Project description:During embryogenesis, cell specification and tissue formation is directed by the concentration and temporal presentation of morphogens, and similarly, pluripotent embryonic stem cells differentiate in vitro into various phenotypes in response to morphogen treatment. Embryonic stem cells are commonly differentiated as three dimensional spheroids called embryoid bodies (EBs); however, differentiation within EBs is typically heterogeneous and disordered. Here we show that spatiotemporal control of microenvironmental cues embedded directly within EBs enhances the homogeneity, synchrony and organization of differentiation. Degradable polymer microspheres releasing retinoic acid within EBs induce the formation of cystic spheroids closely resembling the early streak mouse embryo, with an exterior of visceral endoderm enveloping an epiblast layer. These results demonstrate that controlled morphogen presentation to stem cells more efficiently directs cell differentiation and tissue formation, thereby improving developmental biology models and enabling the development of regenerative medicine therapies and cell diagnostics.
Project description:S6K1 Knockout mice has a lean phenotype and resitant to a High Fat Diet-induced obesity (Um S.H., Nature, 2004). Adipocyte differentiation consists of two step, first, commitment from stem cell to adipocyte progenitors and second, terminal differentiation from adipocyte progenitors to mature adipocyte. We studied S6K1-dependent gene expression regulation in early stage of commitment by employing ES cell(ESC)-Embryoid Bodies(EBs) differentiation model. We established stable ES cell lines infected with either control non-silencing shRNA (shNS) or S6K1 targetting shRNA (shS6K1). Each sample was treated with retinoic acid for 3 days to induce adipogenesis, then gene expression profile was analyzed employing microarrays and up-regulated and down-regulated genes were selected for analysis. Mouse Embryoid Bodies (approximately 1000 EBs per sample) were treated with retinoic acid (1µM) for 3 days then collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affimetrix microarray. Two biological replicates were each performed for EBs prepared from either shNS ESCs or shS6K1 ESCs.
Project description:The aim of this study is to profile gene expression dynamics during the in vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells into ventral motor neurons. Expression levels were profiled using Affymetrix microarrays at six timepoints during in vitro differentiation: ES cells (Day 0), embryoid bodies (Day 2), retinoid induction of neurogenesis (Day 2 +8hours of exposure to retinoic acid), neural precursors (Day 3), progenitor motor neurons (Day 4), postmitotic motor neurons (Day 7). The differentiation of ventral motor neurons is induced by treating embryonic stem cell cultures with retinoic acid and hedgehog agonist. Here, gene expression patterns are profiled at various defined stages during the differentiation process using Affymetrix expression arrays.
Project description:The aim of this study is to profile gene expression dynamics during the in vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells into ventral motor neurons. Expression levels were profiled using Affymetrix microarrays at six timepoints during in vitro differentiation: ES cells (Day 0), embryoid bodies (Day 2), retinoid induction of neurogenesis (Day 2 +8hours of exposure to retinoic acid), neural precursors (Day 3), progenitor motor neurons (Day 4), postmitotic motor neurons (Day 7).
Project description:During embryogenesis, cell specification and tissue formation is directed by the concentration and temporal presentation of morphogens, and similarly, pluripotent embryonic stem cells differentiate in vitro into various phenotypes in response to morphogen treatment. Embryonic stem cells are commonly differentiated as three dimensional spheroids called embryoid bodies (EBs); however, differentiation within EBs is typically heterogeneous and disordered. Here we show that spatiotemporal control of microenvironmental cues embedded directly within EBs enhances the homogeneity, synchrony and organization of differentiation. Degradable polymer microspheres releasing retinoic acid within EBs induce the formation of cystic spheroids closely resembling the early streak mouse embryo, with an exterior of visceral endoderm enveloping an epiblast layer. These results demonstrate that controlled morphogen presentation to stem cells more efficiently directs cell differentiation and tissue formation, thereby improving developmental biology models and enabling the development of regenerative medicine therapies and cell diagnostics. Experiment Overall Design: ESCs (D3 line) were maintained in an undifferentiated state on gelatin-coated tissue culture plates in LIF-containing media as described previously. EBs were formed from 2x106 ESCs inoculated in LIF-free media and cultured under rotary conditions. EBs containing microspheres were produced by coating CellTracker Red (CONTROLs) or RA-loaded (EXPERIMENTs) microspheres in 0.1% gelatin solution for 3 hours prior to mixing with ESCs in various microsphere to cell ratios and a range of rotary speeds. EB media was exchanged every 1-2 days as needed. Experiment Overall Design: Triplicate control and experiment EBs were processed for microarray.
Project description:Retinoic Acid Receptors (RARs) bind RA-response elements in regulatory regions of their target genes. While canonical RAREs comprise direct repeats of the consensus 5’-RGKTCA-3’ sequence separated by 1, 2 or 5 nucleotides (DR1, DR2, DR5), we show that shortly after RA treatement of mouse embryoid bodies or F9 cells, RARs occupy a large repertoire of DR0, DR2, DR5, DR8 and IR0 elements. In vitro, RAR-RXR bind these non-canonical spacings with comparable affinities to DR2 and DR5. Most DR8 elements comprise three half sites with DR2 and DR0 spacings. This specific half site organisation constitutes a previously unrecognised, but frequent signature of RAR binding elements and acts as an RARE. At later stages of embryoid body differentiation, RARs relocalise to a restricted repertoire of sites comprising predominantly DR5 elements. Differentiation thus involves genomic relocalisation of RARs, and a switch from DR0 and DR8 at early times to DR5 at later stages. Examination of genomic localisation of RAR in differentiating embryoid bodies.
Project description:To identify potential Elongin A targets during neuronal differentiation of ES cells, a cDNA microarray analysis comparing embryoid bodies (EBs) derived from Elongin A+/+ ES cells and Elongin A-/- ES cells was performed. Gene expression in EBs derived from Elongin A+/+ and Elongin A-/- ES cells was measured at day 4 after retinoic acid treatment (2 ?M).
Project description:Occupancies of promoters by TBP, PolII, TFIIB as well as chromatin marks H3K4Me3 and H3K27ac were compared in embryonic stem cells (ESC) and in embryoid bodies (EB) treated with retinoic acid (RA) derived from the WT and Taf4a-/- lineages. Reduced occupancies for these factors and decreased signals for H3K4Me3 and H3K27ac were observed for genes associated with neuronal differentiation in EB of Taf4a-/- line compared to EB of WT line.
Project description:Geminin is a small nucleoprotein that neuralizes ectoderm in the Xenopus embryo. Geminin promotes neural fate acquisition of mouse embryonic stem cells: Geminin knockdown during neural fate acquisition decreased expression of neural precursor cell markers (Pax6, Sox1), while increasing expression of Pitx2, Lefty1 and Cited2, genes involved in formation of the mouse node. Here we differentiated mouse embryonic stem cells into embryoid bodies to study Geminin's ability to repress primitive streak mesendoderm fate acquisition. We used microarrays to define the sets of genes that are regulated by Geminin during cell fate acquisition in embryoid bodies, using Dox-inducible Geminin knockdown or overexpression mouse embryonic stem cell lines.