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Wu Z, Shen S, Mizikovsky D, Cao Y, Naval-Sanchez M, Tan SZ, Alvarez YD, Sun Y, Chen X, Zhao Q, Kim D, Yang P, Hill TA, Jones A, Fairlie DP, Pébay A, Hewitt AW, Tam PPL, White MD, Nefzger CM, Palpant NJ. Wnt dose escalation during the exit from pluripotency identifies tranilast as a regulator of cardiac mesoderm. Dev Cell 2024; 59:705-722.e8. [PMID: 38354738 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2024.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Wnt signaling is a critical determinant of cell lineage development. This study used Wnt dose-dependent induction programs to gain insights into molecular regulation of stem cell differentiation. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of hiPSCs responding to a dose escalation protocol with Wnt agonist CHIR-99021 during the exit from pluripotency to identify cell types and genetic activity driven by Wnt stimulation. Results of activated gene sets and cell types were used to build a multiple regression model that predicts the efficiency of cardiomyocyte differentiation. Cross-referencing Wnt-associated gene expression profiles to the Connectivity Map database, we identified the small-molecule drug, tranilast. We found that tranilast synergistically activates Wnt signaling to promote cardiac lineage differentiation, which we validate by in vitro analysis of hiPSC differentiation and in vivo analysis of developing quail embryos. Our study provides an integrated workflow that links experimental datasets, prediction models, and small-molecule databases to identify drug-like compounds that control cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhixuan Wu
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Sophie Shen
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Dalia Mizikovsky
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yuanzhao Cao
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Marina Naval-Sanchez
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Siew Zhuan Tan
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yanina D Alvarez
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Yuliangzi Sun
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Xiaoli Chen
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Qiongyi Zhao
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Daniel Kim
- Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Pengyi Yang
- Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia
| | - Timothy A Hill
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Alun Jones
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - David P Fairlie
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Alice Pébay
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia; Department of Surgery, Royal Melbourne Hospital, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
| | - Alex W Hewitt
- Menzies Institute for Medical Research, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7000, Australia
| | - Patrick P L Tam
- Children's Medical Research Institute, The University of Sydney, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; School of Medical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Melanie D White
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
| | - Christian M Nefzger
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia; School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4067, Australia
| | - Nathan J Palpant
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia.
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