scholarly journals Running the full human developmental clock in interspecies chimeras using alternative human stem cells with expanded embryonic potential

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Thomas ◽  
Ludovic Zimmerlin ◽  
Jeffrey S. Huo ◽  
Michael Considine ◽  
Leslie Cope ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Adult Development ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Human Stem Cells ◽  
Regulatory Oversight ◽  
Cell Therapies

AbstractHuman pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can generate specialized cell lineages that have great potential for regenerative therapies and disease modeling. However, the developmental stage of the lineages generated from conventional hPSC cultures in vitro are embryonic in phenotype, and may not possess the cellular maturity necessary for corrective regenerative function in vivo in adult recipients. Here, we present the scientific evidence for how adult human tissues could generate human–animal interspecific chimeras to solve this problem. First, we review the phenotypes of the embryonic lineages differentiated from conventional hPSC in vitro and through organoid technologies and compare their functional relevance to the tissues generated during normal human in utero fetal and adult development. We hypothesize that the developmental incongruence of embryo-stage hPSC-differentiated cells transplanted into a recipient adult host niche is an important mechanism ultimately limiting their utility in cell therapies and adult disease modeling. We propose that this developmental obstacle can be overcome with optimized interspecies chimeras that permit the generation of adult-staged, patient-specific whole organs within animal hosts with human-compatible gestational time-frames. We suggest that achieving this goal may ultimately have to await the derivation of alternative, primitive totipotent-like stem cells with improved embryonic chimera capacities. We review the scientific challenges of deriving alternative human stem cell states with expanded embryonic potential, outline a path forward for conducting this emerging research with appropriate ethical and regulatory oversight, and defend the case of why current federal funding restrictions on this important category of biomedical research should be liberalized.

scholarly journals Vascular Progenitors Generated from Tankyrase Inhibitor-Regulated Naïve Diabetic Human iPSC Potentiate Efficient Revascularization of Ischemic Retina

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tea Soon Park ◽  
Ludovic Zimmerlin ◽  
Rebecca Evans-Moses ◽  
Justin Thomas ◽  
Jeffrey S. Huo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Transcriptional Activation ◽  
Specific Gene ◽  
Human Stem Cells ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Ischemic Retinopathy ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Regenerative Therapies

ABSTRACTVascular regenerative therapies with conventional human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) currently remain limited by high interline variability of differentiation and poor efficiency for generating functionally transplantable vascular progenitors (VP). Here, we report the advantage of tankyrase inhibitor-regulated naïve hiPSC (N-hiPSC) for significantly improving vascular cell therapies. Conventional hiPSC reprogrammed from type-1 diabetic donor fibroblasts (DhiPSC) were stably reverted to naïve epiblast-like state with high functional pluripotency with a cocktail of LIF and three small molecules inhibiting the tankyrase, MEK, and GSK3β signaling pathways (LIF-3i). Naïve diabetic VP (N-DVP) differentiated from naïve DhiPSC (N-DhiPSC) expanded more efficiently, possessed higher proliferation, possessed more stable genomic integrity and displayed higher in vitro vascular functionality than primed diabetic VP (DVP) generated from isogenic conventional DhiPSC. Moreover, N-DVP survived, migrated, and engrafted in vivo into the deep vasculature of the neural retinal layers with significantly higher efficiencies than isogenic primed DVP in a murine model of ischemic retinopathy. Epigenetic analyses of CpG DNA methylation and histone configurations at developmental promoters of N-hiPSC revealed tight regulation of lineage-specific gene expression and a de-repressed naïve epiblast-like epigenetic state that was highly poised for multi-lineage transcriptional activation. We propose that reprogramming of patient donor cells to a tankyrase inhibitor-regulated N-hiPSC may more effectively erase epigenetic aberrations sustained from chronic diseases such as diabetes for subsequent regenerative therapies. More broadly, tankyrase inhibitor-regulated N-hiPSC represent a new class of human stem cells with high epigenetic plasticity, improved multi-lineage functionality, and potentially high impact for regenerative medicine.

Differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells from humans and animals into insulin-producing cells: An overview in vitro induction forms

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruna O. S. Câmara ◽  
Bruno M. Bertassoli ◽  
Natália M. Ocarino ◽  
Rogéria Serakides
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Mesenchymal Stem Cells ◽  
Culture Medium ◽  
Adipogenic Differentiation ◽  
Medium Composition ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Insulin Producing Cells ◽  
Msc Differentiation

