新生小鼠脑内移植荧光标记的孤雌胚胎干细胞的研究

目的通过将孤雌胚胎干细胞(parthenogenetic embryonic stem cells,PgESCs)移植到新生鼠脑内,观察其增殖及向神经细胞方向分化的形态特点。方法分别向出生24h及72h小鼠脑内注射增强型绿色荧光蛋白(enhanced green fluorescence protein,EGFP)标记的孤雌胚胎干细胞,并于移植3d和7d后进行取材、观察。结果与对照组相比,出生24h和72h后进行干细胞移植的新生鼠中,移植3d后,孤雌胚胎干细胞可以稳定的在小鼠脑内生长,形态和分布无明显变化;7d后能够分化为具有神经细胞样突起的细胞团。结论 PgESCs具有胚胎干细胞相似的体内分化潜能,为中枢神经系统疾病的细胞替代治疗奠定理论基础。     

胚胎干细胞源性神经前体细胞移植脑缺血大鼠局部细胞的免疫反应

背景：神经前体细胞的免疫原性各家研究结果不一,尤其是体内移植后的机体免疫反应模式需要进一步研究。 目的：体外观察神经前体细胞组成型及诱导型主要组织相容性抗原表达情况;体内观察神经前体细胞移植入大鼠脑缺血组织后局部免疫细胞活化情况,探讨神经前体细胞的移植排斥可能性及模式。 方法：自pCX-hrGFP ES-D3胚胎干细胞诱导分化神经前体细胞,流式细胞术体外检测主要组织相容性抗原Ⅰ,Ⅱ类分子表达及γ-干扰素诱导前后表达变化。实验分3组,磷酸盐缓冲液组、神经前体细胞组分别于大脑中动脉缺血大鼠模型造模后经侧脑室给予磷酸盐缓冲液注射及神经前体细胞移植,假手术组不造模。免疫组化法观察纹状区ED1+、CD4+、CD8+细胞浸润情况;淋巴细胞再刺激增殖实验观测神经前体细胞诱导移植大鼠颈部淋巴细胞的增殖指数。 结果与结论：神经前体细胞组成型高表达主要组织相容性抗原Ⅰ类分子,几乎不表达主要组织相容性抗原Ⅱ类分子;经γ-干扰素诱导后,主要组织相容性抗原Ⅰ类分子进一步上调,主要组织相容性抗原Ⅱ类分子亦有轻度上调,提示神经前体细胞有可能引起机体免疫反应。移植实验表明,与假手术组相比,磷酸盐缓冲液组及神经前体细胞组均表现强烈的ED1+、CD4+、CD8+细胞浸润(P < 0.05),说明脑缺血损伤本身能导致局部免疫细胞活化;神经前体细胞组比磷酸盐缓冲液组有更强的ED1+、CD4+细胞浸润(P < 0.05),提示神经前体细胞移植可能导致局部免疫更进一步活化,且以CD4+T细胞反应为主。磷酸盐缓冲液组及神经前体细胞组神经前体细胞诱导下的增殖指数值均较假手术组升高(P < 0.01),但前两组增殖指数值比较差异无显著性意义(P > 0.05),提示脑组织局部炎症导致颈部淋巴细胞增殖性增加,而离体神经前体细胞不足以单独刺激致敏淋巴细胞增殖。中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：干细胞;骨髓干细胞;造血干细胞;脂肪干细胞;肿瘤干细胞;胚胎干细胞;脐带脐血干细胞;干细胞诱导;干细胞分化;组织工程全文链接：     

Transplantation of telencephalic neural progenitors induced from embryonic stem cells into subacute phase of focal cerebral ischemia

Cerebral ischemia causes neuronal death and disruption of neural circuits in the central nervous system. Various neurological disorders caused by cerebral infarction can severely impair quality of life and are potentially fatal. Functional recovery in the chronic stage mainly depends on physical treatment and rehabilitation. We aim to establish cell therapy for cerebral ischemia using embryonic stem (ES) cells, which have self-renewing and pluripotent capacities. We previously reported that the transplanted monkey and mouse ES cell-derived neural progenitors, by stromal cell-derived inducing activity method, could survive and differentiate into various types of neurons and glial cells, and form the neuronal network in basal ganglia. In this report, we induced the differentiation of the neural progenitors from mouse ES cells using the serum-free suspension culture method and confirmed the expression of various basal ganglial neuronal markers and neurotransmitter-related markers both in vitro and in vivo, which was thought to be suitable for replacing damaged striatum after middle cerebral artery occlusion. This is the first report that used selectively induced telencephalic neural progenitors into ischemia model. Furthermore, we purified the progenitors expressing the neural progenitor marker Sox1 by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and Sox1-positive neural progenitors prevented tumor formation in ischemic brain for 2 months. We also analyzed survival and differentiation of transplanted cells and functional recovery from ischemic damage.     

Transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors into rat spinal cord injuries does not cause harm

Demyelination contributes to loss of function following spinal cord injury. We have shown previously that transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors into adult rat 200 kD contusive spinal cord injury sites enhances remyelination and promotes recovery of motor function. Previous studies using oligodendrocyte lineage cells have noted a correlation between the presence of demyelinating pathology and the survival and migration rate of the transplanted cells. The present study compared the survival and migration of human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitors injected 7 days after a 200 or 50 kD contusive spinal cord injury, as well as the locomotor outcome of transplantation. Our findings indicate that a 200 kD spinal cord injury induces extensive demyelination, whereas a 50 kD spinal cord injury induces no detectable demyelination. Cells transplanted into the 200 kD injury group survived, migrated, and resulted in robust remyelination, replicating our previous studies. In contrast, cells transplanted into the 50 kD injury group survived, exhibited limited migration, and failed to induce remyelination as demyelination in this injury group was absent. Animals that received a 50 kD injury displayed only a transient decline in locomotor function as a result of the injury. Importantly, human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor transplants into the 50 kD injury group did not cause a further decline in locomotion. Our studies highlight the importance of a demyelinating pathology as a prerequisite for the function of transplanted myelinogenic cells. In addition, our results indicate that transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocyte progenitor cells into the injured spinal cord is not associated with a decline in locomotor function.     

miRNA-122促进小鼠胚胎干细胞源性肝前体细胞的分化与成熟

 目的： 通过miRNA-122 (miR-122)转染胚胎干细胞（ESCs）源性肝前体细胞,观察及评估其是否能推进ESCs向肝细胞的分化过程。方法：采用丁酸钠、成纤维细胞生长因子4(FGF-4)及地塞米松(Dex)联合序贯诱导小鼠ESCs使之初步分化为肝前体细胞,然后利用Gateway技术构建出pAV.Ex1d-CMV>miR122/IRES/eGFP重组腺病毒表达载体,使其转染贴壁诱导第9天的小鼠ESCs源性肝前体细胞,获得稳定高表达miR-122的细胞后继续培养。采用荧光显微镜观察转染后细胞形态的变化;使用real-time RT-PCR检测肝特异性基因的表达;免疫荧光检测肝特异性蛋白表达水平;吲哚氰绿摄取实验、糖原染色及尿素合成功能实验检测肝细胞功能。结果：丁酸钠、FGF-4及Dex联合序贯诱导可将小鼠ESCs成功地诱导为肝前体细胞。转染miR-122后,细胞在形态学上更接近成熟肝细胞;肝特异性基因白蛋白(ALB)、甲状腺素运载蛋白、α1抗胰蛋白酶、葡萄糖-6-磷酸酶、细胞角蛋白8、胆固醇7α-羟化酶及细胞色素P450 3A4的mRNA表达均增高;肝特异性蛋白ALB及细胞角蛋白18均表达增高,而甲胎蛋白表达降低;吲哚氰绿摄取实验、糖原染色及尿素合成功能实验结果均显示转染miR-122后肝细胞功能较对照组明显增强。结论：丁酸钠、FGF-4及Dex联合序贯诱导可将小鼠ESCs成功地诱导为肝前体细胞;miR-122能够有效地促进小鼠肝前体细胞的分化与成熟。     

Induction of cardiomyogenesis in human embryonic stem cells by human embryonic stem cell-derived definitive endoderm

We previously reported that chick anterolateral endoderm (AL endoderm) induces cardiomyogenesis in mouse embryoid bodies. However, the requirement to micro-dissect AL endoderm from gastrulation-stage embryos precludes its use to identify novel cardiomyogenic factors, or to scale up cardiomyocyte numbers for therapeutic experiments. To circumvent this problem we have addressed whether human definitive endoderm (hDE) cells, which can be efficiently generated in large numbers from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), can mimic the ability of AL endoderm to induce cardiac myogenesis. Results demonstrate that both hDE cells and medium conditioned by them induce cardiac myogenesis in pluripotent hESCs, as indicated by rhythmic beating and immunohistochemical/quantitative polymerase chain reaction monitoring of marker gene expression. The cardiomyogenic effect of hDE is enhanced when pluripotent hESCs are preinduced to the mes-endoderm state. Because this approach is tractable and scalable, it may facilitate identification of novel hDE-secreted factors for inclusion in defined cardiomyogenic cocktails.     

