Improved Atrial Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells by Activation of Retinoic Acid Receptor Alpha (RARα).

ABSTRACT: Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes have proven valuable for modeling disease and as a drug screening platform. Here, we depict an optimized protocol for the directed differentiation of hPSCs toward cardiomyocytes with an atrial identity by modulating the retinoic acid signaling cascade in spin embryoid bodies. The crucial steps of the protocol, including hPSC maintenance, embryoid body (EB) differentiation, the induction of cardiac mesoderm, direction toward the atrial phenotype, as well as molecular and functional characterization of the cardiomyocytes, are described. Atrial cardiomyocytes (AMs) can be generated within 14 days. Most importantly, we show that induction of the specific retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARα) increased the efficiency of atrial differentiat

SUBMITTER: Schwach V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9032956 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature