神经前体细胞不是胚胎干细胞向胰岛素分泌细胞分化的必经途径

探讨胚胎干细胞向胰岛素分泌细胞分化的途径,对胰腺组织工程的临床运用有重要意义。将胚胎干细胞在有小鼠胚胎成纤维细胞饲养层和白血病抑制因子的条件下培养扩增后,再将扩增后的胚胎干细胞不经过神经前体细胞阶段直接诱导为胰岛素分泌细胞,并与传统的多阶段诱导(经过神经前体细胞阶段)进行比较。结果发现,胚胎干细胞脱离饲养层细胞后,经过9~10d的分化诱导,可以分化为具有胰岛β-细胞特征的胰岛素分泌细胞。与传统的多阶段诱导方法相比,诱导过程简化,诱导时间缩短,所得到的胰岛素分泌细胞数量无明显差异。说明胚胎干细胞向胰岛素分泌细胞分化存在多条途径。神经前体细胞阶段不是胚胎干细胞向胰岛素分泌细胞分化的必须途径。用传统的多阶段分化诱导法和直接诱导法都可以将胚胎干细胞诱导成胰岛素分泌细胞。

Neural-precursor-cells-phase Is Not the Indispensable Checkpoint of Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation into Insulin-producing Cells

Investigation on the pathways of embryonic stem cells differentiation into insulin-producing cells is of importance to pancreatic tissue-engineering. Instead of passing through the classic multi-step-inducing method, the expanded embryonic stem cells that were cultured and expanded in the presence of mouse embryonic fibroblast feed-layer and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) were induced into insulin-producing cells directly. The results showed a similar consequence from two different inducing cultures. Without passing through a so-called indispensable differentiation phase, the neural-precursor-cell-stage, the expanded embryonic stem cells could be induced into insulin-producing cells. The insulin-producing cells population resulting from our modified method were similar to that resulting from the classic multi-step method (passing through the neural-precursor-cells-stage), thus suggesting that neural-precursor-cell-phase is not the indispensable checkpoint of embryonic stem cell differentiation into insulin-producing cells. Embryonic stem cells can be induced into insulin-producing cell by classic multi-step inducing method or by direct inducing method.