Differentiation Protocol (differentiation + protocol)

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Selected Abstracts


Changes in gene expression and morphology of mouse embryonic stem cells on differentiation into insulin-producing cells in vitro and in vivo

DIABETES/METABOLISM: RESEARCH AND REVIEWS, Issue 5 2009
Ortwin Naujok
Abstract Background Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the potential to produce unlimited numbers of surrogate insulin-producing cells for cell replacement therapy of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The impact of the in vivo environment on mouse ES cell differentiation towards insulin-producing cells was analysed morphologically after implantation. Methods ES cells differentiated in vitro into insulin-producing cells according to the Lumelsky protocol or a new four-stage differentiation protocol were analysed morphologically before and after implantation for gene expression by in situ reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and protein expression by immunohistochemistry and ultrastructural analysis. Results In comparison with nestin positive ES cells developed according to the reference protocol, the number of ES cells differentiated with the four-stage protocol increased under in vivo conditions upon morphological analysis. The cells exhibited, in comparison to the in vitro situation, increased gene and protein expression of Pdx1, insulin, islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP), the GLUT2 glucose transporter and glucokinase, which are functional markers for glucose-induced insulin secretion of pancreatic beta cells. Renal sub-capsular implantation of ES cells with a higher degree of differentiation achieved by in vitro differentiation with a four-stage protocol enabled further significant maturation for the beta-cell-specific markers, insulin and the co-stored IAPP as well as the glucose recognition structures. In contrast, further in vivo differentiation was not achieved with cells differentiated in vitro by the reference protocol. Conclusions A sufficient degree of in vitro differentiation is an essential prerequisite for further substantial maturation in a beta-cell-specific way in vivo, supported by cell-cell contacts and vascularisation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Generation of dopamine neurons from embryonic stem cells in the presence of the neuralizing activity of bone marrow stromal cells derived from adult mice

JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 13 2008
Aki Shintani
Abstract Stromal cell lines such as PA6 and MS5 have been employed for generating dopamine (DA) neurons from embryonic stem (ES) cells. The present study was designed to test whether bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) derived from adult mice might be available as a feeder layer to produce DA cells efficiently from ES cells. When ES cells were grown on BMSC in the presence of fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) and sonic hedgehog (SHH), about 40% of TuJ1-positive neurons expressed tyrosine hydroxylase (TH). Because these cells labeled with TH were negative for dopamine-,-hydroxylasae (DBH), the marker for noradrenergic and adrenergic neurons, the TH-positive cells were most likely DA neurons. They indeed expressed midbrain DA neuron markers such as Nurr 1, Ptx-3, and c-ret and were capable of synthesizing and releasing DA in vitro. Furthermore, DA neurons differentiated from ES cells in this differentiation protocol survived transplantation in rats with 6-hydroxydopamine lesions and reversed the lesion-induced circling behavior. The data indicate that BMSC can facilitate an efficient induction of DA neurons from ES cells and that the generated DA neurons are biologically functional both in vitro and in vivo. Insofar as BMSC have recently been employed in autologous cell therapy for ischemic heart and arteriosclerotic limb diseases, the present study raises the possibility that autologous BMSC can be applied in future cell transplantation therapy in Parkinson's disease. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Ethanol Alters the Osteogenic Differentiation of Amniotic Fluid-Derived Stem Cells

ALCOHOLISM, Issue 10 2010
Jennifer A. Hipp
Background:, Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a set of developmental defects caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Clinical manifestations of FASD are highly variable and include mental retardation and developmental defects of the heart, kidney, muscle, skeleton, and craniofacial structures. Specific effects of ethanol on fetal cells include induction of apoptosis as well as inhibition of proliferation, differentiation, and migration. This complex set of responses suggests that a bioinformatics approach could clarify some of the pathways involved in these responses. Methods:, In this study, the responses of fetal stem cells derived from the amniotic fluid (AFSCs) to treatment with ethanol have been examined. Large-scale transcriptome analysis of ethanol-treated AFSCs indicates that genes involved in skeletal development and ossification are up-regulated in these cells. Therefore, the effect of ethanol on osteogenic differentiation of AFSCs was studied. Results:, Exposure to ethanol during the first 48 hours of an osteogenic differentiation protocol increased in vitro calcium deposition by AFSCs and increased alkaline phosphatase activity. In contrast, ethanol treatment later in the differentiation protocol (day 8) had no significant effect on the activity of alkaline phosphatase. Conclusions:, These results suggest that transient exposure of AFSCs to ethanol during early differentiation enhances osteogenic differentiation of the cells. [source]


2131: Human pluripotent stem cells provide excellent source of functional pigment epithelial cells

ACTA OPHTHALMOLOGICA, Issue 2010
H SKOTTMAN
Purpose Defined differentiation of functional RPE cells from human embryonic (hESC) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) is a prerequisite for their use in individualised disease modelling, drug discovery and transplantation for retinal diseases. In this study we report differentiation of RPE cells from hESC and iPSC in condition enabling easy translation to clinical quality cell production. Methods Pluripotent stem cells were produced on human fibroblast feeder cells in serum-free medium. The differentiation of the cells was induced using bFGF and feeder cell removal approach under serum-free conditions. The pigmentation and RPE morphology of the cells were analysed and the expression of genes and proteins characteristics for RPE cells were studied. The in vitro functionality of the cells was analysed using ELISA measurements and phagocytosis of photoreceptor outer segments. The integrity of the generated RPE layer was analysed using transepithelial electric resistance (TEER) measurements. Results With our differentiation method, we were able to generate RPE cells with satisfying efficiency. The typical pigmented cobblestone-like morphology and expression of RPE specific markers were confirmed at gene and protein level. The differentiated cells were able to phagocytose and secreted growth factors typical for RPE cells. In addition, cells formed a well polarized epithelium with high integrity, exhibiting good TEER values. Conclusion We have developed progressive differentiation protocol for production of functional RPE cells from hESC and iPSC. The developed production method is currently translated to defined and animal component free conditions enabling clinical grade cell production. [source]


The effect of PKC activation and inhibition on osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

JOURNAL OF TISSUE ENGINEERING AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE, Issue 5 2010
Jun Liu
Abstract Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are being considered for several areas of clinical therapy, due to their multipotent nature. For instance, osteogenic hMSCs are applied in bone tissue engineering, but current differentiation protocols need further optimization before they can be clinically applied. Protein kinase C (PKC) family members have been implicated in bone metabolism, which prompted us to use a pharmaceutical approach to manipulate PKC signalling in hMSCs. Inhibition of PKC resulted in a dose-dependent inhibition of dexamethasone-induced osteogenic differentiation. Surprisingly, PKC activation using phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) also resulted in inhibition of osteogenesis, although we observed that inhibition was more pronounced at low than at high concentrations of PMA. Furthermore, we observed that inhibition of PKC, blocked alkaline phosphatase (ALP, an early marker of osteogenic differentiation) expression, whereas inhibition of the conventional PKC subfamily and PKCµ using Gö6976 resulted in an induction of ALP activity, collagen (I) expression and mineralization. In conclusion, inhibition of the conventional PKCs/PKCµ and activation of PKC, could further benefit osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs in vitro and in vivo, which is currently under investigation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Cartilage-like gene expression in differentiated human stem cell spheroids: A comparison of bone marrow,derived and adipose tissue,derived stromal cells

ARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 2 2003
Anja Winter
Objective To compare the chondrogenic potential of human bone marrow,derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSC) and adipose tissue,derived stromal cells (ATSC), because the availability of an unlimited cell source replacing human chondrocytes could be strongly beneficial for cell therapy, tissue engineering, in vitro drug screening, and development of new therapeutic options to enhance the regenerative capacity of human cartilage. Methods Quantitative gene expression of common cartilage and cell interaction molecules was analyzed using complementary DNA array technology and reverse transcription,polymerase chain reaction during optimization of cell differentiation, in order to achieve a molecular phenotype similar to that of chondrocytes in cartilage. Results The multilineage potential of BMSC and ATSC was similar according to cell morphology and histology, but minor differences in marker gene expression occurred in diverse differentiation pathways. Although chondrogenic differentiation of BMSC and ATSC was indistinguishable in monolayer and remained partial, only BMSC responded (with improved chondrogenesis) to a shift to high-density 3-dimensional cell culture, and reached a gene expression profile highly homologous to that of osteoarthritic (OA) cartilage. Conclusion Hypertrophy of chondrocytes and high matrix-remodeling activity in differentiated BMSC spheroids and in OA cartilage may be the basis for the strong similarities in gene expression profiles between these samples. Differentiated stem cell spheroids represent an attractive tool for use in drug development and identification of drug targets in OA cartilage,like tissue outside the human body. However, optimization of differentiation protocols to achieve the phenotype of healthy chondrocytes is desired for cell therapy and tissue engineering approaches. [source]


An efficient experimental strategy for mouse embryonic stem cell differentiation and separation of a cytokeratin-19-positive population of insulin-producing cells

CELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 4 2008
O. Naujok
Objectives: Embryonic stem cells are a potential source for insulin-producing cells, but existing differentiation protocols are of limited efficiency. Here, the aim has been to develop a new one, which drives development of embryonic stem cells towards insulin-producing cells rather than to neuronal cell types, and to combine this with a strategy for their separation from insulin-negative cells. Materials and methods: The cytokeratin-19 (CK19) promoter was used to control the expression of enhanced yellow fluorescence protein in mouse embryonic stem cells during their differentiation towards insulin-producing cells, using a new optimized four-stage protocol. Two cell populations, CK19+ and CK19, cells, were successfully fluorescence sorted and analysed. Results: The new method reduced neuronal progeny and suppressed differentiation into glucagon- and somatostatin-producing cells. Concomitantly, ,-cell like characteristics of insulin-producing cells were strengthened, as documented by high gene expression of the Glut2 glucose transporter and the transcription factor Pdx1. This novel protocol was combined with a cell-sorting technique. Through the combined procedure, a fraction of glucose-responsive insulin-secreting CK19+ cells was obtained with 40-fold higher insulin gene expression and 50-fold higher insulin content than CK19, cells. CK19+ cells were immunoreactive for C-peptide and had ultrastructural characteristics of an insulin-secretory cell. Conclusion: Differentiated CK19+ cells reflect an endocrine precursor cell type of ductal origin, potentially suitable for insulin replacement therapy in diabetes. [source]