currently used as clinically approved drugs,nortriptyline,benzethonium chloride and methylbenzethonium chloride,induced differential effects in cell viability in ESCs versus mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Nortriptyline induced apoptotic cell death in MEFs but not in ESCs,whereas benzethonium and methylbenzethonium chloride showed the opposite effect. Nortriptyline,a tricyclic antidepressant,has also been described as a potent inhibitor of mitochondrial permeability transition,one of two major mechanisms involved in mitochondrial membrane permeabilization during apoptosis. Benzethonium chloride and methylbenzethonium chloride are quaternary ammonium salts used as antimicrobial agents with broad spectrum and have also been described as anticancer agents. A similar effect of benzethonium chloride was observed in human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) when compared to both primary human skin fibroblasts and an established human fibroblast cell line. Human fibroblasts and hiPSCs were similarly resistant to nortriptyline,although with a different behavior. Our results indicate differential sensitivity of ESCs,hiPSCs and fibroblasts to certain chemical compounds,which might have important applications in the stem cell-based therapy by eliminating undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells from stem cell-derived somatic cells to prevent tumor formation after transplantation for therapy of degenerative diseases. View Publication

Somatic cell nuclear transfer,cell fusion,or expression of lineage-specific factors have been shown to induce cell-fate changes in diverse somatic cell types. We recently observed that forced expression of a combination of three transcription factors,Brn2 (also known as Pou3f2),Ascl1 and Myt1l,can efficiently convert mouse fibroblasts into functional induced neuronal (iN) cells. Here we show that the same three factors can generate functional neurons from human pluripotent stem cells as early as 6 days after transgene activation. When combined with the basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor NeuroD1,these factors could also convert fetal and postnatal human fibroblasts into iN cells showing typical neuronal morphologies and expressing multiple neuronal markers,even after downregulation of the exogenous transcription factors. Importantly,the vast majority of human iN cells were able to generate action potentials and many matured to receive synaptic contacts when co-cultured with primary mouse cortical neurons. Our data demonstrate that non-neural human somatic cells,as well as pluripotent stem cells,can be converted directly into neurons by lineage-determining transcription factors. These methods may facilitate robust generation of patient-specific human neurons for in vitro disease modelling or future applications in regenerative medicine. View Publication

RATIONALE: Cardiomyocytes generated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are suggested as the most promising candidate to replenish cardiomyocyte loss in regenerative medicine. Little is known about their calcium homeostasis,the key process underlying excitation-contraction coupling. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the calcium handling properties of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and compared with those from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). METHODS AND RESULTS: We differentiated cardiomyocytes from hiPSCs (IMR90 and KS1) and hESCs (H7 and HES3) with established protocols. Beating outgrowths from embryoid bodies were typically observed 2 weeks after induction. Cells in these outgrowths were stained positively for tropomyosin and sarcomeric alpha-actinin. Reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction studies demonstrated the expressions of cardiac-specific markers in both hiPSC- and hESC-derived cardiomyocytes. Calcium handling properties of 20-day-old hiPSC- and hESC-derived cardiomyocytes were investigated using fluorescence confocal microscopy. Compared with hESC-derived cardiomyocytes,spontaneous calcium transients from both lines of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes were of significantly smaller amplitude and with slower maximal upstroke velocity. Better caffeine-induced calcium handling kinetics in hESC-CMs indicates a higher sacroplasmic recticulum calcium store. Furthermore,in contrast with hESC-derived cardiomyocytes,ryanodine did not reduce the amplitudes,maximal upstroke and decay velocity of calcium transients of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. In addition,spatial inhomogeneity in temporal properties of calcium transients across the width of cardiomyocytes was more pronounced in hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes than their hESC counterpart as revealed line-scan calcium imaging. Expressions of the key calcium-handling proteins including ryanodine recptor-2 (RyR2),sacroplasmic recticulum calcium-ATPase (SERCA),junction (Jun) and triadin (TRDN),were significantly lower in hiPSC than in hESCs. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate the calcium handling properties of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes are relatively immature to hESC counterparts. View Publication

The use of small molecules to 'chemically direct' differentiation represents a powerful approach to promote specification of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) towards particular functional cell types for use in regenerative medicine and pharmaceutical applications. Here,we demonstrate a novel route for chemically directed differentiation of human ESCs (hESCs) into definitive endoderm (DE) exploiting a selective small-molecule inhibitor of glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3). This GSK-3 inhibitor,termed 1m,when used as the only supplement to a chemically defined feeder-free culture system,effectively promoted differentiation of ESC lines towards primitive streak (PS),mesoderm and DE. This contrasts with the role of GSK-3 in murine ESCs,where GSK-3 inhibition promotes pluripotency. Interestingly,1m-mediated induction of differentiation involved transient NODAL expression and Nodal signalling. Prolonged treatment of hESCs with 1m resulted in the generation of a population of cells displaying hepatoblast characteristics,that is expressing α-fetoprotein and HNF4α. Furthermore,1m-induced DE had the capacity to mature and generate hepatocyte-like cells capable of producing albumin. These findings describe,for the first time,the utility of GSK-3 inhibition,in a chemically directed approach,to a method of DE generation that is robust,potentially scalable and applicable to different hESC lines. View Publication

Human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs),encompassing embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells,proliferate extensively and differentiate into virtually any desired cell type. PSCs endow regenerative medicine with an unlimited source of replacement cells suitable for human therapy. Several hurdles must be carefully addressed in PSC research before these theoretical possibilities are translated into clinical applications. These obstacles are: (1) cell proliferation; (2) cell differentiation; (3) genetic integrity; (4) allogenicity; and (5) ethical issues. We discuss these issues and underline the fact that the answers to these questions lie in a better understanding of the biology of PSCs. To contribute to this aim,we have developed a free online expression atlas,Amazonia!,that displays for each human gene a virtual northern blot for PSC samples and adult tissues (http://www.amazonia.transcriptome.eu). View Publication

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) offer tremendous potential for not only treating neurological disorders but also for their ability to serve as vital reagents to model and investigate human disease. To further our understanding of a key protein involved in Alzheimer disease pathogenesis,we stably overexpressed amyloid precursor protein (APP) in hESCs. Remarkably,we found that APP overexpression in hESCs caused a rapid and robust differentiation of pluripotent stem cells toward a neural fate. Despite maintenance in standard hESC media,up to 80% of cells expressed the neural stem cell marker nestin,and 65% exhibited the more mature neural marker β-3 tubulin within just 5 days of passaging. To elucidate the mechanism underlying the effects of APP on neural differentiation,we examined the proteolysis of APP and performed both gain of function and loss of function experiments. Taken together,our results demonstrate that the N-terminal secreted soluble forms of APP (in particular sAPPβ) robustly drive neural differentiation of hESCs. Our findings not only reveal a novel and intriguing role for APP in neural lineage commitment but also identify a straightforward and rapid approach to generate large numbers of neurons from human embryonic stem cells. These novel APP-hESC lines represent a valuable tool to investigate the potential role of APP in development and neurodegeneration and allow for insights into physiological functions of this protein. View Publication