胚胎神经上皮干细胞脑内移植治疗大鼠帕金森病

背景：研究表明胚胎干细胞移植可改善血管性痴呆大鼠的学习记忆功能,增强神经的可塑性,诱导自身定向迁移并分化为成熟神经元。 目的：观察胚胎神经上皮干细胞脑内移植治疗帕金森病大鼠及移植细胞的迁徙情况。 方法：将绿色荧光蛋白转基因鼠的胚胎神经上皮干细胞分别移植到帕金森病大鼠的黑质、纹状体和侧脑室内,移植后检测移植细胞的存活、迁徙与分化;利用高效液相色谱法检测实验动物脑内多巴胺神经递质的含量;对比实验动物旋转行为的改变,评估胚胎神经上皮干细胞移植对帕金森病大鼠的治疗作用。 结果与结论：移植细胞存活良好且分化出了酪氨酸羟化酶阳性细胞,向黑质纹状体环路迁徙趋势明显;脑内多巴胺含量增加,动物旋转行为改善明显。表明移植到帕金森病大鼠脑内的神经上皮干细胞多向黑质纹状体环路迁徙,且可增加脑内多巴胺神经递质的含量治疗帕金森病。中国组织工程研究杂志出版内容重点：干细胞;骨髓干细胞;造血干细胞;脂肪干细胞;肿瘤干细胞;胚胎干细胞;脐带脐血干细胞;干细胞诱导;干细胞分化;组织工程全文链接：     

Transplantation of human undifferentiated embryonic stem cells into a myocardial infarction rat model

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells hold great therapeutic potential for cell transplantation. To date, it remains uncertain whether undifferentiated hES cells can differentiate into cardiac lineage in vivo during myocardial infarction. Here we provide the first report that undifferentiated hES cells can survive in rat hearts during myocardial infarction without the formation of teratoma using undifferentiated green fluorescent protein (GFP)-transgenic hES cells. Using a laser-capture microscope to dissect the GFP-positive cell area from the hES-injected hearts, we documented the expression of human cardiac-specific genes, including GATA-4, Nkx-2.5, and cardiac troponin I. Taken together, our results demonstrate that undifferentiated hES cells can be driven to the cardiac lineage under the local injured environment in the heart, which may provide a potential method for regenerating de novo myocardium to treat myocardial infarction.     

Genetically manipulated human embryonic stem cell-derived dendritic cells with immune regulatory function

Genetically manipulated dendritic cells (DC) are considered to be a promising means for antigen-specific immune therapy. This study reports the generation, characterization, and genetic modification of DC derived from human embryonic stem (ES) cells. The human ES cell-derived DC (ES-DC) expressed surface molecules typically expressed by DC and had the capacities to stimulate allogeneic T lymphocytes and to process and present protein antigen in the context of histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) class II molecule. Genetic modification of human ES-DC can be accomplished without the use of viral vectors, by the introduction of expression vector plasmids into undifferentiated ES cells by electroporation and subsequent induction of differentiation of the transfectant ES cell clones to ES-DC. ES-DC introduced with invariant chain-based antigen-presenting vectors by this procedure stimulated HLA-DR-restricted antigen-specific T cells in the absence of exogenous antigen. Forced expression of programmed death-1-ligand-1 in ES-DC resulted in the reduction of the proliferative response of allogeneic T cells cocultured with the ES-DC. Generation and genetic modification of ES-DC from nonhuman primate (cynomolgus monkey) ES cells was also achieved by the currently established method. ES-DC technology is therefore considered to be a novel means for immune therapy.     

TGF-beta signaling potentiates differentiation of embryonic stem cells to Pdx-1 expressing endodermal cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells have the capacity to differentiate to every cell type that constitutes fetal or adult tissues. To trace and quantitatively assess the differentiation of ES cells into gut endodermal cells, we used an ES cell line with the lacZ gene inserted into the pdx-1 locus. Targeted mutations of pdx-1 in mice demonstrate that pdx-1 is required for pancreatic and rostral duodenal development; therefore, pdx-1 serves as an excellent early gut regional specific marker. When these ES cells were differentiated by removal of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF), only fractional cells turned into lacZ positive, which indicates pancreatic-duodenal differentiation. Co-cultivation of ES cells with pancreatic rudiments induced a significant increase in the proportion of lacZ positive cell numbers and this increase was further enhanced by forced expression of a chick putative endoderm inducer gene, cmix. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta2 mimicked the effects of pancreatic rudiments and this effect was enhanced by cmix expression. Expression analysis showed over-expression of cmix induced endodermal marker genes. These data indicate that one can make use of this knowledge on molecular events of embryonic development to drive ES cells to differentiate into pdx-1 expressing endodermal cells in vitro.     

