Neuregulin/ErbB signaling regulates cardiac subtype specification in differentiating human embryonic stem cells.
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ABSTRACT: Human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs) exhibit either a "working" chamber or a nodal-like phenotype. To generate optimal hESC-CM preparations for eventual clinical application in cell-based therapies, we will need to control their differentiation into these specialized cardiac subtypes.To demonstrate intact neuregulin (NRG)-1?/ErbB signaling in hESC-CMs and test the hypothesis that this signaling pathway regulates cardiac subtype abundance in hESC-CM cultures.All experiments used hESC-CM cultures generated using our recently reported directed differentiation protocol. To support subsequent action potential phenotyping approaches and provide a higher-throughput method of determining cardiac subtype, we first developed and validated a novel genetic label that identifies nodal-type hESC-CMs. Next, control hESC-CM preparations were compared to those differentiated in the presence of exogenous NRG-1?, an anti-NRG-1? neutralizing antibody, or the ErbB antagonist AG1478. We used 3 independent approaches to determine the ratio of cardiac subtypes in the resultant populations: direct action potential phenotyping under current-clamp, activation of the aforementioned genetic label, and subtype-specific marker expression by RT-PCR. Using all 3 end points, we found that inhibition of NRG-1?/ErbB signaling greatly enhanced the proportion of cells showing the nodal phenotype.NRG-1?/ErbB signaling regulates the ratio of nodal- to working-type cells in differentiating hESC-CM cultures and presumably functions similarly during early human heart development. We speculate that, by manipulating NRG-1?/ErbB signaling, it will be possible to generate preparations of enriched working-type myocytes for infarct repair, or, conversely, nodal cells for potential use in a biological pacemaker.
SUBMITTER: Zhu WZ
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2941561 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Sep
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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