scholarly journals Simulated Microgravity Modulates Differentiation Processes of Embryonic Stem Cells

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 1483-1499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vaibhav Shinde ◽  
Sonja Brungs ◽  
Margit Henry ◽  
Lucia Wegener ◽  
Harshal Nemade ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Signal Transduction ◽  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Simulated Microgravity ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Signal Transduction Pathways ◽  
Biological Processes

Background/Aims: Embryonic developmental studies under microgravity conditions in space are very limited. To study the effects of altered gravity on the embryonic development processes we established an in vitro methodology allowing differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) under simulated microgravity within a fast-rotating clinostat (clinorotation) and capture of microarray-based gene signatures. Methods: The differentiating mESCs were cultured in a 2D pipette clinostat. The microarray and bioinformatics tools were used to capture genes that are deregulated by simulated microgravity and their impact on developmental biological processes. Results: The data analysis demonstrated that differentiation of mESCs in pipettes for 3 days resultet to early germ layer differentiation and then to the different somatic cell types after further 7 days of differentiation in the Petri dishes. Clinorotation influences differentiation as well as non-differentiation related biological processes like cytoskeleton related 19 genes were modulated. Notably, simulated microgravity deregulated genes Cyr61, Thbs1, Parva, Dhrs3, Jun, Tpm1, Fzd2 and Dll1 are involved in heart morphogenesis as an acute response on day 3. If the stem cells were further cultivated under normal gravity conditions (1 g) after clinorotation, the expression of cardiomyocytes specific genes such as Tnnt2, Rbp4, Tnni1, Csrp3, Nppb and Mybpc3 on day 10 was inhibited. This correlated well with a decreasing beating activity of the 10-days old embryoid bodies (EBs). Finally, we captured Gadd45g, Jun, Thbs1, Cyr61and Dll1 genes whose expressions were modulated by simulated microgravity and by real microgravity in various reported studies. Simulated microgravity also deregulated genes belonging to the MAP kinase and focal dhesion signal transduction pathways. Conclusion: One of the most prominent biological processes affected by simulated microgravity was the process of cardiomyogenesis. The most significant simulated microgravity-affected genes, signal transduction pathways, and biological processes which are relevant for mESCs differentiation have been identified and discussed below.

scholarly journals The Production and Directed Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells

2006 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 208-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Trounson
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Regenerative Medicine ◽  
Human Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Directed Differentiation ◽  
Hesc Lines

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are being rapidly produced from chromosomally euploid, aneuploid, and mutant human embryos that are available from in vitro fertilization clinics treating patients for infertility or preimplantation genetic diagnosis. These hESC lines are an important resource for functional genomics, drug screening, and, perhaps eventually, cell and gene therapy. The methods for deriving hESCs are well established and repeatable and are relatively successful with a ratio of 1:10 to 1:2 new hESC lines produced from 4- to 8-d-old morula and blastocysts and from isolated inner cell mass cell clusters of human blastocysts. The hESCs can be formed and maintained on human somatic cells in humanized serum-free culture conditions and for several passages in cell-free culture systems. The hESCs can be transfected with DNA constructs. Their gene expression profiles are being described and immunological characteristics determined. They may be grown indefinitely in vitro while maintaining their original karyotype and epigenetic status, but this needs to be confirmed from time to time in long-term cultures. hESCs spontaneously differentiate in the absence of the appropriate cell feeder layer, when overgrown in culture and when isolated from the ESC colony. All three major embryonic lineages are produced in differentiating flat attachment cultures and unattached embryoid bodies. Cell progenitors of interest can be identified by markers, expression of reporter genes, and characteristic morphology, and the cells thereafter enriched for progenitor types and further culture to more mature cell types. Directed differentiation systems are well developed for ectodermal pathways that result in neural and glial cells and the mesendodermal pathway for cardiac muscle cells and many other cell types including hematopoietic progenitors and endothelial cells. Directed differentiation into endoderm has been more difficult to achieve, perhaps because of the lack of markers of early progenitors in this lineage. There are reports of enriched cultures of keratinocytes, pigmented retinal epithelium, neural crest cells and motor neurons, hepatic progenitors, and cells that have some markers of gut tissue and pancreatic islet-like cells. The prospects for use of hESC derivatives in regenerative medicine are significant, and there is much optimism for their potential contributions to human regenerative medicine.

scholarly journals Thyroid Hormone Signaling in Embryonic Stem Cells: Crosstalk with the Retinoic Acid Pathway

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 8945
Author(s):  
Mercedes Fernández ◽  
Micaela Pannella ◽  
Vito Antonio Baldassarro ◽  
Alessandra Flagelli ◽  
Giuseppe Alastra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Retinoic Acid ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Thyroid Hormone ◽  
Nuclear Receptors ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Postnatal Life ◽  
Gene And Protein Expression

While the role of thyroid hormones (THs) during fetal and postnatal life is well-established, their role at preimplantation and during blastocyst development remains unclear. In this study, we used an embryonic stem cell line isolated from rat (RESC) to study the effects of THs and retinoic acid (RA) on early embryonic development during the pre-implantation stage. The results showed that THs play an important role in the differentiation/maturation processes of cells obtained from embryoid bodies (EB), with thyroid hormone nuclear receptors (TR) (TRα and TRβ), metabolic enzymes (deiodinases 1, 2, 3) and membrane transporters (Monocarboxylate transporters -MCT- 8 and 10) being expressed throughout in vitro differentiation until the Embryoid body (EB) stage. Moreover, thyroid hormone receptor antagonist TR (1-850) impaired RA-induced neuroectodermal lineage specification. This effect was significantly higher when cells were treated with retinoic acid (RA) to induce neuroectodermal lineage, studied through the gene and protein expression of nestin, an undifferentiated progenitor marker from the neuroectoderm lineage, as established by nestin mRNA and protein regulation. These results demonstrate the contribution of the two nuclear receptors, TR and RA, to the process of neuroectoderm maturation of the in vitro model embryonic stem cells obtained from rat.

Induction of Cardiomyocyte Differentiation From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells in a Confined Microfluidic Environment

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen-rei Wan ◽  
Seok Chung ◽  
Ryo Sudo ◽  
Roger D. Kamm
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Mechanical Stretch ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Negative Regulator ◽  
Differentiation Process ◽  
Cardiomyocyte Differentiation

Embryonic stem cell derived cardiomyocytes are deemed an attractive treatment option for myocardial infarction. Their clinical efficacy, however, has not been unequivocally demonstrated. There is a need for better understanding and characterization of the cardiogenesis process. A microfluidic platform in vitro is used to dissect and better understand the differentiation process. Through this study, we find that while embryoid bodies (EBs) flatten out in a well plate system, differentiated EBs self-assemble into complex 3D structures. The beating regions of EBs are also different. Most beating areas are observed in a ring pattern on 2D well plates around the center, self-assembled beating large 3D aggregates are found in microfluidic devices. Furthermore, inspired by the natural mechanical environment of the heart, we applied uniaxial cyclic mechanical stretch to EBs. Results suggest that prolonged mechanical stimulation acts as a negative regulator of cardiogenesis. From this study, we conclude that the culture environments can influence differentiation of embryonic stem cells into cardiomycytes, and that the use of microfluidic systems can provide new insights into the differentiation process.

scholarly journals Defining totipotency using criteria of increasing stringency

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eszter Posfai ◽  
John Paul Schell ◽  
Adrian Janiszewski ◽  
Isidora Rovic ◽  
Alexander Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Pluripotent Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Differentiated Cells ◽  
Totipotent Cell

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.

Hematopoietic Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells in Vitro : Comparison of Three Cell Lines

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 4787-4787
Author(s):  
Marion Brenot ◽  
Annelise Bennaceur-Griscelli ◽  
Marc Peschanski ◽  
Maria Teresa Mitjavila-Garcia
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Human Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Hematopoietic Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Hematopoietic Differentiation ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem

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.

scholarly journals Metalloproteinase regulation improves in vitro generation of efficacious platelets from mouse embryonic stem cells

2008 ◽  
Vol 205 (8) ◽  
pp. 1917-1927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hidekazu Nishikii ◽  
Koji Eto ◽  
Noriko Tamura ◽  
Koichi Hattori ◽  
Beate Heissig ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Blood Platelets ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Normal Platelet ◽  
Metalloproteinase Inhibitors ◽  
Flow Cytometric Sorting

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) could potentially compensate for the lack of blood platelets available for use in transfusions. Here, we describe a new method for generating mouse ESC-derived platelets (ESPs) that can contribute to hemostasis in vivo. Flow cytometric sorting of cells from embryoid bodies on day 6 demonstrated that c-Kit+ integrin αIIb (αIIb)+ cells, but not CD31+ cells or vascular endothelial cadherin+ cells, are capable of megakaryopoiesis and the release of platelet-like structures by day 12. αIIbβ3-expressing ESPs exhibited ectodomain shedding of glycoprotein (GP)Ibα, GPV, and GPVI, but not αIIbβ3 or GPIbβ. ESPs showed impaired αIIbβ3 activation and integrin-mediated actin reorganization, critical events for normal platelet function. However, the administration of metalloproteinase inhibitors GM6001 or TAPI-1 during differentiation increased the expression of GPIbα, improving both thrombogenesis in vitro and posttransfusion recovery in vivo. Thus, the regulation of metalloproteinases in culture could be useful for obtaining high-quality, efficacious ESPs as an alternative platelet source for transfusions.

scholarly journals Activation of the amino acid response modulates lineage specification during differentiation of murine embryonic stem cells

2013 ◽  
Vol 305 (3) ◽  
pp. E325-E335 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixiu Shan ◽  
Takashi Hamazaki ◽  
Tiffany A. Tang ◽  
Naohiro Terada ◽  
Michael S. Kilberg
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cells ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
Embryonic Stem Cells ◽  
Embryoid Body ◽  
Embryonic Stem ◽  
Embryoid Bodies ◽  
Specific Cell ◽  
Lineage Specification ◽  
Amino Acid Response

In somatic cells, a collection of signaling pathways activated by amino acid limitation have been identified and referred to as the amino acid response (AAR). Despite the importance of possible detrimental effects of nutrient limitation during in vitro culture, the AAR has not been investigated in embryonic stem cells (ESC). AAR activation caused the expected increase in transcription factors that mediate specific AAR pathways, as well as the induction of asparagine synthetase, a terminal AAR target gene. Neither AAR activation nor stable knockdown of activating transcription factor (Atf) 4, a transcriptional mediator of the AAR, adversely affected ESC self-renewal or pluripotency. Low-level induction of the AAR over a 12-day period of embryoid body differentiation did alter lineage specification such that the primitive endodermal, visceral endodermal, and endodermal lineages were favored, whereas mesodermal and certain ectodermal lineages were suppressed. Knockdown of Atf4 further enhanced the AAR-induced increase in endodermal formation, suggesting that this phenomenon is mediated by an Atf4-independent mechanism. Collectively, the results indicate that, during differentiation of mouse embryoid bodies in culture, the availability of nutrients, such as amino acids, can influence the formation of specific cell lineages.

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