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Vales JP, Barbaric I. Culture-acquired genetic variation in human pluripotent stem cells: Twenty years on. Bioessays 2024:e2400062. [PMID: 38873900 DOI: 10.1002/bies.202400062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Genetic changes arising in human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) upon culture may bestow unwanted or detrimental phenotypes to cells, thus potentially impacting on the applications of hPSCs for clinical use and basic research. In the 20 years since the first report of culture-acquired genetic aberrations in hPSCs, a characteristic spectrum of recurrent aberrations has emerged. The preponderance of such aberrations implies that they provide a selective growth advantage to hPSCs upon expansion. However, understanding the consequences of culture-acquired variants for specific applications in cell therapy or research has been more elusive. The rapid progress of hPSC-based therapies to clinics is galvanizing the field to address this uncertainty and provide definitive ways both for risk assessment of variants and reducing their prevalence in culture. Here, we aim to provide a timely update on almost 20 years of research on this fascinating, but a still unresolved and concerning, phenomenon.
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Affiliation(s)
- John P Vales
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- INSIGNEO Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Ivana Barbaric
- Centre for Stem Cell Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
- INSIGNEO Institute, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
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Lei Y, Al Delbany D, Krivec N, Regin M, Couvreu de Deckersberg E, Janssens C, Ghosh M, Sermon K, Spits C. SALL3 mediates the loss of neuroectodermal differentiation potential in human embryonic stem cells with chromosome 18q loss. Stem Cell Reports 2024; 19:562-578. [PMID: 38552632 PMCID: PMC11096619 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2024.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Revised: 02/29/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) cultures are prone to genetic drift, because cells that have acquired specific genetic abnormalities experience a selective advantage in vitro. These abnormalities are highly recurrent in hPSC lines worldwide, but their functional consequences in differentiating cells are scarcely described. In this work, we show that the loss of chromosome 18q impairs neuroectoderm commitment and that downregulation of SALL3, a gene located in the common 18q loss region, is responsible for this failed neuroectodermal differentiation. Knockdown of SALL3 in control lines impaired differentiation in a manner similar to the loss of 18q, and transgenic overexpression of SALL3 in hESCs with 18q loss rescued the differentiation capacity of the cells. Finally, we show that loss of 18q and downregulation of SALL3 leads to changes in the expression of genes involved in pathways regulating pluripotency and differentiation, suggesting that these cells are in an altered state of pluripotency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingnan Lei
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Diana Al Delbany
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Nuša Krivec
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marius Regin
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Edouard Couvreu de Deckersberg
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Janssens
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Manjusha Ghosh
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karen Sermon
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Claudia Spits
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
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Krivec N, Ghosh MS, Spits C. Gains of 20q11.21 in human pluripotent stem cells: Insights from cancer research. Stem Cell Reports 2024; 19:11-27. [PMID: 38157850 PMCID: PMC10828824 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2023.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The genetic abnormalities observed in hPSC cultures worldwide have been suggested to pose an important hurdle in their safe use in regenerative medicine due to the possibility of oncogenic transformation by mutant cells in the patient posttransplantation. One of the best-characterized genetic lesions in hPSCs is the gain of 20q11.21, found in 20% of hPSC lines worldwide, and strikingly, also amplified in 20% of human cancers. In this review, we have curated the existing knowledge on the incidence of this mutation in hPSCs and cancer, explored the significance of chromosome 20q11.21 amplification in cancer progression, and reviewed the oncogenic role of the genes in the smallest common region of gain, to shed light on the significance of this mutation in hPSC-based cell therapy. Lastly, we discuss the state-of-the-art strategies devised to detect aneuploidies in hPSC cultures, avoid genetic changes in vitro cultures of hPSCs, and strategies to eliminate genetically abnormal cells from culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nuša Krivec
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Manjusha S Ghosh
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Claudia Spits
- Research Group Reproduction and Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Laarbeeklaan 103, 1090 Brussels, Belgium.
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