Generation of human embryonic stem cell reporter knock-in lines by homologous recombination

Retinoic acid signaling modulation guides in vitro specification of human heart field-specific progenitor pools

Cardiogenesis relies on the precise spatiotemporal coordination of multiple progenitor populations. Understanding the specification and differentiation of these distinct progenitor pools during human embryonic development is crucial for advancing our knowledge of congenital cardiac malformations and designing new regenerative therapies. By combining genetic labelling, single-cell transcriptomics, and ex vivo human-mouse embryonic chimeras we uncovered that modulation of retinoic acid signaling instructs human pluripotent stem cells to form heart field-specific progenitors with distinct fate potentials. In addition to the classical first and second heart fields, we observed the appearance of juxta-cardiac field progenitors giving rise to both myocardial and epicardial cells. Applying these findings to stem-cell based disease modelling we identified specific transcriptional dysregulation in first and second heart field progenitors derived from stem cells of patients with hypoplastic left heart syndrome. This highlights the suitability of our in vitro differentiation platform for studying human cardiac development and disease.

Inherited cardiac diseases, pluripotent stem cells, and genome editing combined-the past, present, and future

Research on mechanisms underlying monogenic cardiac diseases such as primary arrhythmias and cardiomyopathies has until recently been hampered by inherent limitations of heterologous cell systems, where mutant genes are expressed in noncardiac cells, and physiological differences between humans and experimental animals. Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have proven to be a game changer by providing new opportunities for studying the disease in the specific cell type affected, namely the cardiomyocyte. hiPSCs are particularly valuable because not only can they be differentiated into unlimited numbers of these cells, but they also genetically match the individual from whom they were derived. The decade following their discovery showed the potential of hiPSCs for advancing our understanding of cardiovascular diseases, with key pathophysiological features of the patient being reflected in their corresponding hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (the past). Now, recent advances in genome editing for repairing or introducing genetic mutations efficiently have enabled the disease etiology and pathogenesis of a particular genotype to be investigated (the present). Finally, we are beginning to witness the promise of hiPSC in personalized therapies for individual patients, as well as their application in identifying genetic variants responsible for or modifying the disease phenotype (the future). In this review, we discuss how hiPSCs could contribute to improving the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of an individual with a suspected genetic cardiac disease, thereby developing better risk stratification and clinical management strategies for these potentially lethal but treatable disorders.

RUNX1c Regulates Hematopoietic Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Possibly in Cooperation with Proinflammatory Signaling

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (Runx1) is a master hematopoietic transcription factor essential for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) emergence. Runx1-deficient mice die during early embryogenesis due to the inability to establish definitive hematopoiesis. Here, we have used human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) as model to study the role of RUNX1 in human embryonic hematopoiesis. Although the three RUNX1 isoforms a, b, and c were induced in CD45+ hematopoietic cells, RUNX1c was the only isoform induced in hematoendothelial progenitors (HEPs)/hemogenic endothelium. Constitutive expression of RUNX1c in human embryonic stem cells enhanced the appearance of HEPs, including hemogenic (CD43+) HEPs and promoted subsequent differentiation into blood cells. Conversely, specific deletion of RUNX1c dramatically reduced the generation of hematopoietic cells from HEPs, indicating that RUNX1c is a master regulator of human hematopoietic development. Gene expression profiling of HEPs revealed a RUNX1c-induced proinflammatory molecular signature, supporting previous studies demonstrating proinflammatory signaling as a regulator of HSC emergence. Collectively, RUNX1c orchestrates hematopoietic specification of hPSCs, possibly in cooperation with proinflammatory signaling. Stem Cells 2017;35:2253-2266.

Evaluating Electroporation and Lipofectamine Approaches for Transient and Stable Transgene Expressions in Human Fibroblasts and Embryonic Stem Cells

Objective

Genetic modification of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) is critical for their extensive use as a fundamental tool for cell therapy and basic research. Despite the fact that various methods such as lipofection and electroporation have been applied to transfer the gene of interest (GOI) into the target cell line, however, there are few re- ports that compare all parameters, which influence transfection efficiency. In this study, we examine all parameters that affect the efficiency of electroporation and lipofection for transient and long-term gene expression in three different cell lines to introduce the best method and determinant factor.

Materials and Methods

In this experimental study, both electroporation and lipofection approaches were employed for genetic modification. pCAG-EGFP was applied for tran- sient expression of green fluorescent protein in two genetically different hESC lines, Roy- an H5 (XX) and Royan H6 (XY), as well as human foreskin fibroblasts (hFF). For long-term EGFP expression VASA and OLIG2 promoters (germ cell and motoneuron specific genes, respectively), were isolated and subsequently cloned into a pBluMAR5 plasmid backbone to drive EGFP expression. Flow cytometry analysis was performed two days after trans- fection to determine transient expression efficiency. Differentiation of drug resistant hESC colonies toward primordial germ cells (PGCs) was conducted to confirm stable integration of the transgene.

