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Characterization of an in vitro differentiation assay for pancreatic-like cell development from murine embryonic stem cells: detailed gene expression analysis.

ABSTRACT: Embryonic stem (ES) cell technology may serve as a platform for the discovery of drugs to treat diseases such as diabetes. However, because of difficulties in establishing reliable ES cell differentiation methods and in creating cost-effective plating conditions for the high-throughput format, screening for molecules that regulate pancreatic beta cells and their immediate progenitors has been limited. A relatively simple and inexpensive differentiation protocol that allows efficient generation of insulin-expressing cells from murine ES cells was previously established in our laboratories. In this report, this system is characterized in greater detail to map developmental cell stages for future screening experiments. Our results show that sequential activation of multiple gene markers for undifferentiated ES cells, epiblast, definitive endoderm, foregut, and pancreatic lineages was found to follow the sequence of events that mimics pancreatic ontogeny. Cells that expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein, driven by pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 or insulin 1 promoter, correctly expressed known beta cell lineage markers. Overexpression of Sox17, an endoderm fate-determining transcription factor, at a very early stage of differentiation (days 2-3) enhanced pancreatic gene expression. Overexpression of neurogenin3, an endocrine progenitor cell marker, induced glucagon expression at stages when pancreatic and duodenal homeobox 1 message was present (days 10-16). Forced expression (between days 16 and 25) of MafA, a pancreatic maturation factor, resulted in enhanced expression of insulin genes, glucose transporter 2 and glucokinase, and glucose-responsive insulin secretion. Day 20 cells implanted in vivo resulted in pancreatic-like cells. Together, our differentiation assay recapitulates the proceedings and behaviors of pancreatic development and will be valuable for future screening of beta cell effectors.

SUBMITTER: Chen C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3148116 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Characterization of an in vitro differentiation assay for pancreatic-like cell development from murine embryonic stem cells: detailed gene expression analysis.

Chen Chialin C Chai Jing J Singh Lipi L Kuo Ching-Ying CY Jin Liang L Feng Tao T Marzano Scott S Galeni Sheetal S Zhang Nan N Iacovino Michelina M Qin Lihui L Hara Manami M Stein Roland R Bromberg Jonathan S JS Kyba Michael M Ku Hsun Teresa HT

Assay and drug development technologies 20110311 4

Embryonic stem (ES) cell technology may serve as a platform for the discovery of drugs to treat diseases such as diabetes. However, because of difficulties in establishing reliable ES cell differentiation methods and in creating cost-effective plating conditions for the high-throughput format, screening for molecules that regulate pancreatic beta cells and their immediate progenitors has been limited. A relatively simple and inexpensive differentiation protocol that allows efficient generation o ...[more]

PMID: 21395400

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Project description:Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the ability to form cells derived from all three germ layers, and as such have received significant attention as a possible source for insulin-secreting pancreatic beta-cells for diabetes treatment. While considerable advances have been made in generating hESC-derived insulin-producing cells, to date in vitro-derived glucose-responsive beta-cells have remained an elusive goal. With the objective of increasing the in vitro formation of pancreatic endocrine cells, we examined the effect of varying initial cell seeding density from 1.3 x 10(4) cells/cm(2) to 5.3 x 10(4) cells/cm(2) followed by a 21-day pancreatic endocrine differentiation protocol. Low density-seeded cells were found to be biased toward the G2/M phases of the cell cycle and failed to efficiently differentiate into SOX17-CXCR4 co-positive definitive endoderm cells leaving increased numbers of OCT4 positive cells in day 4 cultures. Moderate density cultures effectively formed definitive endoderm and progressed to express PDX1 in approximately 20% of the culture. High density cultures contained approximately double the numbers of PDX1 positive pancreatic progenitor cells and also showed increased expression of MNX1, PTF1a, NGN3, ARX, and PAX4 compared to cultures seeded at moderate density. The cultures seeded at high density displayed increased formation of polyhormonal pancreatic endocrine cell populations co-expressing insulin, glucagon and somatostatin. The maturation process giving rise to these endocrine cell populations followed the expected cascade of pancreatic progenitor marker (PDX1 and MNX1) expression, followed by pancreatic endocrine specification marker expression (BRN4, PAX4, ARX, NEUROD1, NKX6.1 and NKX2.2) and then pancreatic hormone expression (insulin, glucagon and somatostatin). Taken together these data suggest that initial cell seeding density plays an important role in both germ layer specification and pancreatic progenitor commitment, which precedes pancreatic endocrine cell formation. This work highlights the need to examine standard culture variables such as seeding density when optimizing hESC differentiation protocols.

Project description:Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) play a critical role in binding and activation of growth factors involved in cell signaling critical for developmental biology. The biosynthetic pathways for GAGs have been elucidated over the past decade and now analytical methodology makes it possible to determine GAG composition in as few as 10 million cells. A glycomics approach was used to examine GAG content, composition, and the level of transcripts encoding for GAG biosynthetic enzymes as murine embryonic stem cells (mESCs) differentiate to embryoid bodies (EBs) and to extraembryonic endodermal cells (ExE) to better understand the role of GAGs in stem cell differentiation. Hyaluronan synthesis was enhanced by 13- and 24-fold, most likely due to increased expression of hyaluronan synthase-2. Chondroitin sulfate (CS)/dermatan sulfate (DS) synthesis was enhanced by 4- and 6-fold, and heparan sulfate (HS) synthesis was enhanced by 5- and 8-fold following the transition from mESC to EB and ExE. Transcripts associated with the synthesis of the early precursors were largely unaltered, suggesting other factors account for enhanced GAG synthesis. The composition of both CS/DS and HS also changed upon differentiation. Interestingly, CS type E and highly sulfated HS both increase as mESCs differentiate to EBs and ExE. Differentiation was also accompanied by enhanced 2-sulfation in both CS/DS and HS families. Transcript levels for core proteins generally showed increases or remained constant upon mESC differentiation. Finally, transcripts encoding selected enzymes and isoforms, including GlcNAc-4,6-O-sulfotransferase, C5-epimerases, and 3-O-sulfotransferases involved in late GAG biosynthesis, were also enriched. These biosynthetic enzymes are particularly important in introducing GAG fine structure, essential for intercellular communication, cell adhesion, and outside-in signaling. Knowing the changes in GAG fine structure should improve our understanding the biological properties of differentiated stem cells.

Dataset Information

Characterization of an in vitro differentiation assay for pancreatic-like cell development from murine embryonic stem cells: detailed gene expression analysis.

Publications

Characterization of an in vitro differentiation assay for pancreatic-like cell development from murine embryonic stem cells: detailed gene expression analysis.

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