Stage-specific regulation of the WNT/β-catenin pathway enhances differentiation of hESCs into hepatocytes.

ABSTRACT:

Background & aims

Hepatocytes differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to overcome the shortage of primary hepatocytes for clinical use and drug development. Many strategies for this process have been reported, but the functionality of the resulting cells is incomplete. We hypothesize that the functionality of hPSC-derived hepatocytes might be improved by making the differentiation method more similar to normal in vivo hepatic development.

Methods

We tested combinations of growth factors and small molecules targeting candidate signaling pathways culled from the literature to identify optimal conditions for differentiation of hESCs to hepatocytes, using qRT-PCR for stage-specific markers to identify the best conditions. Immunocytochemistry was

SUBMITTER: Touboul T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5010388 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature