ABSTRACT: Differentiation of human amniotic fluid kidney progenitor cells into podocytes and comparison with human conditionally immortalized podocytes
Project description:Differentiation of human amniotic fluid kidney progenitor cells into podocytes and comparison with human conditionally immortalized podocytes
Project description:In this work, we isolated and characterized a novel cell population derived from human amniotic fluid cells (hAKPC-P), and we differentiated them into podocytes. We used microarrays to study global changes in gene expression before and after differentiation in hAKPC-P and human immortalized podocytes (hIPod, positive control) and performed a detailed comparison between the different populations hAKPC-P were isolated by FACS sorting from the total human amniotic fluid cell population and differentiated into podocytes using VRADD media. Morphological, phenotypical and functional analysis were performed to assess their differentiation. To confirm the results, cells were compared with human conditionally immortalized podocytes.
Project description:In this work, we isolated and characterized a novel cell population derived from human amniotic fluid cells (hAKPC-P), and we differentiated them into podocytes. We used microarrays to study global changes in gene expression before and after differentiation in hAKPC-P and human immortalized podocytes (hIPod, positive control) and performed a detailed comparison between the different populations
Project description:There is increasing evidence that breast and other cancers originate from and are maintained by a small fraction of stem/progenitor cells with self-renewal properties. Whether such cancer stem/progenitor cells originate from normal stem cells based on initiation of a de novo stem cell program, by reprogramming of a more differentiated cell type by oncogenic insults or both remains unresolved. A major hurdle in addressing these issues is lack of immortal human stem/progenitor cells that can be deliberately manipulated in vitro. We present evidence that normal and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)-immortalized human mammary epithelial cells (hMECs) isolated and maintained in DFCI-1 medium retain a fraction with progenitor cell properties. These cells co-express basal, luminal and stem/progenitor cell markers. Clonal derivatives of progenitors co-expressing these markers fall into two distinct types: K5+/K19- (Type I) and K5+/K19+ (Type II). We show that both types of progenitor cells have self-renewal and differentiation ability. Through microarray analysis, we want to identify genes and pathways linked to human mammary epithelial stem/progenitor cell self-renewal and differentiation. Normal human mammary epithelial cells (hMECs) were isolated from Reduction Mammoplasty and immortalized by hTERT. Type I K5+/K19- and Type II K5+/K19+ cell colonies were isolated from hTERT-immortalized hMECs and cultured in MEGM medium for self-renewal and differentiation. Total RNA isolated from Type I, Type II, and differentiated Myoepithelial (Myo) cells were used on Affymetrix microarrays.
Project description:Podocytes play an important filtration role in the kidney. We examined culture condition for efficient podocyte induction and established a method to selectively induce podocytes from human iPS cells. To understand how expression profiles of human iPS cell-derived podocytes were close to that in vivo, we isolated human adult podocytes for human adult kidney. Purified RNAs from human iPS cells, nephron progenitor cells, human immortalized podocyte cell line, human iPS cell-derived podocytes, and sorted human adult podocytes were analyzed by RNA-seq.
Project description:Metabolism is vital to cellular function and tissue homeostasis during human lung development. In utero, embryonic pluripotent stem cells undergo endodermal differentiation towards a lung progenitor cell fate that can be mimicked in vitro using induced human pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to study genetic mutations. To identify differences between wild type and surfactant protein B (SFTPB)-deficient cell lines during endoderm specification towards lung, we used an untargeted metabolomics approach to evaluate the developmental changes in metabolites. We found that the metabolites most enriched during the differentiation from pluripotent stem cell to lung progenitor cell, regardless of cell line, were sphingomyelins and phosphatidylcholines, two important lipid classes in fetal lung development. The SFTPB mutation had no metabolic impact on early endodermal lung development. The identified metabolite signatures during lung progenitor cell differentiation may be utilized as biomarkers for normal embryonic lung development.
Project description:There is increasing evidence that breast and other cancers originate from and are maintained by a small fraction of stem/progenitor cells with self-renewal properties. Whether such cancer stem/progenitor cells originate from normal stem cells based on initiation of a de novo stem cell program, by reprogramming of a more differentiated cell type by oncogenic insults or both remains unresolved. A major hurdle in addressing these issues is lack of immortal human stem/progenitor cells that can be deliberately manipulated in vitro. Here we discribe Myoepithelial Progenitor Cells (MPCs) that show properties of EMT and claudin low subtype of breast cancers. Through microarray analysis, we have found that these K5-/K19- cells show similar gene expression pattens of the claudin-low subtype of breast cancer. Normal human mammary epithelial cells (hMECs) were isolated from Reduction Mammoplasty and immortalized by human telomerase (hTERT). Type III- K5-/K19- cell colonies were isolated from K5+/K19- immortalized hMECs and cultured in MEGM medium for self-renewal and differentiation. Total RNA isolated from Type III cells were used on Affymetrix microarray.
Project description:Forkhead transcription factors are essential for diverse processes in early embryonic development and organogenesis. Foxd1 is required during kidney development and its inactivation results in failure of nephron progenitor cell differentiation. Foxd1 is expressed in interstitial cells adjacent to nephron progenitor cells, suggesting an essential role for the progenitor cell niche in nephrogenesis. To better understand how cortical interstitial cells in general, and FOXD1 in particular, influence the progenitor cell niche, we examined the differentiation states of two progenitor cell subtypes in Foxd1-/- tissue. We found that while nephron progenitor cells are retained in a primitive CITED1-expressing compartment, cortical interstitial cells prematurely differentiate. To identify pathways regulated by FOXD1, we used microarray analysis and screened for target genes by comparison of Foxd1 null and wild type tissues. We chose the E14.5 timepoint because at this stage nephron differentiation is present in wild type kidneys but absent from Foxd1 null kidneys. We examined genes that were upregulated or downregulated in the Foxd1 null compared to wild type. Embryonic kidneys were harvested from Foxd1-/- and wild type littermates from three E14.5 litters. Three biological replicates were generated per genotype, each containing two non-littermate kidney pairs. Sex of embryos was not determined.
Project description:The specialized glomerular epithelial cell (podocyte) of the kidney is a complex cell that is often damaged in glomerular diseases. Study of this cell type is facilitated by an in vitro system of propagation of conditionally immortalized podocytes. Here, genes that are differentially expressed in this in vitro model of podocyte differentiation are evaluated. Conditionally immortalized undifferentiated mouse podocytes were cultured under permissive conditions at 33*C. Podocytes that were differentiated at the non-permissive conditions at 37*C were used for comparison.