Project description:Induction of pluripotency in somatic cells needs the full activation of the pluripotency gene regulatory network (PGRN). The core transcription factors of the PGRN establish a crosstalk with specific micro RNA (miRNA) families to sustain the pluripotent program and govern cell fate decisions. Very recently, circular RNA (circRNA) have been proposed as novel players in the regulation of this molecular circuitry. Herein, we successfully generated human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) by zero-footprint reprogramming of cord blood mesenchymal stem cells. The hiPSC were extensively characterized for stemness and tri-lineage differentiation potential compared to human embryonic stem cells and parental unreprogrammed cells to assess complete acquisition of the pluripotent identity. High-throughput array-based molecular analyses of messenger RNA (mRNA) (631 genes), miRNA (754 miRNA) and, for the first time, circRNA (13,617 circRNA) were performed to address the role of circRNA in the PGRN. As a result, a circRNA-guided map of miRNA and mRNA associated to naïve and primed pluripotent identity is provided.
Project description:Human primordial germ cells and mouse neonatal and adult germline stem cells are pluripotent and derive embryonic stem cell properties. Here we report the successful establishment of stable pluripotent human adult germline stem cells (haGSCs) derived from spermatogonial cells of adult human testis. Cellular and molecular characterization of haGSCs revealed many similarities to human embryonic stem (hES) cells and haGSCs produced teratomas after subcutaneous transplantation into immunodeficient mice. The haGSCs differentiated into various types of somatic cells of all three germ layers when grown under conditions used to induce the differentiation of hES cells. We conclude that the generation of haGSCs from testicular biopsies may provide simple and non-controversial access to individual cell-based therapy without the ethical and immunological problems associated with hES cells. Keywords: pluripotent stem cells characterisation
Project description:Genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been proposed as a source for transplantation therapies and are rapidly becoming valuable tools for human disease modeling. However, many of the potential applications are still limited by the lack of robust differentiation paradigms that allow for the isolation of defined functional tissues. These challenges could be overcome by the use of adult tissue stem cells derived from hPSCs, as their restricted potential could limit the differentiation towards other undesired linages, and allow in vitro expansion and long- term propagation of fully differentiated tissue. To isolate adult stem cells from hPSCs, we applied genome-editing to generate an LGR5-GFP reporter system and subsequently developed a differentiation protocol for human intestinal tissue comprising an adult stem cell niche and all major cell types of the adult intestine. This novel derivation protocol is highly robust and even permits the isolation of intestinal organoids without the LGR5 reporter. Transcriptional profiling, electron microscopy and functional analysis revealed that such human organoid cultures could be derived with high purity, and a composition and morphology similar to that of cultures obtained from human biopsies. Importantly, hPSC-derived organoids responded to the canonical signaling pathways that control self-renewal and differentiation in the adult human intestinal stem cell compartment. With our ability to genetically engineer hPSCs using site-specific nucleases, this adult stem cell system provides a novel platform by which to study human intestinal disease in vitro.
Project description:The stem cell lines were generated according to the principle described in Noggle et al., Nature 2011, Oct 5;478(7367):70-5. doi: 10.1038/nature10397. Title: Human oocytes reprogram somatic cells to a pluripotent state. Abstract: The exchange of the oocyte's genome with the genome of a somatic cell, followed by the derivation of pluripotent stem cells, could enable the generation of specific cells affected in degenerative human diseases. Such cells, carrying the patient's genome, might be useful for cell replacement. Here we report that the development of human oocytes after genome exchange arrests at late cleavage stages in association with transcriptional abnormalities. In contrast, if the oocyte genome is not removed and the somatic cell genome is merely added, the resultant triploid cells develop to the blastocyst stage. Stem cell lines derived from these blastocysts differentiate into cell types of all three germ layers, and a pluripotent gene expression program is established on the genome derived from the somatic cell. This result demonstrates the feasibility of reprogramming human cells using oocytes and identifies removal of the oocyte genome as the primary cause of developmental failure after genome exchange. The major difference to Noggle et al. are that these new stem cell lines are tetraploid rather than diploid. The main technical difference is the addition of cytochalasinB during artificial activation, preventing extrusion of the second polar body, thereby resulting in the retention of a diploid oocyte genome, rather than a haploid one. Adult somatic cells were transferred into non-enucleated oocytes and then activated in the presence of cytochalasinB. Addition of cytochalasinB inhibits extrusion of the second polar body, resulting in tetraploid eggs. The efficiency of development to the blastoycst stage is described in: Yamada et al., 2014, Human oocytes reprogram adult somatic nuclei of a type 1 diabetic to diploid pluripotent stem cells, Nature. 2014 Jun 26;510(7506):533-6. doi: 10.1038/nature13287. Blastocysts developing from these were used for the derivation or pluripotent stem cell lines. Gene expression analysis was performed to demonstrate transcriptional reprogramming. These cell lines contain both somatic and oocyte genomes.
Project description:Cardiac tissue constructs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have been heralded for their possibilities to serve as disease models, utilized in drug screening and cardiac regeneration. That potential remains to be realized because human iPSC derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs) are immature, and do not reflect the characteristics of adult human myocytes. Here, we present a method to accelerate hiPSC-CM maturation by maintaining them on a substrate, Cardiac Mimetic Matrix (CMM), which mimics the adult human heart matrix ligand chemistry and submicron ultrastructure.
Project description:Genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been proposed as a source for transplantation therapies and are rapidly becoming valuable tools for human disease modeling. However, many of the potential applications are still limited by the lack of robust differentiation paradigms that allow for the isolation of defined functional tissues. These challenges could be overcome by the use of adult tissue stem cells derived from hPSCs, as their restricted potential could limit the differentiation towards other undesired linages, and allow in vitro expansion and long- term propagation of fully differentiated tissue. To isolate adult stem cells from hPSCs, we applied genome-editing to generate an LGR5-GFP reporter system and subsequently developed a differentiation protocol for human intestinal tissue comprising an adult stem cell niche and all major cell types of the adult intestine. This novel derivation protocol is highly robust and even permits the isolation of intestinal organoids without the LGR5 reporter. Transcriptional profiling, electron microscopy and functional analysis revealed that such human organoid cultures could be derived with high purity, and a composition and morphology similar to that of cultures obtained from human biopsies. Importantly, hPSC-derived organoids responded to the canonical signaling pathways that control self-renewal and differentiation in the adult human intestinal stem cell compartment. With our ability to genetically engineer hPSCs using site-specific nucleases, this adult stem cell system provides a novel platform by which to study human intestinal disease in vitro. RNA from primary organoid samples was isolated from organoid lines that were both cultured for 1-6 months and derived from duodenum, ileum, or rectum biopsies of human subjects as described previously (Sato et al., Gastroenterology 2011) grown in media called WENR+inhibitors. RNA was also isolated from various steps in the culturing and differentiation protocol.