The use of stem cells in cell therapies has shown promising results in the treatment of several diseases, including diabetes mellitus, in both humans and animals. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from various locations, including bone marrow, adipose tissues, synovia, muscles, dental pulp, umbilical cords, and the placenta. In vitro, by manipulating the composition of the culture medium or transfection, MSCs can differentiate into several cell lineages, including insulin-producing cells (IPCs). Unlike osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic differentiation, for which the culture medium and time are similar between studies, studies involving the induction of MSC differentiation in IPCs differ greatly. This divergence is usually evident in relation to the differentiation technique used, the composition of the culture medium, the cultivation time, which can vary from a few hours to several months, and the number of steps to complete differentiation. However, although there is no “gold standard” differentiation medium composition, most prominent studies mention the use of nicotinamide, exedin-4, ß-mercaptoethanol, fibroblast growth factor b (FGFb), and glucose in the culture medium to promote the differentiation of MSCs into IPCs. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to investigate the stages of MSC differentiation into IPCs both in vivo and in vitro, as well as address differentiation techniques and molecular actions and mechanisms by which some substances, such as nicotinamide, exedin-4, ßmercaptoethanol, FGFb, and glucose, participate in the differentiation process.

scholarly journals The Promise of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Dental Research

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thekkeparambil Chandrabose Srijaya ◽  
Padmaja Jayaprasad Pradeep ◽  
Rosnah Binti Zain ◽  
Sabri Musa ◽  
Noor Hayaty Abu Kasim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Dental Research ◽  
Cell Based Therapy ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Disease Specific

Induced pluripotent stem cell-based therapy for treating genetic disorders has become an interesting field of research in recent years. However, there is a paucity of information regarding the applicability of induced pluripotent stem cells in dental research. Recent advances in the use of induced pluripotent stem cells have the potential for developing disease-specific iPSC linesin vitrofrom patients. Indeed, this has provided a perfect cell source for disease modeling and a better understanding of genetic aberrations, pathogenicity, and drug screening. In this paper, we will summarize the recent progress of the disease-specific iPSC development for various human diseases and try to evaluate the possibility of application of iPS technology in dentistry, including its capacity for reprogramming some genetic orodental diseases. In addition to the easy availability and suitability of dental stem cells, the approach of generating patient-specific pluripotent stem cells will undoubtedly benefit patients suffering from orodental disorders.

Abstract 518: In Vitro and in vivo Disease Modeling Using Patient Derived iPSCs to Characterize the Calcification Phenotype in Arterial Calcification Due to Deficiency of CD73

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia St. Hilaire ◽  
Hui Jin ◽  
Yuting Huang ◽  
Dan Yang ◽  
Alejandra Negro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vascular Calcification ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Dermal Fibroblasts ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Arterial Calcification ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
And Control

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-based disease model to understand the process by which CD73-deficiency leads to vascular calcification in the disease, Arterial Calcification due to Deficiency of CD73 (ACDC). Approach & Results: ACDC is an autosomal recessive disease resulting from mutations in the gene encoding for CD73, which converts extracellular AMP to adenosine. CD73-deficiency manifests with tortuosity and vascular calcification of the medial layer of lower-extremity arteries, a pathology associated with diabetes and chronic kidney disease. We previously identified that dermal fibroblasts isolated from ACDC patients calcify in vitro, however in vivo studies of the vasculature are limited, as murine models of CD73 deficiency do not recapitulate the human disease phenotype. Thus, we created iPSCs from ACDC patients and control fibroblasts. ACDC and Control iPSCs form teratomas when injected in immune-compromised mice, however ACDC iPSC teratomas exhibit extensive calcifications. Control and ACDC iPSCs were differentiated down the mesenchymal lineage (MSC) and while there was no difference in chondrogenesis and adipogenesis, ACDC iMSCs underwent osteogenesis sooner than control iPSC, have higher activity of tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP), and lower levels of extracellular adenosine. During osteogenic simulation, TNAP activity in ACDC cells significantly increased adenosine levels, however, not to levels needed for functional compensatory stimulation of the adenosine receptors. Inhibition of TNAP with levimisole ablates this increase in adenosine. Treatment with an A2b adenosine receptor (AR) agonist drastically reduced TNAP activity in vitro, and calcification in ACDC teratomas, as did treatment with etidronate, which is currently being tested in a clinical trial on ACDC patients. Conclusions: These results illustrate a pro-osteogenic phenotype in CD73-deficient cells whereby TNAP activity attempts to compensate for CD73 deficiency, but subsequently induces calcification that can be reversed by activation of the A2bAR. The iPSC teratoma model may be used to screen other potential therapeutics for calcification disorders.

