Induced pluripotent stem cell consensus genes: implication for the risk of tumorigenesis and cancers in induced pluripotent stem cell therapy

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have recently boomed enthusiasm in stem cell therapy, whereas high potential tumorigenesis of iPSCs has become the biggest obstacle for clinic application and the tumorigenic genes in iPSCs have not been well documented. In this investigation, using tools of bioinformatics, we analyzed the all available datasets regarded to iPSCs from 11 differentiated cell lines and revealed 593 iPSC consensus genes. Notably, of the 593 genes, 209 were expressed in human tumor cell lines and cancer tissues, and some of them were expressed in the iPSC-differentiated hepatocytes; remarkably, 5 oncogenes were overexpressed in the iPSCs and an oncogene RAB25 in the iPSC-differentiated cells, suggesting that these iPSC consensus genes are implicated with the risk of tumorigenesis and cancers. This investigation provides useful information for designing new strategies and methods to curtail the expression of oncogenic genes in iPSCs and produce safe iPSC derivatives for stem cell therapy.