A graphene-based platform for induced pluripotent stem cells culture and differentiation

Defective antiviral responses of induced pluripotent stem cells to baculoviral vector transduction

Genetic engineering of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) is important for their clinical applications, and baculovirus (BV) holds promise as a gene delivery vector. To explore the feasibility of using BV for iPSCs transduction, in this study we first examined how iPSCs responded to BV. We determined that BV transduced iPSCs efficiently, without inducing appreciable negative effects on cell proliferation, apoptosis, pluripotency, and differentiation. BV transduction slightly perturbed the transcription of 12 genes involved in the Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling pathway, but at the protein level BV elicited no well-known cytokines (e.g., interleukin-6 [IL-6], tumor necrosis factor alpha [TNF-α], and beta interferon [IFN-β]) except for IP-10. Molecular analyses revealed that iPSCs expressed no TLR1, -6, -8, or -9 and expressed merely low levels of TLR2, -3, and -4. In spite of evident expression of such RNA/DNA sensors as RIG-I and AIM2, iPSCs barely expressed MDA5 and DAI (DNA-dependent activator of IFN regulatory factor [IRF]). Importantly, BV transduction of iPSCs stimulated none of the aforementioned sensors or their downstream signaling mediators (IRF3 and NF-κB). These data together confirmed that iPSCs responded poorly to BV due to the impaired sensing and signaling system, thereby justifying the transduction of iPSCs with the baculoviral vector.

Functionalized nanostructures with application in regenerative medicine

In the last decade, both regenerative medicine and nanotechnology have been broadly developed leading important advances in biomedical research as well as in clinical practice. The manipulation on the molecular level and the use of several functionalized nanoscaled materials has application in various fields of regenerative medicine including tissue engineering, cell therapy, diagnosis and drug and gene delivery. The themes covered in this review include nanoparticle systems for tracking transplanted stem cells, self-assembling peptides, nanoparticles for gene delivery into stem cells and biomimetic scaffolds useful for 2D and 3D tissue cell cultures, transplantation and clinical application.