技术资料

Enumeration of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) numbers through single cell digestion can be time consuming especially in high-throughput or multi-factorial analysis containing 50+ samples. We have developed a reproducible,cost-effective method of counting hESCs in clumps circumventing the need to manually dissociate each sample to single cells. The method is based on the DNA binding capacity of propidium iodide (PI) and subsequent fluorescent signal detection. Standard curves generated for cell numbers versus PI fluorescence as single cells or clumps showed an almost identical relationship in the lines of best fit. The reproducibility of the assay was first demonstrated by seeding hESC clumps at specific cell densities ranging 0.05[x02013]2x105 cells/well and then secondly by using the assay to count cell numbers after different growth conditions. Validation tests showed that consistent seeding densities are important in maintaining undifferentiated hESC culture and that the assay can be used to estimate relative cell numbers and growth curves with high accuracy. View Publication

The conventional method of culturing human embryonic stem cells (hESC) is on two-dimensional (2D) surfaces,which is not amenable for scale up to therapeutic quantities in bioreactors. We have developed a facile and robust method for maintaining undifferentiated hESC in three-dimensional (3D) suspension cultures on matrigel-coated microcarriers achieving 2- to 4-fold higher cell densities than those in 2D colony cultures. Stable,continuous propagation of two hESC lines on microcarriers has been demonstrated in conditioned media for 6 months. Microcarrier cultures (MC) were also demonstrated in two serum-free defined media (StemPro and mTeSR1). MC achieved even higher cell concentrations in suspension spinner flasks,thus opening the prospect of propagation in controlled bioreactors. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. View Publication

Here,we show that as human embryonic stem cells (ESCs) exit the pluripotent state,NANOG can play a key role in determining lineage outcome. It has previously been reported that BMPs induce differentiation of human ESCs into extraembryonic lineages. Here,we find that FGF2,acting through the MEK-ERK pathway,switches BMP4-induced human ESC differentiation outcome to mesendoderm,characterized by the uniform expression of T (brachyury) and other primitive streak markers. We also find that MEK-ERK signaling prolongs NANOG expression during BMP-induced differentiation,that forced NANOG expression results in FGF-independent BMP4 induction of mesendoderm,and that knockdown of NANOG greatly reduces T induction. Together,our results demonstrate that FGF2 signaling switches the outcome of BMP4-induced differentiation of human ESCs by maintaining NANOG levels through the MEK-ERK pathway. View Publication

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare and fatal human premature ageing disease,characterized by premature arteriosclerosis and degeneration of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). HGPS is caused by a single point mutation in the lamin A (LMNA) gene,resulting in the generation of progerin,a truncated splicing mutant of lamin A. Accumulation of progerin leads to various ageing-associated nuclear defects including disorganization of nuclear lamina and loss of heterochromatin. Here we report the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from fibroblasts obtained from patients with HGPS. HGPS-iPSCs show absence of progerin,and more importantly,lack the nuclear envelope and epigenetic alterations normally associated with premature ageing. Upon differentiation of HGPS-iPSCs,progerin and its ageing-associated phenotypic consequences are restored. Specifically,directed differentiation of HGPS-iPSCs to SMCs leads to the appearance of premature senescence phenotypes associated with vascular ageing. Additionally,our studies identify DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNAPKcs,also known as PRKDC) as a downstream target of progerin. The absence of nuclear DNAPK holoenzyme correlates with premature as well as physiological ageing. Because progerin also accumulates during physiological ageing,our results provide an in vitro iPSC-based model to study the pathogenesis of human premature and physiological vascular ageing. View Publication