技术资料

Molecular mechanisms of how energy metabolism affects embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency remain unclear. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK),a key regulator for controlling energy metabolism,is activated in response to ATP-exhausting stress. We investigated whether cellular energy homeostasis is associated with maintenance of self-renewal and pluripotency in mouse ESCs (mESCs) by using 5-aminoimidazole-4-carboxyamide ribonucleoside (AICAR) as an activator of AMPK. We demonstrate that AICAR treatment activates the p53/p21 pathway and markedly inhibits proliferation of R1 mESCs by inducing G(1) /S-phase cell cycle arrest,without influencing apoptosis. Treatment with AICAR also significantly reduces pluripotent stem cell markers,Nanog and stage-specific embryonic antigen-1,in the presence of leukemia inhibitory factor,without affecting expression of Oct4. H9 human ESCs also responded to AICAR with induction of p53 activation and repression of Nanog expression. AICAR reduced Nanog mRNA levels in mESCs transiently,an effect not due to expression of miR-134 which can suppress Nanog expression. AICAR induced Nanog degradation,an effect inhibited by MG132,a proteasome inhibitor. Although AICAR reduced embryoid body formation from mESCs,it increased expression levels of erythroid cell lineage markers (Ter119,GATA1,Klf1,Hbb-b,and Hbb-bh1). Although erythroid differentiation was enhanced by AICAR,endothelial lineage populations were remarkably reduced in AICAR-treated cells. Our results suggest that energy metabolism regulated by AMPK activity may control the balance of self-renewal and differentiation of ESCs. View Publication

The accurate measurement of biologically active erythropoietin (Ep) in human serum and plasma using present in vivo and in vitro bioassays is difficult because of the presence of both inhibitors and non-Ep stimulators of erythropoiesis. We have developed a simple procedure to quantitatively purify Ep from serum and plasma for subsequent testing in the phenylhydrazine-treated mouse spleen cell assay. The method involves absorption of Ep to an immobilized high-affinity anti-Ep monoclonal antibody and acid elution of the antibody-bound material. After neutralization,the eluted EP is then tested directly in the in vitro bioassay without interference by other serum proteins. By using magnetic beads as a solid support for the antibody,washing and elution steps can be performed rapidly and efficiently. Recoveries of Ep after this procedure show very little sample-to-sample variation and are consistently between 45% and 55%,which is close to the maximum binding expected for the anti-Ep antibody. Coupled with the 7.4-fold concentration that this procedure affords,there is an overall increase in sensitivity of three- to fourfold,which makes this assay suitable for accurately measuring Ep levels in patients with below-average titers. Results with this magnetic bead assay indicate that accurate and reproducible estimates for Ep levels in the serum and plasma from healthy donors as well as from patients with hematologic disorders can be obtained. Titers of biologically active Ep in the sera from a group of patients with either leukemia or lymphoma were found to be elevated,and the values correlated well with titers of immunoreactive Ep measured in the Ep radioimmunoassay. Because of its specificity and high sensitivity,the magnetic bead assay is a valuable alternative to immunoassays for the measurement of elevated,normal,and even subnormal Ep levels in human serum and plasma. View Publication

The current gold standard for the culture of human pluripotent stem cells requires the use of a feeder layer of cells. Here,we develop a spatially defined culture system based on UV/ozone radiation modification of typical cell culture plastics to define a favorable surface environment for human pluripotent stem cell culture. Chemical and geometrical optimization of the surfaces enables control of early cell aggregation from fully dissociated cells,as predicted from a numerical model of cell migration,and results in significant increases in cell growth of undifferentiated cells. These chemically defined xeno-free substrates generate more than three times the number of cells than feeder-containing substrates per surface area. Further,reprogramming and typical gene-targeting protocols can be readily performed on these engineered surfaces. These substrates provide an attractive cell culture platform for the production of clinically relevant factor-free reprogrammed cells from patient tissue samples and facilitate the definition of standardized scale-up friendly methods for disease modeling and cell therapeutic applications. View Publication

Metabolism is vital to every aspect of cell function,yet the metabolome of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) remains largely unexplored. Here we report,using an untargeted metabolomics approach,that human iPSCs share a pluripotent metabolomic signature with embryonic stem cells (ESCs) that is distinct from their parental cells,and that is characterized by changes in metabolites involved in cellular respiration. Examination of cellular bioenergetics corroborated with our metabolomic analysis,and demonstrated that somatic cells convert from an oxidative state to a glycolytic state in pluripotency. Interestingly,the bioenergetics of various somatic cells correlated with their reprogramming efficiencies. We further identified metabolites that differ between iPSCs and ESCs,which revealed novel metabolic pathways that play a critical role in regulating somatic cell reprogramming. Our findings are the first to globally analyze the metabolome of iPSCs,and provide mechanistic insight into a new layer of regulation involved in inducing pluripotency,and in evaluating iPSC and ESC equivalence. View Publication

Stem-like cells have been isolated in tumors such as breast,lung,colon,prostate and brain. A critical issue in all these tumors,especially in glioblastoma mutliforme (GBM),is to identify and isolate tumor initiating cell population(s) to investigate their role in tumor formation,progression,and recurrence. Understanding tumor initiating cell populations will provide clues to finding effective therapeutic approaches for these tumors. The neurosphere assay (NSA) due to its simplicity and reproducibility has been used as the method of choice for isolation and propagation of many of this tumor cells. This protocol demonstrates the neurosphere culture method to isolate and expand stem-like cells in surgically resected human GBM tumor tissue. The procedures include an initial chemical digestion and mechanical dissociation of tumor tissue,and subsequently plating the resulting single cell suspension in NSA culture. After 7-10 days,primary neurospheres of 150-200 μm in diameter can be observed and are ready for further passaging and expansion. View Publication

