Project description:We performed single-cell RNA-seq of human iPSC-derived long-term self-renewing neural epithelial stem cells (hiPSC-lt-NES cells) using Quartz-seq methods to characterize cellular heterogeneity .
Project description:Extracellular Vesicles (EV) are an attractive therapy to boost cardiac regeneration. Nevertheless, identification of EV and corresponding cell platform(s) suitable for therapeutic application, is still a challenge. Here, we isolated EV from key stages of the human induced pluripotent stem cell-cardiomyocyte (hiPSC-CM) differentiation and maturation, i.e., from hiPSC (hiPSC-EV), cardiac progenitors (CPC-EV), immature (CMi-EV) and mature (CMm-EV) cardiomyocytes, with the aim of identifying a promising cell biofactory for EV production, and pinpoint the genetic signatures of bioactive EV. EV were characterized in terms of expression of specific markers, yield, and size. Bioactivity was assessed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and hiPSC-CM. Small RNA-Seq was performed to identify the differentially expressed miRNA in the four EV groups. Bioactivity assays showed increased tube formation and migration in HUVEC treated with hiPSC-EV compared to EV from committed cell populations. hiPSC-EV also significantly increased hiPSC-CM proliferation. Global miRNA expression profiles corroborated an EV-miRNA pattern indicative of stem cell to cardiomyocyte specification. A stemness maintenance miRNA cluster upregulated in hiPSC-EV was found to target the PTEN/PI3K/AKT pathway. Moreover, hiPSC-EV treatment mediated PTEN suppression and increased AKT phosphorylation. Overall, our findings validate hiPSC as suitable cell biofactories for EV production for cardiac regenerative applications.
Project description:Energy metabolism is a key aspect of cardiomyocyte biology. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CM) are a promising tool for biomedical application, but they are immature and have not undergone metabolic shift related to early postnatal development. Cultivation of hiPSC-CM in 3D engineered heart tissue (EHT) format leads to morphological maturation. This study compared the mitochondrial and metabolic state of hiPSC-CM in standard 2D culture and the EHT format and determined the influence of contractile activity. HiPSC-CM in EHTs showed ~2-fold higher number of mitochondria (electron microscopy), mitochondrial mass (mitotracker), DNA (Mt-ND1, Mt-ND2), and protein abundance (proteome) than in 2D culture. While hiPSC-CM exhibited the principal ability to use glucose, lactate and fatty acids as energy substrates irrespective of culture format, hiPSC-CM in 3D performed more oxidation of glucose, lactate and fatty acid, and less anaerobic glycolysis. The increase in mitochondrial mass and DNA in 3D was diminished by pharmacological inhibition of contractile force, suggesting that contractile work participates in mitochondrial development hiPSC-CM. In conclusion, contractile work in the EHT format contributes to metabolic maturation of hiPSC-CM.
Project description:Schizophrenia is a debilitating neurological disorder for which no cure exists. Few defining characteristics of schizophrenic neurons have been identified and the molecular mechanisms responsible for schizophrenia are not well understood, in part due to the lack of patient material for study. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) offer a new strategy for studying schizophrenia. We have created the first cell-based human model of a complex genetic psychiatric disease by generating hiPSCs from schizophrenic patients and subsequently differentiating these cells to hiPSC-derived neurons in vitro. Schizophrenic hiPSC-derived neurons showed diminished neuronal connectivity in conjunction with decreased neurite number, PSD95-protein levels and glutamate receptor expression. Gene expression profiles of schizophrenic hiPSC-derived neurons identified altered expression of many components of the cAMP and WNT signaling pathways. Key cellular and molecular elements of the schizophrenic phenotype were ameliorated following treatment of schizophrenic hiPSC-derived neurons with the antipsychotic loxapine. 3 independent differentiations (biological replicates) for each of four control and four schizophrenic patients were analyzed.
Project description:DMD is a genetic disease, which leads to muscle weakness and cardiomyopathy. The latter remains incurable, being the main cause of death in DMD, therefore new therapeutic strategies are being sought to provide effective treatment. One of them considers upregulation of utrophin, a protein structurally and functionally homologous to dystrophin. In this study proteomic analysis of dystrophin-deficient and both dystrophin- and utrophin-deficient hiPSC-CM indicated on considerable differences in terms of contraction-related mechanisms. We thus investigated the role of utrophin in the maintenance of electrophysiological properties of DMD hiPSC-CM using the cells with additional utrophin deficiency and with utrophin upregulation. Obtained results indicated on disturbance of calcium handling in DMD hiPSC-CM, even more pronounced in DMD/UTRN KO hiPSC-CM and increased values of AHP in DMD hiPSC-CM. Utrophin upregulation improved both calcium oscillations and AHP values. Our findings highlight utrophin as important in the maintenance of the electrophysiological properties of DMD hiPSC-CM.
Project description:We aimed to assess whether Wnt-modulation could contribute to mature hiPSC-derived insulin-producing cells in vitro. Building our hypothesis on our previous findings of Wnt activation in immature hiPSC-derived insulin-producing cells compared to adult human islets and with recent data reporting a link between Wnt/PCP and in vitro beta-cell maturation. In this study we stimulated hiPSC-derived insulin-producing cells with syntetic proteins including WNT3A, WNT4, WNT5A and WNT5B as well as inhibiting endogeneous Wnt signaling with Tankyrase inhibitor G007-LK.
Project description:Analysis of the microRNA profile exression in hiPSC-CMs. Results provide important information of the miRNAs expressed in hiPSC-CMs under control conditions.