Properties and uses of embryonic stem cells: prospects for application to human biology and gene therapy

1998 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Rathjen ◽  
J. Lake ◽  
L. M. Whyatt ◽  
M. D. Bettess ◽  
J. Rathjen

Embryonic stem cells are pluripotent cells derived from the early mouse embryo that can be propagated stably in the undifferentiated state in vitro. They retain the ability to differentiate into all cell types found in an embryonic and adult mouse in vivo, and can be induced to differentiate into many cell types in vitro. Exploitation of ES cell technology for the creation of mice bearing predetermined genetic alterations has received widespread attention because of the sophistication that it brings to the study of gene function in mammals. Analysis of cell differentiation in vitro has also been of value, leading to the identification of novel bioactive factors and the elucidation of cell specification mechanisms. In this paper, we summarise the features of pluripotent cell lines and their applications, foreshadowing the impact that these systems may have on human biology. While the isolation of definitive human pluripotent cell lines has not yet been achieved, potential applications for these cells in the study of human biology, particularly cell specification, can be envisaged. Of particular interest is the possibility that human embryonic stem cells with properties similar to mouse embryonic stem cells might provide a generic system for gene therapy.

2010 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 479-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guoliang Meng ◽  
Shiying Liu ◽  
Xiangyun Li ◽  
Roman Krawetz ◽  
Derrick E. Rancourt

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM) of the blastocyst. Because of their ability to differentiate into a variety of cell types, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) provide an unlimited source of cells for clinical medicine and have begun to be used in clinical trials. Presently, although several hundred hESC lines are available in the word, only few have been widely used in basic and applied research. More and more hESC lines with differing genetic backgrounds are required for establishing a bank of hESCs. Here, we report the first Canadian hESC lines to be generated from cryopreserved embryos and we discuss how we navigated through the Canadian regulatory process. The cryopreserved human zygotes used in this study were cultured to the blastocyst stage, and used to isolate ICM via microsurgery. Unlike previous microsurgery methods, which use specialized glass or steel needles, our method conveniently uses syringe needles for the isolation of ICM and subsequent hESC lines. ICM were cultured on MEF feeders in medium containing FBS or serum replacer (SR). Resulting outgrowths were isolated, cut into several cell clumps, and transferred onto fresh feeders. After more than 30 passages, the two hESC lines established using this method exhibited normal morphology, karyotype, and growth rate. Moreover, they stained positively for a variety of pluripotency markers and could be differentiated both in vitro and in vivo. Both cell lines could be maintained under a variety of culture conditions, including xeno-free conditions we have previously described. We suggest that this microsurgical approach may be conducive to deriving xeno-free hESC lines when outgrown on xeno-free human foreskin fibroblast feeders.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (10) ◽  
pp. 2115-2124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Li ◽  
Wentao Ma ◽  
Qiaoyan Shen ◽  
Mengfei Zhang ◽  
Zhaoyu Du ◽  
...  

Reproduction ◽  
2001 ◽  
pp. 729-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Amano ◽  
Y Kato ◽  
Y Tsunoda

The developmental potential of enucleated mouse oocytes receiving embryonic stem cells from ten lines with either the same or different genetic backgrounds using the cell fusion method was examined in vitro and in vivo. The development of nuclear-transferred oocytes into blastocysts was high (34-88%). However, there was no clear correlation between development into blastocysts after nuclear transfer and the chimaera formation rate of embryonic stem cells. The development into live young was low (1-3%) in all cell lines and 14 of 19 young died shortly after birth. Most of the live young had morphological abnormalities. Of the five remaining mice, two died at days 23 and 30 after birth, but the other three mice are still active at days 359 (mouse 1) and 338 (mice 4 and 5) after birth, with normal fertility. However, the reasons for the abnormalities and postnatal death of embryonic stem cell-derived mice are unknown.


Author(s):  
Eszter Posfai ◽  
John Paul Schell ◽  
Adrian Janiszewski ◽  
Isidora Rovic ◽  
Alexander Murray ◽  
...  

