Unknown,Transcriptomics,Genomics,Proteomics

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Gene expression analysis of FOXN1+ thymic endoderm cells derived from the in vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells

ABSTRACT: The goal of this study was to document the gene expression profile of FOXN1+ thymic endoderm cells derived from the in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells. Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) play a critical role in T-cell maturation and tolerance induction. The generation of TECs from in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) would provide a platform for studying the mechanisms of this interaction and have implications for immune reconstitution. To facilitate analysis of PSC-derived TECs, we generated human embryonic stem cell (hESC) reporter lines in which sequences encoding GFP were targeted to FOXN1, a gene required for TEC development. Using this FOXN1GFP/w line as a read out, we developed a reproducible protocol for generating FOXN1-GFP+ thymic endoderm cells. Transcriptional profiling and flow cytometry identified Integrin-β4 (ITGB4, CD104) and HLA-DR as markers that could be used in combination with EpCAM to selectively purify FOXN1+ TEC progenitors from differentiating cultures of unmanipulated PSCs. Human FOXN1+ TEC progenitors generated from PSCs will facilitate the study of thymus biology and are a valuable resource for future applications in regenerative medicine Human embryonic stem cells were differentiated for 30 days using the protocol described by Soh et al, 2014. The hESCs used in this protocol had been genetically modified by targeting sequences encoding GFP to the FOXN1 locus, thus enabling FOXN1 expressing cells to be identified on the basis of GFP expression. At differentiation day 30, differentiating cells were separated into three fractions using FACS. These fractions were the FOXN1+(GFP+)EpCAM+, FOXN1-(GFP-)EpCAM+, FOXN1-(GFP-)EpCAM-.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Ed Stanley

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-56373 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress

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Project description:Purpose: In all vertebrates, the thymus is necessary and sufficient for production of classic adaptive T cells. The key components of the thymus are cortical and medullary thymic epithelial cells (cTECs and mTECs). Despite the capital role of TECs, our understanding of TEC biology is quite rudimentary. For instance, we ignore what might be the extent of divergence in the functional program of these two TECs populations. It also remains unclear why the number of TECs decreases rapidly with age, thereby leading to progressive thymic insufficiency. Methods: Systems level understanding of cell function begins with gene expression profiling, and the transcriptome is currently the only '-ome' that can be reliably tackled in its entirety in freshly harvested primary cells. In order to gain novel insights into TEC biology, we therefore decided to analyse the whole transcriptome of cTECs, mTECs and skin epithelial cells. We elected to analyse gene expression using RNA-seq rather microarrays because RNA-seq has higher sensitivity and dynamic range coupled to lower technical variations. Results: Our deep sequencing approach provides a unique perspective into the transcriptome of TECs. Consistent with their ability to express ectopic genes, we found that mTECs expressed more genes than other cell populations. Out of a total of 15,069 genes expressed in TECs, 25% were differentially expressed by at least 5-fold in cTECs vs. mTECs. Genes expressed at higher levels in cTECs than mTECs regulate numerous cell functions including cell differentiation, cell movement and microtubule dynamics. Almost all positive regulators of the cell cycle were overexpressed in skin ECs relative to TECs. Conclusions: Our RNA-seq data provide novel insights into the transcriptional landscape of TECs, highlight substantial divergences in the transcriptome of TEC subsets and suggest that cell cycle progression is differentially regulated in TECS and skinECs. We believe that our work will therefore represent a valuable resource and will be of great interest to readers working in biological sciences, particularly in the areas of immunology and systems biology. The mRNA profiles of cTEC, mTEC (from 14 thymi of 7-days old C57BL/6 mice) and skinEC (from the trunk and dorsum of seven newborn mice) were generated by RNA-sequencing using Illumina HiSeq2000.

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Gene expression analysis of FOXN1+ thymic endoderm cells derived from the in vitro differentiation of human embryonic stem cells

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