诱导性多能干细胞与心血管疾病

BACKGROUND:Induced pluripotent stem cells have great prospects in tissue repair, due to the characteristic of self-renewal, multi-directional differentiation, no immunological rejection and ethics controversy. OBJECTIVE:To summarize the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells towards cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells, and their applications in the cardiovascular diseases. METHODS:The first author performed a data retrieval of PubMed and CNKI databases from 2000 to 2015 to search articles addressing the differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells towards cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells, and reviewed the literatures systematically. Finally, 78 articles were chosen for further analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into cardiovascular cells through a variety of methods. Factors such as cyclosporin A and ascorbic acid C may improve myocardial differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells, while vascular endothelial growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor may improve the endothelial differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells. Cardiovascular cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells can be applied to build disease models in vitro, transplantation in vivo and drug screening.     

Induced pluripotent stem cells for neural tissue engineering

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) hold great promise for cell therapies and tissue engineering. Neural crest stem cells (NCSCs) are multipotent and represent a valuable system to investigate iPSC differentiation and therapeutic potential. Here we derived NCSCs from human iPSCs and embryonic stem cells (ESCs), and investigated the potential of NCSCs for neural tissue engineering. The differentiation of iPSCs and the expansion of derived NCSCs varied in different cell lines, but all NCSC lines were capable of differentiating into mesodermal and ectodermal lineages, including neural cells. Tissue-engineered nerve conduits were fabricated by seeding NCSCs into nanofibrous tubular scaffolds, and used as a bridge for transected sciatic nerves in a rat model. Electrophysiological analysis showed that only NCSC-engrafted nerve conduits resulted in an accelerated regeneration of sciatic nerves at 1 month. Histological analysis demonstrated that NCSC transplantation promoted axonal myelination. Furthermore, NCSCs differentiated into Schwann cells and were integrated into the myelin sheath around axons. No teratoma formation was observed for up to 1 year after NCSC transplantation in vivo. This study demonstrates that iPSC-derived multipotent NCSCs can be directly used for tissue engineering and that the approach that combines stem cells and scaffolds has tremendous potential for regenerative medicine applications.     

Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells as a model for familial dilated cardiomyopathy

Characterized by ventricular dilatation, systolic dysfunction, and progressive heart failure, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common form of cardiomyopathy in patients. DCM is the most common diagnosis leading to heart transplantation and places a significant burden on healthcare worldwide. The advent of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers an exceptional opportunity for creating disease-specific cellular models, investigating underlying mechanisms, and optimizing therapy. Here, we generated cardiomyocytes from iPSCs derived from patients in a DCM family carrying a point mutation (R173W) in the gene encoding sarcomeric protein cardiac troponin T. Compared to control healthy individuals in the same family cohort, cardiomyocytes derived from iPSCs from DCM patients exhibited altered regulation of calcium ion (Ca(2+)), decreased contractility, and abnormal distribution of sarcomeric α-actinin. When stimulated with a β-adrenergic agonist, DCM iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes showed characteristics of cellular stress such as reduced beating rates, compromised contraction, and a greater number of cells with abnormal sarcomeric α-actinin distribution. Treatment with β-adrenergic blockers or overexpression of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+) adenosine triphosphatase (Serca2a) improved the function of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from DCM patients. Thus, iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from DCM patients recapitulate to some extent the morphological and functional phenotypes of DCM and may serve as a useful platform for exploring disease mechanisms and for drug screening.     

Induced pluripotent stem cell technology for generating photoreceptors

The discovery of methods to produce pluripotent stem cells from human skin cells and other adult tissues has created a new era in stem cell research. In this article, we discuss the generation and use of pluripotent stem cells for the study of retinal disorders and the development of cell-based therapies. We describe advances in protocols for differentiating pluripotent cells into photoreceptor precursors that might be suitable for transplantation and discuss the use of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived photoreceptors for disease modeling and drug screening.     

Induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived gamete‐associated proteins incite rejection of induced pluripotent stem cells in syngeneic mice

The safety of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in autologous recipients has been questioned after iPSCs, but not embryonic stem cells (ESCs), were reported to be rejected in syngeneic mice. This important topic has remained controversial because there has not been a mechanistic explanation for this phenomenon. Here, we hypothesize that iPSCs, but not ESCs, readily differentiate into gamete‐forming cells that express meiotic antigens normally found in immune‐privileged gonads. Because peripheral blood T cells are not tolerized to these antigens in the thymus, gamete‐associated‐proteins (GAPs) sensitize T cells leading to rejection. Here, we provide evidence that GAPs expressed in iPSC teratomas, but not in ESC teratomas, are responsible for the immunological rejection of iPSCs. Furthermore, silencing the expression of Stra8, ‘the master regulator of meiosis’, in iPSCs, using short hairpin RNA led to significant abrogation of the rejection of iPSCs, supporting our central hypothesis that GAPs expressed after initiation of meiosis in iPSCs were responsible for rejection. In contrast to iPSCs, iPSC‐derivatives, such as haematopoietic progenitor cells, are able to engraft long‐term into syngeneic recipients because they no longer express GAPs. Our findings, for the first time, provide a unifying explanation of why iPSCs, but not ESCs, are rejected in syngeneic recipients, ending the current controversy on the safety of iPSCs and their derivatives.     