AbstractTotipotency is the ability of a single cell to give rise to all the differentiated cells that build the conceptus, yet how to capture this property in vitro remains incompletely understood. Defining totipotency relies upon a variety of assays of variable stringency. Here we describe criteria to define totipotency. We illustrate how distinct criteria of increasing stringency can be used to judge totipotency by evaluating candidate totipotent cell types in the mouse, including early blastomeres and expanded or extended pluripotent stem cells. Our data challenge the notion that expanded or extended pluripotent states harbor increased totipotent potential relative to conventional embryonic stem cells under in vivo conditions.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 4787-4787
Author(s):  
Marion Brenot ◽  
Annelise Bennaceur-Griscelli ◽  
Marc Peschanski ◽  
Maria Teresa Mitjavila-Garcia

Abstract Human embryonic stem cells (hES) isolated from the inner cell mass of a blastocyst have the ability to self renew indefinitely while maintaining their pluripotency to differentiate into multiple cell lineages. Therefore, hES represent an important source of cells for perspective cell therapies and serve as an essential tool for fundamental research, specifically for understanding pathophysiological mechanisms of human diseases for the development of novel pharmacological drugs. The generation of hematopoietic stem cells from hES may serve as an alternative source of cells for hematopoietic reconstitution following bone marrow transplantation and an interesting approach to understand early stages of hematopoietic development which are difficult to study in human embryos. Using two different methods, we have differentiated three hES cell lines (SA01, H1 and H9) into hematopoietic cells by generating embryoid bodies and co-culturing on the murine Op9 cell line. In both experimental approaches, we obtain cells expressing CD34 and when cultured in hematopoietic conditions, SA01 and H1 cell lines differentiate into various hematopoietic lineages as demonstrated by BFU-E, CFU-GM and CFU-GEMM colony formation, whereas H9 have almost exclusively granulo-macrophage differentiation. Cells composing these hematopoietic colonies express CD45, CD11b, CD31, CD41 and CD235 and staining with May Grundwald-Giemsa demonstrate neutrophil and erythrocyte morphology. These results demonstrate the capacity of hES to differentiate into mature hematopoietic cells in vitro. Nevertheless, there exist some quantitative and qualitative differences about hematopoietic differentiation between the hES cell lines used. However, we still have to evaluate their capacity to reconstitute hematopoiesis in vivo in an immune deficient mouse model. We will also be interested in developing in vitro methods to expand these hematopoietic precursor cells derived from hES which may be used as a viable source for future cell therapy.


Blood ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 99 (11) ◽  
pp. 3939-3946 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perpétua Pinto do Ó ◽  
Karin Richter ◽  
Leif Carlsson

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are unique in their capacity to maintain blood formation following transplantation into immunocompromised hosts. Expansion of HSCs in vitro is therefore important for many clinical applications but has met with limited success because the mechanisms regulating the self-renewal process are poorly defined. We have previously shown that expression of the LIM-homeobox gene Lhx2 in hematopoietic progenitor cells derived from embryonic stem cells differentiated in vitro generates immortalized multipotent hematopoietic progenitor cell lines. However, HSCs of early embryonic origin, including those derived from differentiated embryonic stem cells, are inefficient in engrafting adult recipients upon transplantation. To address whetherLhx2 can immortalize hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells that can engraft adult recipients, we expressed Lhx2 in hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells derived from adult bone marrow. This approach allowed for the generation of immortalized growth factor–dependent hematopoietic progenitor/stem cell lines that can generate erythroid, myeloid, and lymphoid cells upon transplantation into lethally irradiated mice. When transplanted into stem cell–deficient mice, these cell lines can generate a significant proportion of circulating erythrocytes in primary, secondary, and tertiary recipients for at least 18 months. Thus, Lhx2immortalizes multipotent hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells that can generate functional progeny following transplantation into lethally irradiated hosts and can long-term repopulate stem cell–deficient hosts.


2015 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 428-435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiao Wang ◽  
Li Yu ◽  
Yan Ding ◽  
Xing Guo ◽  
Ya Yuan ◽  
...  

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