scholarly journals GATA2/3-TFAP2A/C transcription factor network couples human pluripotent stem cell differentiation to trophectoderm with repression of pluripotency

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (45) ◽  
pp. E9579-E9588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Krendl ◽  
Dmitry Shaposhnikov ◽  
Valentyna Rishko ◽  
Chaido Ori ◽  
Christoph Ziegenhain ◽  
...  

To elucidate the molecular basis of BMP4-induced differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) toward progeny with trophectoderm characteristics, we produced transcriptome, epigenome H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and CpG methylation maps of trophoblast progenitors, purified using the surface marker APA. We combined them with the temporally resolved transcriptome of the preprogenitor phase and of single APA+ cells. This revealed a circuit of bivalent TFAP2A, TFAP2C, GATA2, and GATA3 transcription factors, coined collectively the “trophectoderm four” (TEtra), which are also present in human trophectoderm in vivo. At the onset of differentiation, the TEtra factors occupy multiple sites in epigenetically inactive placental genes and in OCT4. Functional manipulation of GATA3 and TFAP2A indicated that they directly couple trophoblast-specific gene induction with suppression of pluripotency. In accordance, knocking down GATA3 in primate embryos resulted in a failure to form trophectoderm. The discovery of the TEtra circuit indicates how trophectoderm commitment is regulated in human embryogenesis.

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wai Long Tam ◽  
Luís Freitas Mendes ◽  
Xike Chen ◽  
Raphaëlle Lesage ◽  
Inge Van Hoven ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Bones have a remarkable capacity to heal upon fracture. Yet, in large defects or compromised conditions healing processes become impaired, resulting in delayed or non-union. Current therapeutic approaches often utilize autologous or allogeneic bone grafts for bone augmentation. However, limited availability of these tissues and lack of predictive biological response result in limitations for clinical demands. Tissue engineering using viable cell-based implants is a strategic approach to address these unmet medical needs. Methods Herein, the in vitro and in vivo cartilage and bone tissue formation potencies of human pluripotent stem cells were investigated. The induced pluripotent stem cells were specified towards the mesodermal lineage and differentiated towards chondrocytes, which subsequently self-assembled into cartilaginous organoids. The tissue formation capacity of these organoids was then challenged in an ectopic and orthotopic bone formation model. Results The derived chondrocytes expressed similar levels of collagen type II as primary human articular chondrocytes and produced stable cartilage when implanted ectopically in vivo. Upon targeted promotion towards hypertrophy and priming with a proinflammatory mediator, the organoids mediated successful bridging of critical size long bone defects in immunocompromised mice. Conclusions These results highlight the promise of induced pluripotent stem cell technology for the creation of functional cartilage tissue intermediates that can be explored for novel bone healing strategies.


Cells ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laetitia Barrault ◽  
Jacqueline Gide ◽  
Tingting Qing ◽  
Lea Lesueur ◽  
Jorg Tost ◽  
...  

Substantial variations in differentiation properties have been reported among human pluripotent cell lines (hPSC), which could affect their utility and clinical safety. We characterized the variable osteogenic capacity observed between different human pluripotent stem cell lines. By focusing on the miRNA expression profile, we demonstrated that the osteogenic differentiation propensity of human pluripotent stem cell lines could be associated with the methylation status and the expression of miRNAs from the imprinted DLK1/DIO3 locus. More specifically, quantitative analysis of the expression of six different miRNAs of that locus prospectively identified human embryonic stem cells and human-induced pluripotent stem cells with differential osteogenic differentiation capacities. At the molecular and functional levels, we showed that these miRNAs modulated the expression of the activin receptor type 2B and the downstream signal transduction, which impacted osteogenesis. In conclusion, miRNAs of the imprinted DLK1/DIO3 locus appear to have both a predictive value and a functional impact in determining the osteogenic fate of human pluripotent stem cells.


2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (30) ◽  
pp. eaba7606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kai Wang ◽  
Ruei-Zeng Lin ◽  
Xuechong Hong ◽  
Alex H. Ng ◽  
Chin Nien Lee ◽  
...  

Human induced pluripotent stem cell (h-iPSC)–derived endothelial cells (h-iECs) have become a valuable tool in regenerative medicine. However, current differentiation protocols remain inefficient and lack reliability. Here, we describe a method for rapid, consistent, and highly efficient generation of h-iECs. The protocol entails the delivery of modified mRNA encoding the transcription factor ETV2 at the intermediate mesodermal stage of differentiation. This approach reproducibly differentiated 13 diverse h-iPSC lines into h-iECs with exceedingly high efficiency. In contrast, standard differentiation methods that relied on endogenous ETV2 were inefficient and notably inconsistent. Our h-iECs were functionally competent in many respects, including the ability to form perfused vascular networks in vivo. Timely activation of ETV2 was critical, and bypassing the mesodermal stage produced putative h-iECs with reduced expansion potential and inability to form functional vessels. Our protocol has broad applications and could reliably provide an unlimited number of h-iECs for vascular therapies.


Author(s):  
Ya-Chu Liu ◽  
Lee-Kiat Ban ◽  
Henry Hsin-Chung Lee ◽  
Hsin-Ting Lee ◽  
Yu-Tang Chang ◽  
...  

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are typically cultivated on extracellular matrix (ECM) protein-coated dishes in xeno-free culture conditions. We supplemented mixed ECM proteins (laminin-511 and recombinant vitronectin, rVT) in culture...


2020 ◽  
Vol 127 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaheh Karbassi ◽  
Alessandro Bertero ◽  
Shin Kadota ◽  
Paul Fields ◽  
Lil Pabon ◽  
...  

Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte (hPSC-CM) applications for cell therapy and disease modeling are limited due to the cells’ lack of resemblance structurally and functionally to adult cardiomyocytes. To understand hPSC-CM maturation, we characterized two established approaches to mature cardiomyocytes—long term culture (aging of cells in a dish) and in vivo transplantation to an infarcted adult rat heart. RNA sequencing of hPSC-CMs from these systems demonstrated that in vivo transplantation is much more effective in maturing hPSC-CMs, inducing a more adult-like cardiac gene program (e.g. upregulation of TNNI3, MYL2, SCN5A ), compared to cells kept in culture up to one year. Using this dataset, we identified candidate drivers of hPSC-CM maturation, including transcription factors and chromatin regulators, that we hypothesize are necessary to program hPSC-CMs to an adult-like state. To test the relationship between transcription factor regulation and hPSC-CM maturation, we developed a constitutive CRISPR activation (CRISPRa) pluripotent stem cell line to upregulate these transcriptional regulators upon addition of guide RNAs (gRNA). This cell line expresses nuclease-deficient Cas9 fused to the transcriptional activator VPR (dCas9-VPR), driven by the strong CAG promoter and targeted to the AAVS1 safe harbor site. In pluripotent stem cells, target genes are upregulated up to 150-fold when gRNA is present; however, after differentiation into cardiomyocytes, dCas9-VPR transgene expression is silenced, and dCas9-VPR levels are insufficient to activate gRNA-targeted genes. To optimize CRISPRa for cardiomyocyte applications, we are generating alternative stem cell lines with dCas9-VPR targeted to the human ROSA26 safe harbor site or driven by a cardiac-specific troponin T promoter, testing the regulation of transgene expression mediated by safe harbor site or promoter respectively. The characterization of these CRISPRa cell lines provides insights into CRISPR expression regulation and genome engineering strategies for applications in stem cells and hPSC-CMs. We will use this system to screen for maturation regulators and identify key combinations that are effective in programming hPSC-CMs towards an adult-like state.


2021 ◽  
pp. 153537022098580
Author(s):  
Lin Wang ◽  
Zhaohui Ye ◽  
Yoon-Young Jang

The last decade has seen many exciting technological breakthroughs that greatly expanded the toolboxes for biological and biomedical research, yet few have had more impact than induced pluripotent stem cells and modern-day genome editing. These technologies are providing unprecedented opportunities to improve physiological relevance of experimental models, further our understanding of developmental processes, and develop novel therapies. One of the research areas that benefit greatly from these technological advances is the three-dimensional human organoid culture systems that resemble human tissues morphologically and physiologically. Here we summarize the development of human pluripotent stem cells and their differentiation through organoid formation. We further discuss how genetic modifications, genome editing in particular, were applied to answer basic biological and biomedical questions using organoid cultures of both somatic and pluripotent stem cell origins. Finally, we discuss the potential challenges of applying human pluripotent stem cell and organoid technologies for safety and efficiency evaluation of emerging genome editing tools.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan W. Leung ◽  
Francesc López-Giráldez ◽  
Cayla Broton ◽  
Kaixuan Lin ◽  
Maneeshi S. Prasad ◽  
...  

SUMMARYWhat are the factors that are induced during the transitory phases from pluripotent stem cells to lineage specified cells, how are they regulated, and what are their functional contributions are fundamental questions for basic developmental biology and clinical research. Here, we uncover a set of pre-border (pB) gene candidates, including forkhead box B1 (FOXB1), induced during human neural crest (NC) cell development. We characterize their associated enhancers that are bound by pluripotency factors and rapidly activated by β-catenin-mediated signaling during differentiation. Surprisingly, the endogenous transient expression of FOXB1 directly regulates multiple early NC and neural progenitor loci including PAX7, MSX2, SOX1, and ASCL1, controls the timing of NC fate acquisition, and differentially activates autonomic neurogenic versus mesenchymal fates in mature NC cells. Our findings provide further insight into the concept of the less characterized pB state and clearly establishes FOXB1 as a key regulator in early cell fate decisions during human pluripotent stem cell differentiation.


Author(s):  
Jana Krüger ◽  
Rüdiger Groß ◽  
Carina Conzelmann ◽  
Janis A. Müller ◽  
Lennart Koepke ◽  
...  

Gastrointestinal symptoms in COVID-19 are associated with prolonged symptoms and increased severity. We employed human intestinal organoids derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSC-HIOs) to analyze SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and to validate efficacy of specific drugs in the gut. Certain, but not all cell types in PSC-HIOs express SARS-CoV-2 entry factors ACE2 and TMPRSS2, rendering them susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Remdesivir, a promising drug to treat COVID-19, effectively suppressed SARS-CoV-2 infection of PSC-HIOs. In contrast, the histamine-2-blocker famotidine showed no effect. Thus, PSC-HIOs provide an interesting platform to study SARS-CoV-2 infection and to identify or validate drugs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 373-388
Author(s):  
Haishuang Lin ◽  
Qian Du ◽  
Qiang Li ◽  
Ou Wang ◽  
Zhanqi Wang ◽  
...  

Alginate hydrogel tubes are designed for the scalable expansion of human pluripotent stem cells and efficient differentiation into endothelial cells.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Salvatore Simmini ◽  
Allen C. Eaves ◽  
Sharon A. Louis ◽  
Wing Chang

Efficient and reproducible generation of tissue-specific organoids from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells (hPSCs) represents one of the key tools for reducing the use of animals in research. STEMCELL Technologies is committed to optimizing workflows that efficiently support the generation and maintenance of multiple types of organoid cultures derived from hPSCs.


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