Project description:We analyzed the effects of cellular context on the function of the synovial sarcoma-specific fusion protein, SS18-SSX, using human pluripotent stem cells containing the drug-inducible SS18-SSX gene. To investigate the cell-type-dependent effecfts of SS18-SSX, we performed gene expression profiling experiments. Comparison of global gene expressions of hPSCs, hPSC-NCCs, and hPSC-MSCs with or without the inductuion of SS18-SSX2
Project description:In this work, we generated early human amnion-like tissues by culturing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in a bioengineered implantation-like niche in vitro. To explore the gene expression profile of hPSC-derived amnion-like cells (hPSC-amnion), we performed mRNA-sequencing for both undifferentiated hPSCs and hPSC-amnion. Here we show that hPSC-amnion differs from hPSCs by actively regulating a comprehensive set of transcriptional regulation network and developmental signaling pathways such as BMP-SMAD signaling.
Project description:Pathogenic mutations in alpha kinase 3 (ALPK3) cause cardiomyopathy and a range of musculoskeletal defects. How ALPK3 mutations result in disease remains unclear and little is known about this atypical kinase. Using a suite of engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) we show that ALPK3 localizes to the sarcomere, specifically at the M-Band. Both sarcomeric organization and calcium kinetics were disrupted in ALPK3 deficient hPSC derived cardiomyocytes. Further, cardiac organoids derived from ALPK3 knockout hPSCs displayed reduced force generation. Phosphoproteomic profiling of wildtype and ALPK3 null hPSC derived cardiomyocytes revealed ALPK3-dependant phospho-peptides were enriched for proteins involved in sarcomere function and protein quality control. We demonstrate that ALPK3 binds to the selective autophagy receptor SQSTM1 (Sequestome 1) and is required for the sarcomeric localization of SQSTM1. We propose that ALPK3 is a myogenic kinase with an integral role in the intracellular signaling networks underlying sarcomere maintenance required for continued cardiac contractility.
Project description:Pathogenic mutations in alpha kinase 3 (ALPK3) cause cardiomyopathy and a range of musculoskeletal defects. How ALPK3 mutations result in disease remains unclear and little is known about this atypical kinase. Using a suite of engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) we show that ALPK3 localizes to the sarcomere, specifically at the M-Band. Both sarcomeric organization and calcium kinetics were disrupted in ALPK3 deficient hPSC derived cardiomyocytes. Further, cardiac organoids derived from ALPK3 knockout hPSCs displayed reduced force generation. Phosphoproteomic profiling of wildtype and ALPK3 null hPSC derived cardiomyocytes revealed ALPK3-dependant phospho-peptides were enriched for proteins involved in sarcomere function and protein quality control. We demonstrate that ALPK3 binds to the selective autophagy receptor SQSTM1 (Sequestome 1) and is required for the sarcomeric localization of SQSTM1. We propose that ALPK3 is a myogenic kinase with an integral role in the intracellular signaling networks underlying sarcomere maintenance required for continued cardiac contractility.
Project description:Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) can differentiate into all cell types in the body that may replace current cell sources applied in regenerative medicine, cell therapy, drug discovery and development and general research. Human PSC-derived hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) have the potential to replace primary hepatocytes and other cell models applied in liver disease treatment and drug discovery and development. These cells share many features with their in vivo counterparts however, the generation of fully functional hPSC-derive HLCs is still lacking, which prevent their application in the previously mentioned fields. This study followed the transcriptome dynamics during the differentiation of hPSC-derived HLCs at definitive endoderm, hepatoblast, early HLC and late HLC developmental stages and the controls hPSCs and human liver tissues which consists of at least 70% hepatocytes. The aim is to reveal expression deviations between hPSC-derived hepatocytes and their in vivo counterparts that may contribute to the modification of differentiation protocols to generate fully functional hepatocytes.