MicroRNAs: Crucial Players in the Differentiation of Human Pluripotent and Multipotent Stem Cells into Functional Hepatocyte-Like Cells

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hao Xu ◽  
Liying Wu ◽  
Guojia Yuan ◽  
Xiaolu Liang ◽  
Xiaoguang Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Liver Disease ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Ectopic Expression ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
The Body

: Hepatic disease negatively impacts liver function and metabolism. Primary human hepatocytes are the gold standard for the prediction and successful treatment of liver disease. However, the sources of hepatocytes for drug toxicity testing and disease modeling are limited. To overcome this issue, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) have emerged as an alternative strategy for liver disease therapy. Human PSCs, including embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) can self-renew and give rise to all cells of the body. Human PSCs are attractive cell sources for regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, drug discovery, and developmental studies. Several recent studies have shown that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can also differentiate (or trans-differentiate) into hepatocytes. Differentiation of human PSCs and MSCs into functional hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) opens new strategies to study genetic diseases, hepatotoxicity, infection of hepatotropic viruses, and analyze hepatic biology. Numerous in vitro and in vivo differentiation protocols have been established to obtain human PSCs/MSCs-derived HLCs and mimic their characteristics. It was recently discovered that microRNAs (miRNAs) play a critical role in controlling the ectopic expression of transcription factors and governing the hepatocyte differentiation of human PSCs and MSCs. In this review, we focused on the role of miRNAs in the differentiation of human PSCs and MSCs into hepatocytes.

scholarly journals Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Reduce Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Myelin Degradation and Neuroinflammatory Responses of Glial Cells in Mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 66
Author(s):  
Kateryna Yatsenko ◽  
Iryna Lushnikova ◽  
Alina Ustymenko ◽  
Maryna Patseva ◽  
Iryna Govbakh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Personalized Medicine ◽  
Neurodegenerative Diseases ◽  
Brain Slices ◽  
Brain Inflammation ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Adipose Derived Stem Cells ◽  
Humoral Factors

Brain inflammation is a key event triggering the pathological process associated with many neurodegenerative diseases. Current personalized medicine and translational research in neurodegenerative diseases focus on adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs), because they are patient-specific, thereby reducing the risk of immune rejection. ASCs have been shown to exert a therapeutic effect following transplantation in animal models of neuroinflammation. However, the mechanisms by which transplanted ASCs promote cell survival and/or functional recovery are not fully understood. We investigated the effects of ASCs in in vivo and in vitro lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neuroinflammatory models. Brain damage was evaluated immunohistochemically using specific antibody markers of microglia, astroglia and oligodendrocytes. ASCs were used for intracerebral transplantation, as well as for non-contact co-culture with brain slices. In both in vivo and in vitro models, we found that LPS caused micro- and astroglial activation and oligodendrocyte degradation, whereas the presence of ASCs significantly reduced the damaging effects. It should be noted that the observed ASCs protection in a non-contact co-culture suggested that this effect was due to humoral factors via ASC-released biomodulatory molecules. However, further clinical studies are required to establish the therapeutic mechanisms of ASCs, and optimize their use as a part of a personalized medicine strategy.

Gene transfer into normal human hematopoietic cells using in vitro and in vivo assays

Blood ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 624-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
JE Dick ◽  
S Kamel-Reid ◽  
B Murdoch ◽  
M Doedens
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Gene Transfer ◽  
Hematopoietic Cells ◽  
Human Stem Cells ◽  
In Vivo Assays ◽  
Genetically Manipulated ◽  
Deficient Mice

Abstract The ability to transfer new genetic material into human hematopoietic cells provides the foundation for characterizing the organization and developmental program of human hematopoietic stem cells. It also provides a valuable model in which to test gene transfer and long-term expression in human hematopoietic cells as a prelude to human gene therapy. At the present time such studies are limited by the absence of in vivo assays for human stem cells, although recent descriptions of the engraftment of human hematopoietic cells in immune-deficient mice may provide the basis for such an assay. This study focuses on the establishment of conditions required for high efficiency retrovirus- mediated gene transfer into human hematopoietic progenitors that can be assayed in vitro in short-term colony assays and in vivo in immune- deficient mice. Here we report that a 24-hour preincubation of human bone marrow in 5637-conditioned medium, before infection, increases gene transfer efficiency into in vitro colony-forming cells by sixfold; interleukin-6 (IL-6) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) provide the same magnitude increase as 5637-conditioned medium. In contrast, incubation in recombinant growth factors IL-1, IL-3, and granulocyte- macrophage colony-stimulating factor increases gene transfer efficiency by 1.5- to 3-fold. Furthermore, preselection in high concentrations of G418 results in a population of cells significantly enriched for G418- resistant progenitors (up to 100%). These results, obtained using detailed survival curves based on colony formation in G418, have been substantiated by directly detecting the neo gene in individual colonies using the polymerase chain reaction. Using these optimized protocols, human bone marrow cells were genetically manipulated with a neo retrovirus vector and transplanted into immune-deficient bg/nu/xid mice. At 1 month and 4 months after the transplant, the hematopoietic tissues of these animals remained engrafted with genetically manipulated human cells. More importantly, G418-resistant progenitors that contained the neo gene were recovered from the bone marrow and spleen of engrafted animals after 4 months. These experiments establish the feasibility of characterizing human stem cells using the unique retrovirus integration site as a clonal marker, similar to techniques developed to elucidate the murine stem cell hierarchy.

