Project description:Gene expression profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells with hTERT/E6/E7 transfected MSCs. hTERT may change gene expression in MSCs. Goal was to determine the gene expressions of immortalized MSCs.
Project description:Transcriptional profiling of human mesenchymal stem cells comparing normoxic MSCs cells with hypoxic MSCs cells. Hypoxia may inhibit senescence of MSCs during expansion. Goal was to determine the effects of hypoxia on global MSCs gene expression.
Project description:We describe a so far uncharacterized, embryonic and self-renewing Neural Plate Border Stem Cell (NBSC) population with the capacity to differentiate into central nervous and neural crest lineages. NBSCs can be obtained by neural transcription factor-mediated reprogramming (BRN2, SOX2, KLF4, and ZIC3) of human adult dermal fibroblasts and peripheral blood cells (induced Neural Plate Border Stem Cells, iNBSCs) or by directed differentiation from human induced pluripotent stem cells (NBSCs). Moreover, human (i)NBSCs share molecular and functional features with an endogenous NBSC population isolated from neural folds of E8.5 mouse embryos. Upon differentiation, iNBSCs give rise to either (1) radial glia-type stem cells, dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons, motoneurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes or (2) cells from the neural crest lineage. Here we provide array-based methylation data of iNBSCs reprogrammed from adult dermal fibroblasts (ADF), iPSC-derived NBSCs and adult dermal fibroblasts. The data provided demonstrate robust changes in the methylation landscape after reprogramming of human adult dermal fibroblasts into iNBSCs.
Project description:Direct reprogramming approaches offer an attractive alternative to stem-cell-derived models, allowing the retention of epigenetic information and age-associated cellular phenotypes. To explore such age-related phenotypes, several groups have generated multiple neuronal subtypes, neural progenitor cells, oligodendrocytes, and other cell types directly from fibroblasts. Other groups have had success at the efficient conversion of embryonic fibroblasts to astrocytes but have not yet achieved similar conversion efficiency for adult human fibroblasts. In order to generate astrocytes for the study of age-related diseases, we developed an improved direct conversion strategy employing a combination of small molecules to activate specific pathways that induce trans-differentiation of human adult fibroblasts to astrocytes. We demonstrate that this method produces mature GFAP+/S100β+ cells at high efficiency (40-45%), comparable to previous studies utilizing embryonic fibroblasts. Further, Fibroblast-derived induced Astrocytes (FdiAs) are enriched for markers of astrocyte functionality, including ion-channel buffering, gap-junction communication, and glutamate uptake; and exhibit astrocyte-like calcium signaling and neuroinflammatory phenotypes. RNA-Seq analysis indicates an adult rather than fetal astrocytic gene expression signature, with a greater correlation to temporal lobe astrocytes. Fibroblast-derived induced astrocytes provide a useful tool in understanding age-associated disease processes and complement existing in vitro models of induced neurons (iNs), providing an additional platform to study late-stage brain disorders.