Results

Transient and stable expression suggested a variable potential for different cell lines against transfection. Analysis of parameters that influenced gene transformation ef- ficiency revealed that the vector concentrations from 20-60 μg and the density of the sub- jected cells (5×10⁵and 1×10⁶cells) were not as effective as the genetic background and voltage rate. The present data indicated that in contrast to the circular form, the linearized vector generated more distinctive drug resistant colonies.

Conclusion

Electroporation was an efficient tool for genetic engineering of hESCs compared to the chemical method. The genetic background of the subjected cell line for transfection seemed to be a fundamental factor in each gene delivery method. For each cell line, optimum voltage rate should be calculated as it has been shown to play a crucial role in cell death and rate of gene delivery.

Advances in homology directed genetic engineering of human pluripotent and adult stem cells

The ability to introduce precise genomic modifications in human cells has profound implications for both basic and applied research in stem cells, ranging from identification of genes regulating stem cell self-renewal and multilineage differentiation to therapeutic gene correction and creation of in vitro models of human diseases. However, the overall efficiency of this process is challenged by several factors including inefficient gene delivery into stem cells and low rates of homology directed site-specific targeting. Recent studies report the development of novel techniques to improve gene targeting efficiencies in human stem cells; these methods include molecular engineering of viral vectors to efficiently deliver episomal genetic sequences that can participate in homology directed targeting, as well as the design of synthetic proteins that can introduce double-stranded breaks in DNA to initiate such recombination events. This review focuses on the potential of these new technologies to precisely alter the human stem cell genome and also highlights the possibilities offered by the combination of these complementary strategies.

Genetic correction of Huntington's disease phenotypes in induced pluripotent stem cells

Huntington's disease (HD) is caused by a CAG expansion in the huntingtin gene. Expansion of the polyglutamine tract in the huntingtin protein results in massive cell death in the striatum of HD patients. We report that human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from HD patient fibroblasts can be corrected by the replacement of the expanded CAG repeat with a normal repeat using homologous recombination, and that the correction persists in iPSC differentiation into DARPP-32-positive neurons in vitro and in vivo. Further, correction of the HD-iPSCs normalized pathogenic HD signaling pathways (cadherin, TGF-β, BDNF, and caspase activation) and reversed disease phenotypes such as susceptibility to cell death and altered mitochondrial bioenergetics in neural stem cells. The ability to make patient-specific, genetically corrected iPSCs from HD patients will provide relevant disease models in identical genetic backgrounds and is a critical step for the eventual use of these cells in cell replacement therapy.

A targeted NKX2.1 human embryonic stem cell reporter line enables identification of human basal forebrain derivatives

We have used homologous recombination in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to insert sequences encoding green fluorescent protein (GFP) into the NKX2.1 locus, a gene required for normal development of the basal forebrain. Generation of NKX2.1-GFP(+) cells was dependent on the concentration, timing, and duration of retinoic acid treatment during differentiation. NKX2.1-GFP(+) progenitors expressed genes characteristic of the basal forebrain, including SHH, DLX1, LHX6, and OLIG2. Time course analysis revealed that NKX2.1-GFP(+) cells could upregulate FOXG1 expression, implying the existence of a novel pathway for the generation of telencephalic neural derivatives. Further maturation of NKX2.1-GFP(+) cells gave rise to γ-aminobutyric acid-, tyrosine hydroxylase-, and somatostatin-expressing neurons as well as to platelet-derived growth factor receptor α-positive oligodendrocyte precursors. These studies highlight the diversity of cell types that can be generated from human NKX2.1(+) progenitors and demonstrate the utility of NKX2.1(GFP/w) hESCs for investigating human forebrain development and neuronal differentiation.

Pluripotent stem cells in neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases

Most of our current knowledge about cellular phenotypes in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative diseases in humans was gathered from studies in postmortem brain tissues. These samples often represent the end-stage of the disease and therefore are not always a fair representation of how the disease developed. Moreover, under these circumstances, the pathology observed could be a secondary effect rather than the authentic disease cellular phenotype. Likewise, the rodent models available do not always recapitulate the pathology from human diseases. In this review, we will examine recent literature on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells to model neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases. We highlight the characteristics of diseases like spinal muscular atrophy and familial dysautonomia that allowed partial modeling of the disease phenotype. We review human stem cell literature on common neurodegenerative late-onset diseases such as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis where patients' cells have been successfully reprogrammed but a disease phenotype has not yet been described. So far, the technique is of great interest for early onset monogenetic neurodevelopmental diseases. We speculate about potential further experimental requirements and settings for reprogrammed neurons for in vitro disease modeling and drug discovery.