Project description:The tumorigenicity of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is a major safety concern for their application in regenerative medicine. Here we identify the tight-junction protein Claudin-6 as a specific cell surface marker of hPSCs that can be used to selectively remove Claudin-6-positive cells from mixed cultures. We show that Claudin-6 is absent in adult tissues but highly expressed in undifferentiated cells, where it is dispensable for hPSC survival and self-renewal. We use three different strategies to remove Claudin-6-positive cells from mixed populations: an antibody against Claudin-6; a cytotoxin-conjugated antibody that selectively targets undifferentiated cells; and clostridium perfringens enterotoxin, a toxin that binds several Claudins, including Claudin-6, and efficiently kills undifferentiated cells, thus eliminating the tumorigenic potential of hPSC-containing cultures. This work provides a proof of concept for the use of Claudin-6 to eliminate residual undifferentiated hPSCs from culture, highlighting a strategy that may increase the safety of hPSC-based cell therapies. total RNA was isolated from teratomas or from embryoid bodies differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells
Project description:Underdeveloped lungs are the primary cause of death in premature infants, however, little is known about stem and progenitor cell maintenance during human lung development. In this study, we have identified that FGF7, Retinoic Acid and CHIR-99021, a small molecule that inhibits GSK3 to activate Wnt signaling, support in vitro maintenance of primary human fetal lung bud tip progenitor cells in a progenitor state. Furthermore, these factors are sufficient to derive a population of human bud tip-like progenitor cells in 3D organoid structures from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC). Functional studies showed that hPSC-derived bud tip progenitor organoids do not contain any mesenchymal cell types, maintain multilineage potential in vitro and are able to engraft into the airways of injured mice and respond to systemic factors. We performed RNA-sequencing to assess the degree of similarity in global gene expression profiles between the full human fetal lung (59-127 days gestation), isolated human fetal bud tip progenitors, organoids grown from primary fetal bud tip progenitors, and hPSC-derived bud tip organoids. Results showed that hPSC-derived organoids have molecular profiles similar to organoids generated from primary human fetal lung tissue. Gene expression differences between hPSC-derived bud tip organoids and fetal progenitor organoids may be related to the presence of contaminating mesenchymal cells in primary cultures. hPSC-derived bud tip organoids are generated from a well-defined human cell sources, offering a distinct advantage over rare primary tissue as a means to study human specific lung development, homeostasis and disease.<br>Sample Nomenclature - Description<br> -------------------------------------------------------------------------<br> Peripheral fetal lung the distal/peripheral portion of the fetal lung (i.e., distal 0.5 cm) was excised from the rest of the lung using a scalpel. This includes all components of the lung (e.g., epithelial, mesenchymal, vascular). <br>Isolated fetal bud tip the bud peripheral portion of the fetal lung was excised with a scalpel and subjected to enzymatic digestion and microdissection. The epithelium was dissected and separated from the mesenchyme, but a small amount of associated mesenchyme likely remained. <br>Fetal progenitor organoid 3D organoid structures that arose from culturing isolated fetal epithelial bud tips. <br>Foregut spheroid 3D foregut endoderm structure as described in Dye et al. (2015). Gives rise to patterned lung organoid (PLO) when grown in 3F medium. <br> Patterned lung organoid (PLO) lung organoids that were generated by differentiating hPSCs, as described throughout the manuscript. <br> Bud tip organoid organoids derived from PLOs, enriched for SOX2/SOX9 co-expressing cells, and grown/passaged in 3F medium.
Project description:Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have the potential to generate any human cell type, and one widely recognized goal is to make pancreatic β cells. To this end, comparisons between differentiated cell types produced in vitro and their in vivo counterparts are essential to validate hPSC-derived cells. Genome-wide transcriptional analysis of sorted insulin-expressing (INS(+)) cells derived from three independent hPSC lines, human fetal pancreata, and adult human islets points to two major conclusions: (i) Different hPSC lines produce highly similar INS(+) cells and (ii) hPSC-derived INS(+) (hPSC-INS(+)) cells more closely resemble human fetal β cells than adult β cells. This study provides a direct comparison of transcriptional programs between pure hPSC-INS(+) cells and true β cells and provides a catalog of genes whose manipulation may convert hPSC-INS(+) cells into functional β cells RNA is isolated and processed using MARIS from the following samples: H1 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in duplicate, HUES8 hESCs in duplicate, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) in duplicate, H1 cells differentiated to a stage in which insulin-expressing cells are present (stage 6) in duplicate, HUES8 cells differentiated to stage 6 in duplicate, hiPSCs differentiated to stage 6, insulin-expressing cells sorted from H1 cells differentiated to stage 6 in duplicate, insulin-expressing cells sorted from HUES8 cells differentiated to stage 6 in duplicate, insulin-expressing cells sorted from hiPSCs differentiated to stage 6 in duplicate, human week 16 fetal pancreata in duplicate, insulin-expressing cells sorted from human week 16 fetal pancreata in triplicate, adult human pancreatic islets in triplicate, and insulin-expressing cells sorted from adult human pancreatic islets in triplicate.
Project description:Genetically engineered human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been proposed as a source for transplantation therapies and are rapidly becoming valuable tools for human disease modeling. However, many of the potential applications are still limited by the lack of robust differentiation paradigms that allow for the isolation of defined functional tissues. These challenges could be overcome by the use of adult tissue stem cells derived from hPSCs, as their restricted potential could limit the differentiation towards other undesired linages, and allow in vitro expansion and long- term propagation of fully differentiated tissue. To isolate adult stem cells from hPSCs, we applied genome-editing to generate an LGR5-GFP reporter system and subsequently developed a differentiation protocol for human intestinal tissue comprising an adult stem cell niche and all major cell types of the adult intestine. This novel derivation protocol is highly robust and even permits the isolation of intestinal organoids without the LGR5 reporter. Transcriptional profiling, electron microscopy and functional analysis revealed that such human organoid cultures could be derived with high purity, and a composition and morphology similar to that of cultures obtained from human biopsies. Importantly, hPSC-derived organoids responded to the canonical signaling pathways that control self-renewal and differentiation in the adult human intestinal stem cell compartment. With our ability to genetically engineer hPSCs using site-specific nucleases, this adult stem cell system provides a novel platform by which to study human intestinal disease in vitro. RNA from primary organoid samples was isolated from organoid lines that were both cultured for 1-6 months and derived from duodenum, ileum, or rectum biopsies of human subjects as described previously (Sato et al., Gastroenterology 2011) grown in media called WENR+inhibitors. RNA was also isolated from various steps in the culturing and differentiation protocol.