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent cell types derived from the inner cell mass of human blastocysts. Recent data indicate that the majority of established female XX hESC lines have undergone X chromosome inactivation (XCI) prior to differentiation,and XCI of hESCs can be either XIST-dependent (class II) or XIST-independent (class III). XCI of female hESCs precludes the use of XX hESCs as a cell-based model for examining mechanisms of XCI,and will be a challenge for studying X-linked diseases unless strategies are developed to reactivate the inactive X. In order to recover nuclei with two active X chromosomes (class I),we developed a reprogramming strategy by supplementing hESC media with the small molecules sodium butyrate and 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep). Our data demonstrate that successful reprogramming can occur from the XIST-dependent class II nuclear state but not class III nuclear state. To determine whether these small molecules prevent XCI,we derived six new hESC lines under normoxic conditions (UCLA1-UCLA6). We show that class I nuclei are present within the first 20 passages of hESC derivation prior to cryopreservation,and that supplementation with either sodium butyrate or DZNep preserve class I nuclei in the self-renewing state. Together,our data demonstrate that self-renewal and survival of class I nuclei are compatible with normoxic hESC derivation,and that chemical supplementation after derivation provides a strategy to prevent epigenetic progression and retain nuclei with two active X chromosomes in the self-renewing state. View Publication

The use of nanoparticles in medicine is ever increasing,and it is important to understand their targeted and non-targeted effects. We have previously shown that nanoparticles can cause DNA damage to cells cultured below a cellular barrier without crossing this barrier. Here,we show that this indirect DNA damage depends on the thickness of the cellular barrier,and it is mediated by signalling through gap junction proteins following the generation of mitochondrial free radicals. Indirect damage was seen across both trophoblast and corneal barriers. Signalling,including cytokine release,occurred only across bilayer and multilayer barriers,but not across monolayer barriers. Indirect toxicity was also observed in mice and using ex vivo explants of the human placenta. If the importance of barrier thickness in signalling is a general feature for all types of barriers,our results may offer a principle with which to limit the adverse effects of nanoparticle exposure and offer new therapeutic approaches. View Publication

Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cells have potential uses for drug discovery and cell therapy,including generation of pancreatic β-cells for diabetes research and treatment. In this study,we developed a simple protocol for generating insulin-producing cells from hiPS cells. Treatment with activin A and a GSK3β inhibitor enhanced efficient endodermal differentiation,and then combined treatment with retinoic acid,a bone morphogenic protein inhibitor,and a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) inhibitor induced efficient differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells from definitive endoderm. Expression of the pancreatic progenitor markers PDX1 and NGN3 was significantly increased at this step and most cells were positive for anti-PDX1 antibody. Moreover,several compounds,including forskolin,dexamethasone,and a TGF-β inhibitor,were found to induce the differentiation of insulin-producing cells from pancreatic progenitor cells. By combined treatment with these compounds,more than 10% of the cells became insulin positive. The differentiated cells secreted human c-peptide in response to various insulin secretagogues. In addition,all five hiPS cell lines that we examined showed efficient differentiation into insulin-producing cells with this protocol. View Publication

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To gain insight into the molecular regulation of human heart development,a detailed comparison of the mRNA and miRNA transcriptomes across differentiating human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes and biopsies from fetal,adult,and hypertensive human hearts was performed. Gene ontology analysis of the mRNA expression levels of the hiPSCs differentiating into cardiomyocytes revealed 3 distinct groups of genes: pluripotent specific,transitional cardiac specification,and mature cardiomyocyte specific. Hierarchical clustering of the mRNA data revealed that the transcriptome of hiPSC cardiomyocytes largely stabilizes 20 days after initiation of differentiation. Nevertheless,analysis of cells continuously cultured for 120 days indicated that the cardiomyocytes continued to mature toward a more adult-like gene expression pattern. Analysis of cardiomyocyte-specific miRNAs (miR-1,miR-133a/b,and miR-208a/b) revealed an miRNA pattern indicative of stem cell to cardiomyocyte specification. A biostatistitical approach integrated the miRNA and mRNA expression profiles revealing a cardiomyocyte differentiation miRNA network and identified putative mRNAs targeted by multiple miRNAs. Together,these data reveal the miRNA network in human heart development and support the notion that overlapping miRNA networks re-enforce transcriptional control during developmental specification. View Publication

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The recent development of porcine induced pluripotent stem cells (piPSCs) capable of generating chimeric animals,a feat not previously accomplished with embryonic stem cells or iPSCs in a species outside of rodents,has opened the doors for in-depth study of iPSC tumorigenicity,autologous transplantation,and other key aspects to safely move iPSC therapies to the clinic. The study of iPSC tumorigenicity is critical as previous research in the mouse showed that iPSC-derived chimeras possessed large numbers of tumors,rising significant concerns about the safety of iPSC therapies. Additionally,piPSCs capable of generating germline chimeras could revolutionize the transgenic animal field by enabling complex genetic manipulations (e.g.,knockout or knockin of genes) to produce biomedically important large animal models or improve livestock production. In this study,we demonstrate for the first time in a nonrodent species germline transmission of iPSCs with the live birth of a transgenic piglet that possessed genome integration of the human POU5F1 and NANOG genes. In addition,gross and histological examination of necropsied porcine chimeras at 2,7,and 9 months showed that these animals lacked tumor formation and demonstrated normal development. Tissue samples positive for human POU5F1 DNA showed no C-MYC gene expression,further implicating C-MYC as a cause of tumorigenicity. The development of germline-competent porcine iPSCs that do not produce tumors in young chimeric animals presents an attractive and powerful translational model to study the efficacy and safety of stem cell therapies and perhaps to efficiently produce complex transgenic animals. View Publication