Concise review: Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells: progress toward safe clinical products

Adult stem cell therapies have provided success for more than 50 years, through reconstitution of the hematopoietic system using bone marrow, umbilical cord blood, and mobilized peripheral blood transplantation. Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-mediated therapy is a fast-growing field that has proven safe and effective in the treatment of various degenerative diseases and tissue injuries. Since the first derivation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), there has been impressive progress toward developing safe clinical applications from PSCs. Recent successes in transgene-free iPSC reprogramming have brought attention to the potential of clinical applications of these pluripotent cells, but key hurdles must be overcome, which are discussed in this review. Looking to the future, it could be advantageous to derive MSC from iPSC or human ESC in cases where genetic engineering is needed, since in the PSCs, clones with "safe harbor" vector integration could be selected, expanded, and differentiated. Here, we describe the status of the progress of the use of MSC and PSCs in clinical trials and analyze the challenges that should be overcome before iPSC-derived MSC therapy can be used widely in the clinic.     

人诱导性多能干细胞定向分化为神经干细胞的实验研究

目的 观察人诱导性多能干细胞（iPS细胞）定向分化为神经干细胞（NSCs）的潜能。方法 用维甲酸（RA）诱导人iPS细胞向NSCs分化。倒置显微镜下观察iPS细胞的形态变化,RT-PCR检测NANOG, OCT4, SOX2的表达;免疫组织化学方法检测NESTIN、SOX2、β-TUBULIN Ш和GFAP的表达。结果RA诱导后第4天,贴壁的拟胚体出现了早期神经祖细胞特有的神经管样结构并不断增多,细胞表达神经巢蛋白NESTIN,而对照组未观察到神经管样结构。神经管样结构内的细胞能分化为β-TUBULIN Ш阳性的神经元,但GFAP阳性的星形胶质细胞少见。结论 人iPS细胞具有定向分化为NSCs的潜能,并能模拟神经发育过程。     

人多能干细胞的冷冻与保存

背景：人多能干细胞的出现与发展是近年来生物医学研究领域的重大突破。但其在基础/临床研究中的广泛应用还有诸多限制,建立安全有效标准化的冷冻保存方案是人多能干细胞广泛应用面临的重大挑战。 目的：回顾人多能干细胞冷冻领域的研究进展,探索造成冷冻损伤的原因和机制及改进方式,致力于促进新的更有效的冷冻方案形成。 方法：以“人多能干细胞、人胚胎干细胞、人诱导多能干细胞、玻璃化、程序化冷冻、慢冻法、冷冻保存”为中文检索词,以“human pluripotent stem cells,human embryonic stem cell,human introduced pluripotent stem cell,vitrification,programmed cryopreservation,slow-freezing,cryopreservation”为英文检索词,应用计算机检索中国知网全文数据库、万方全文数据库、维普(VIP)期刊全文数据库、PubMed数据库有关人多能干细胞冷冻保存技术的文献,排除与研究目的无关及重复文献,保留58篇文献进一步总结分析。 结果与结论：了解人多能干细胞冷冻过程中造成冷冻损伤的原因和机制,是寻找高效的冻存方案的关键。需要更清晰的了解冷冻过程中损伤的原理,改进和创新低温生物技术来避免各种冷冻损伤的发生并致力于探讨可重复的,高效的,符合GMP要求的,能大规模冻人多能干细胞的方案。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：     

诱导多能性干细胞研究进展

人类诱导多能性干细胞（iPS细胞）的出现被誉为生命科学领域里新的里程碑,它建立了一种全新的、相对易操作而较稳定的体细胞核重编程方法,在生物学基础研究和临床应用方面具有潜在的价值;然而,iPS细胞的高癌变率和极低的重编程效率大大限制了它的应用。目前iPS细胞技术正在被不断完善,就iPS细胞的研究历程及在诱导iPS细胞上的最新研究进展进行综述。     

Evaluating human embryonic germ cells: concord and conflict as pluripotent stem cells

The realization of cell replacement therapy derived from human pluripotent stem cells requires full knowledge of the starting cell types as well as their differentiated progeny. Alongside embryonic stem cells, embryonic germ cells (EGCs) are an alternative source of pluripotent stem cell. Since 1998, four groups have described the derivation of human EGCs. This review analyzes the progress on derivation, culture, and differentiation, drawing comparison with other pluripotent stem cell populations.     

Amnion-derived pluripotent/multipotent stem cells

Amniotic epithelium is derived from the epiblast by approx 8 d after fertilization. Other parts of the placenta are derived from extraembryonic tissue. In addition to this developmental difference, amniotic epithelial (AE) cells are known to have unique characteristics, such as low level expression of major histocompatibility complex antigens, and a less restricted differentiation potential. The differentiation of the AE cells to the neural lineage is well documented. Recently, we reported that AE cells from term placenta express several stem cell surface markers that are commonly found on pluripotent stem cells such as embryonic stem cells, and that in culture, AE cells differentiate into cell types from all three germ layers. In this review, we describe the unique characteristics of the AE stem cells and summarize previous work concerning the stem cell nature of cells from amnion.