Proteomic analysis of phosphotyrosyl proteins in human embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem cells

Phosphorylation can reveal essential cell functions, such as cell differentiation, signal transduction, metabolic maintenance and cell division. The aim of this study was to investigate phosphorylated protein expression changes during neuronal lineage differentiation from hESCs. To measure the phosphorylated protein expression change during neuronal differentiation, we performed a comparative phosphoproteome analysis using 2-DE after MALDI-TOF MS and an MS/MS protein identification method, making a comparison between neural lineage differentiating cells and normal embryoid bodies (EBs) differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and profiling constituent phosphorylated proteins. Of 36 differentially expressed protein spots, 12 spots were shown to be up-regulated in differentiating neural cells. Specifically, the 7 up-regulated proteins of the 12 have potential roles in neuronal differentiation or neuronal damage recovery, including ACTB, heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2B1 (hnRNP A2B1), heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein L (hnRNP L), SET, chaperonin-containing TCP-1, vimentin and voltage-dependent anion channel protein 1 (VDAC1). These proteins are discussed further below.     

Differentiation and histological analysis of embryonic stem cell-derived neural transplants in mice

We report here that neural transplantation of in vitro-differentiated embryonic stem (ES) cells provides a versatile strategy for gene transfer into the central nervous system. ES cells were subjected to an optimized in vitro differentiation protocol to obtain embryoid bodies. These aggregates were stereotaxically transplanted into the brain of recipient adult mice, where they followed a strictly controlled differentiation pattern and eventually formed mature neural grafts. A marker gene, introduced into the ROSA26 locus allowed for precise determination of the fate of the descendants of the transplanted embryoid bodies and revealed that not only neurons but also astrocytes, oligodendrocytes and even microglial cells were graft-derived. Evaluation of long-term experiments showed viable grafts with a stable transgene expression and proved that this approach provides a tool for reliable gene expression within a spatially delimited area of neural tissue.     

Transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived neural progenitors improves behavioral deficit in Parkinsonian rats

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) may potentially serve as a renewable source of cells for transplantation. In Parkinson's disease, hESC-derived dopaminergic (DA) neurons may replace the degenerated neurons in the brain. Here, we generated highly enriched cultures of neural progenitors from hESCs and grafted the progenitors into the striatum of Parkinsonian rats. The grafts survived for at least 12 weeks, the transplanted cells stopped proliferating, and teratomas were not observed. The grafted cells differentiated in vivo into DA neurons, though at a low prevalence similar to that observed following spontaneous differentiation in vitro. Transplanted rats exhibited a significant partial correction of D-amphetamine and apomorphine-induced rotational behavior, along with a significant improvement in stepping and placing non-pharmacological behavioral tests. While transplantation of uncommitted hESC-derived neural progenitors induced partial behavioral recovery, our data indicate that the host-lesioned striatum could not direct the transplanted neural progenitors to acquire a dopaminergic fate. Hence, induction of their differentiation toward a midbrain fate prior to transplantation is probably required for complete correction of behavioral deficit. Our observations encourage further developments for the potential use of hESCs in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.     

Chondrogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cell-derived cells in arginine-glycine-aspartate-modified hydrogels

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have the potential to self-renew and generate multiple cell types, producing critical building blocks for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Here, we describe the efficient derivation and chondrogenic differentiation of mesenchymal-like cells from hESCs. These cells exhibit mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) surface markers, including CD29, CD44, CD105, and platelet-derived growth factor receptor-alpha. Under appropriate growth conditions, the hESC-derived cells proliferated without phenotypic changes and maintained MSC surface markers. The chondrogenic capacity of the cells was studied in pellet culture and after encapsulation in poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogels with exogenous extracellular proteins or arginineglycine- aspartate (RGD)-modified PEGDA hydrogels. The hESC-derived cells exhibited growth factor- dependent matrix production in pellet culture but did not produce tissue characteristic of cartilage morphology. In PEGDA hydrogels containing exogenous hyaluronic acid or type I collagen, no significant cell growth or matrix production was observed. In contrast, when these cells were encapsulated in RGDmodified poly(ethylene glycol)hydrogels, neocartilage with basophilic extracellular matrix deposition was observed within 3 weeks of culture, producing cartilage-specific gene up-regulation and extracellular matrix production. Our results indicate that precursor cells characteristic of a MSC population can be cultured from differentiating hESCs through embryoid bodies, thus holding great promise for a potentially unlimited source of cells for cartilage tissue engineering.     

In vitro imaging of angiogenesis using embryonic stem cell-derived endothelial cells

Angiogenesis is an important event during developmental processes, and it plays a key role in neovascularization. The development of an in vitro model that can be used for live imaging of vessel growth will facilitate the study of molecular and cellular mechanisms for the growth of blood vessels. Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are considered to be a novel renewable source for the derivation of genetically manipulable endothelial cells (ECs). To derive green fluorescence protein (GFP)-expressing ECs, we used a transgenic ESC line in which a GFP reporter was driven by the endothelial-specific promoter fetal liver kinase 1. ESC-ECs were isolated from 11-day embryoid bodies by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Embedding the aggregated ESC-ECs in a 3-dimensional collagen gel matrix resulted in ESC-EC migration out of the aggregates and coalescence into a capillary network. Time-lapse microscopy revealed EC migration, proliferation, lumen formation, and anastomosis to other capillary vessels during this process, which were reminiscent of angiogenic processes. Vascular endothelial growth factor plays major roles in the induction of ESC-EC angiogenesis in vitro. Blockage of the β1 integrin subunit severely impaired ESC-EC survival and migration. We demonstrate that our in vitro ESC-EC angiogenesis model represents a high-resolution dynamic video-image system for observing the cellular events underlying angiogenic cascades. We also consider this model as an image screening tool for the identification of pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic molecules.     

胚胎干细胞移植治疗急性心肌梗死后心肌病理形态学及血流动力学变化

目的：探讨胚胎干细胞(ESC)移植治疗急性心肌梗死(AMI)后心肌组织形态学及血液动力学变化。 方法： Wistar大鼠40只随机分为正常对照组、梗死未治疗组(梗死组)、梗死中心移植组(中心组)、梗死周边移植组(周边组)共4组。结扎冠状动脉左前降支制成心肌梗死模型，梗死后1周移植体外分化并经标记的ESCs，移植后4周分别检测组织形态及血流动力学指标的改变。 结果： 移植后4周，周边组移植细胞稳定存活，而中心组移植细胞未能存活。心功能及组织学检测表明中心组与梗死组无显著差异(P＞0.05)；与梗死组比较，周边组梗死面积显著小于梗死组(P＜0.01)，(21.0±1.3)% vs (40.7±2.2)%；左室重量小于梗死组(P＜0.01)，(702.0±24.0)mg vs (882.2±32.6)mg；反映左室收缩功能的指标+dp/dtmax和LVSP均大于梗死组(P＜0.01)，分别为 (7.9±0.7)×103mmHg/s vs (5.9±0.5)×103 mmHg/s和(117.5±10.7) mmHg vs (89.2±8.1) mmHg；而LVEDP均明显小于梗死组(P＜0.01)，(8.5±0.3)mmHg vs (13.6±1.2)mmHg。 结论： 急性心肌梗死后于梗死周边区移植ESCs可以阻止心室重构、减少瘢痕面积、改善心功能。     

Ultrastructural characterization of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived oocytes and granulosa cells

Germ cells are a unique population of cells responsible for transmitting genetic information from one generation to the next. Our understanding of the key mechanisms underlying germ cell development in vivo remains scarce because of insufficient amounts of cell materials available for conducting biological studies. The establishment of in vitro differentiation models that support the generation of germ cells from mouse pluripotent stem cells provides an alternative means for studying reproductive development. The detection and analysis of stem cell-derived germ cells, however, present technical challenges. Methods for determining the developmental stage of germ cells ex vivo, such as gene expression and/or immunochemical analyses are inadequate, frequently necessitating the use of alternative, elaborate methods to prove germ cell identity. We have generated putative oocytes and granulosa cells in vitro from mouse embryonic stem cells and utilized electron microscopy to characterize these cells. Here, we report on the striking ultrastructural similarity of in vitro-generated oocytes and granulosa cells to in vivo oocytes developing within follicles.