Multifunctional silica-coated iron oxide nanoparticles: a facile four-in-one system for in situ study of neural stem cell harvesting

2014 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 13-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yung-Kang Peng ◽  
Cathy N. P. Lui ◽  
Tsen-Hsuan Lin ◽  
Chen Chang ◽  
Pi-Tai Chou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Iron Oxide ◽  
Magnetic Resonance ◽  
Neural Stem Cells ◽  
Neural Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Bimodal Imaging

Neural stem cells (NSCs), which generate the main phenotypes of the nervous system, are multipotent cells and are able to differentiate into multiple cell types via external stimuli from the environment. The extraction, modification and re-application of NSCs have thus attracted much attention and raised hopes for novel neural stem cell therapies and regenerative medicine. However, few studies have successfully identified the distribution of NSCs in a live brain and monitored the corresponding extraction processes both in vitro and in vivo. To address those difficulties, in this study multi-functional uniform nanoparticles comprising an iron oxide core and a functionalized silica shell (Fe3O4@SiO2(FITC)-CD133, FITC: a green emissive dye, CD133: anti-CD133 antibody) have been strategically designed and synthesized for use as probe nanocomposites that provide four-in-one functionality, i.e., magnetic agitation, dual imaging (both magnetic resonance and optical) and specific targeting. It is shown that these newly synthesized Fe3O4@SiO2(FITC)-CD133 particles have clearly demonstrated their versatility in various applications. (1) The magnetic core enables magnetic cell collection and T2 magnetic resonance imaging. (2) The fluorescent FITC embedded in the silica framework enables optical imaging. (3) CD133 anchored on the outermost surface is demonstrated to be capable of targeting neural stem cells for cell collection and bimodal imaging.

Constructing stem cell microenvironments using bioengineering approaches

2013 ◽  
Vol 45 (23) ◽  
pp. 1123-1135 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Brafman
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Cell Fate ◽  
Disease Modeling ◽  
Mechanical Stimuli ◽  
Culture Methods ◽  
Stem Cell Fate ◽  
And Function

Within the adult organism, stem cells reside in defined anatomical microenvironments called niches. These architecturally diverse microenvironments serve to balance stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Proper regulation of this balance is instrumental to tissue repair and homeostasis, and any imbalance can potentially lead to diseases such as cancer. Within each of these microenvironments, a myriad of chemical and physical stimuli interact in a complex (synergistic or antagonistic) manner to tightly regulate stem cell fate. The in vitro replication of these in vivo microenvironments will be necessary for the application of stem cells for disease modeling, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine purposes. However, traditional reductionist approaches have only led to the generation of cell culture methods that poorly recapitulate the in vivo microenvironment. To that end, novel engineering and systems biology approaches have allowed for the investigation of the biological and mechanical stimuli that govern stem cell fate. In this review, the application of these technologies for the dissection of stem cell microenvironments will be analyzed. Moreover, the use of these engineering approaches to construct in vitro stem cell microenvironments that precisely control stem cell fate and function will be reviewed. Finally, the emerging trend of using high-throughput, combinatorial methods for the stepwise engineering of stem cell microenvironments will be explored.

Assessment of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocyte Contractility Using Micropost Arrays

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marita L. Rodriguez ◽  
Charles E. Murry ◽  
Nathan J. Sniadecki
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Stem Cell ◽  
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell ◽  
Heart Tissue ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Human Stem Cells ◽  
Cell Therapies ◽  
Cardiomyocyte Contractility ◽  
Induced Pluripotent ◽  
Contractile Forces

Cardiovascular stem cell therapies have shown increasing promise as a potential therapeutic means for reversing the effects of a myocardial infarction [1]. Out of the currently available sources of human stem cells, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are very promising in that: the number of cell lines that can be induced to the pluripotent state is extremely vast, they serve as a potential source for patient-specific cardiomyocytes, and their use is non-controversial. However, before they can be used feasibly in a clinical setting, the functional engraftment of these cells into the host tissue must be improved [2]. It is hypothesized that the structural and functional maturity of the stem-cell derived cardiomyocytes prior to implantation, may significantly affect the ability of these cells to engraft with resident heart tissue [3]. One of the most important functional characteristics of a cardiomyocyte is its ability to produce contractile forces. However, assessing the contractile properties of single iPS-CMs is a difficult task. iPS-CMs generally have relatively unorganized cytoskeletons, with stress fibers in multiple directions. This trait renders one or two-point force assays ineffectual in determining total cell forces. Furthermore, iPS-CMs don’t spread well on tissue culture surfaces, which make two-dimensional force measurements almost impossible.

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