E2A ablation enhances proportion of nodal-like cardiomyocytes in cardiac-specific differentiation of human embryonic stem cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Human sinoatrial cardiomyocytes are essential building blocks for cell therapies of conduction system disorders. However, current differentiation protocols for deriving nodal cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are very inefficient.

Methods

By employing the hPSCs to cardiomyocyte (CM) in vitro differentiation system and generating E2A-knockout hESCs using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, we analyze the functions of E2A in CM differentiation.

Findings

We found that knockout of the transcription factor E2A substantially increased the proportion of nodal-like cells in hESC-derived CMs. The E2A ablated CMs displayed smaller cell size, increased beating rates, weaker contractile force, and other functional characteristics similar to sino

SUBMITTER: Li X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8426208 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature