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Stiefbold M, Zhang H, Wan LQ. Engineered platforms for mimicking cardiac development and drug screening. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:197. [PMID: 38664263 PMCID: PMC11045633 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05231-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2024] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024]
Abstract
Congenital heart defects are associated with significant health challenges, demanding a deep understanding of the underlying biological mechanisms and, thus, better devices or platforms that can recapitulate human cardiac development. The discovery of human pluripotent stem cells has substantially reduced the dependence on animal models. Recent advances in stem cell biology, genetic editing, omics, microfluidics, and sensor technologies have further enabled remarkable progress in the development of in vitro platforms with increased fidelity and efficiency. In this review, we provide an overview of advancements in in vitro cardiac development platforms, with a particular focus on technological innovation. We categorize these platforms into four areas: two-dimensional solid substrate cultures, engineered substrate architectures that enhance cellular functions, cardiac organoids, and embryos/explants-on-chip models. We conclude by addressing current limitations and presenting future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Stiefbold
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Biotech 2147, 110 8t Street, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Haokang Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Biotech 2147, 110 8t Street, Troy, NY, 12180, USA
| | - Leo Q Wan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Biotech 2147, 110 8t Street, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
- Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
- Department of Biological Sciences, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
- Center for Modeling, Simulation, and Imaging in Medicine, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, 12180, USA.
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2
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Malihi G, Nikoui V, Elson EL. A review on qualifications and cost effectiveness of induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSCs)-induced cardiomyocytes in drug screening tests. Arch Physiol Biochem 2023; 129:131-142. [PMID: 32783745 DOI: 10.1080/13813455.2020.1802600] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPSCs) have initiated a higher degree of successes in disease modelling, preclinical evaluation of drug therapy and pharmaco-toxicological testing. Since the discovery of iPSCs in 2006, many advanced techniques have been introduced to differentiate iPSCs to cardiomyocytes, which have been progressively improved. The disease models from iPSC-induced cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CM) have been successfully helping to study a variety of cardiac diseases such as long QT syndrome, drug-induced long QT, different cardiomyopathies related to mutations in mitochondria or desmosomal proteins and other rare genetic diseases. IPSC-CMs have also been used to screen the role of chemicals in cardiovascular drug discovery and individualisation of drug dosages. In this review, the quality of current procedures for characterisation and maturation of iPSC-CM lines will be discussed. Also, we will focus on time efficiency and cost of standard differentiation methods after reprogramming.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Vahid Nikoui
- Razi Drug Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Elliot L Elson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics, School of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
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3
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Chen Y, Chan JPY, Wu J, Li R, Santerre JP. Compatibility and function of human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes on an electrospun nanofibrous scaffold, generated from an ionomeric polyurethane composite. J Biomed Mater Res A 2022; 110:1932-1943. [PMID: 35851742 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Synthetic scaffolds are needed for generating organized neo-myocardium constructs to promote functional tissue repair. This study investigated the biocompatibility of an elastomeric electrospun degradable polar/hydrophobic/ionic polyurethane (D-PHI) composite scaffold with human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hiPSC-CMs). The composite material was electrospun to generate scaffolds, with nanofibres oriented in aligned or random directions. These features enabled the authors to evaluate the effect of characteristic elements which mimic that of the native extracellular matrix (alignment, chemical heterogeneity, and fiber topography) on hiPSC-CMs activity. The functional nature of the hiPSC-CM cultured on gelatin and Matrigel-coated scaffolds were assessed, investigating the influence of protein interactions with the synthetic substrate on subsequent cell phenotype. After 7 days of culture, high hiPSC-CM viability was observed on the scaffolds. The cells on the aligned scaffold were elongated and demonstrated aligned sarcomeres that oriented parallel to the direction of the fibers, while the cells on random scaffolds and a tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) control did not exhibit such an organized morphology. The hiPSC-CMs cultured on the scaffolds and TCPS expressed similar levels of cardiac troponin-T, but there was a higher expression of ventricular myosin light chain-2 on the D-PHI composite scaffolds versus TCPS, indicating a higher proportion of hiPSC-CM exhibiting a ventricular cardiomyocyte like phenotype. Within 7 days, the hiPSC-CMs on aligned scaffolds and TCPS beat synchronously and had similar conductive velocities. These preliminary results show that aligned D-PHI elastomeric scaffolds allow hiPSC-CMs to demonstrate important cardiomyocytes characteristics, critical to enabling their future potential use for cardiac tissue regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yizhou Chen
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Jennifer P. Y. Chan
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Baylis Medical Mississauga Ontario Canada
| | - Jun Wu
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - Ren‐Ke Li
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network Toronto Ontario Canada
| | - J. Paul Santerre
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Translational Biology and Engineering Program, Ted Rogers Centre for Heart Research University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
- Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network Toronto Ontario Canada
- Faculty of Dentistry University of Toronto Toronto Ontario Canada
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4
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Arslan U, Moruzzi A, Nowacka J, Mummery C, Eckardt D, Loskill P, Orlova V. Microphysiological stem cell models of the human heart. Mater Today Bio 2022; 14:100259. [PMID: 35514437 PMCID: PMC9062349 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2022.100259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Models of heart disease and drug responses are increasingly based on human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) since their ability to capture human heart (dys-)function is often better than animal models. Simple monolayer cultures of hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, however, have shortcomings. Some of these can be overcome using more complex, multi cell-type models in 3D. Here we review modalities that address this, describe efforts to tailor readouts and sensors for monitoring tissue- and cell physiology (exogenously and in situ) and discuss perspectives for implementation in industry and academia.
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Li X, Gao F, Wang X, Liang Q, Bai A, Liu Z, Chen X, Li E, Chen S, Lu C, Qian R, Sun N, Liang P, Xu C. E2A ablation enhances proportion of nodal-like cardiomyocytes in cardiac-specific differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. EBioMedicine 2021; 71:103575. [PMID: 34488017 PMCID: PMC8426208 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2021.103575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 08/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human sinoatrial cardiomyocytes are essential building blocks for cell therapies of conduction system disorders. However, current differentiation protocols for deriving nodal cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are very inefficient. METHODS By employing the hPSCs to cardiomyocyte (CM) in vitro differentiation system and generating E2A-knockout hESCs using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, we analyze the functions of E2A in CM differentiation. FINDINGS We found that knockout of the transcription factor E2A substantially increased the proportion of nodal-like cells in hESC-derived CMs. The E2A ablated CMs displayed smaller cell size, increased beating rates, weaker contractile force, and other functional characteristics similar to sinoatrial node (SAN) cells. Transcriptomic analyses indicated that ion channel-encoding genes were up-regulated in E2A ablated CMs. E2A directly bounded to the promoters of genes key to SAN development via conserved E-box motif, and promoted their expression. Unexpect enhanced activity of NOTCH pathway after E2A ablation could also facilate to induct ventricle workingtype CMs reprogramming into SAN-like cells. INTERPRETATION Our study revealed a new role for E2A during directed cardiac differentiation of hESCs and may provide new clues for enhancing induction efficiency of SAN-like cardiomyocytes from hPSCs in the future. FUNDING This work was supported by the NSFC (No.82070391, N.S.; No.81870175 and 81922006, P.L.), the National Key R&D Program of China (2018YFC2000202, N.S.; 2017YFA0103700, P.L.), the Haiju program of National Children's Medical Center EK1125180102, and Innovative research team of high-level local universities in Shanghai and a key laboratory program of the Education Commission of Shanghai Municipality (ZDSYS14005).
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuya Li
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Clinical and Translational Research Center of Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University,Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Fei Gao
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xiaochen Wang
- Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China
| | - Qianqian Liang
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Aobing Bai
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Zhuo Liu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Xinyun Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ermin Li
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Sifeng Chen
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Chao Lu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ruizhe Qian
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
| | - Ning Sun
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; Shanghai Key Lab of Birth Defect, Children's Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 201102, China; Shanghai Key Laboratory of Clinical Geriatric Medicine, Research Center on Aging and Medicine, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
| | - Ping Liang
- Key Laboratory of Combined Multi-organ Transplantation, Ministry of Public Health, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Institute of Translational Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China.
| | - Chen Xu
- Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Bioactive Small Molecules, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
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6
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Specific Blood Cells Derived from Pluripotent Stem Cells: An Emerging Field with Great Potential in Clinical Cell Therapy. Stem Cells Int 2021; 2021:9919422. [PMID: 34434242 PMCID: PMC8380505 DOI: 10.1155/2021/9919422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Widely known for self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, stem cells can be differentiated into all specialized tissues and cells in the body. In the past few years, a number of researchers have focused on deriving hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) as alternative sources for clinic. Existing findings demonstrated that it is feasible to obtain HSCs and certain mature blood lineages from PSCs, except for several issues to be addressed. This short review outlines the technologies used for hematopoietic differentiation in recent years. In addition, the therapeutic value of PSCs as a potential source of various blood cells is also discussed as well as its challenges and directions in future clinical applications.
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7
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Campostrini G, Windt LM, van Meer BJ, Bellin M, Mummery CL. Cardiac Tissues From Stem Cells: New Routes to Maturation and Cardiac Regeneration. Circ Res 2021; 128:775-801. [PMID: 33734815 PMCID: PMC8410091 DOI: 10.1161/circresaha.121.318183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ability of human pluripotent stem cells to form all cells of the body has provided many opportunities to study disease and produce cells that can be used for therapy in regenerative medicine. Even though beating cardiomyocytes were among the first cell types to be differentiated from human pluripotent stem cell, cardiac applications have advanced more slowly than those, for example, for the brain, eye, and pancreas. This is, in part, because simple 2-dimensional human pluripotent stem cell cardiomyocyte cultures appear to need crucial functional cues normally present in the 3-dimensional heart structure. Recent tissue engineering approaches combined with new insights into the dialogue between noncardiomyocytes and cardiomyocytes have addressed and provided solutions to issues such as cardiomyocyte immaturity and inability to recapitulate adult heart values for features like contraction force, electrophysiology, or metabolism. Three-dimensional bioengineered heart tissues are thus poised to contribute significantly to disease modeling, drug discovery, and safety pharmacology, as well as provide new modalities for heart repair. Here, we review the current status of 3-dimensional engineered heart tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Campostrini
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands (G.C., L.M.W., B.J.v.M., M.B., C.L.M.)
| | - Laura M. Windt
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands (G.C., L.M.W., B.J.v.M., M.B., C.L.M.)
| | - Berend J. van Meer
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands (G.C., L.M.W., B.J.v.M., M.B., C.L.M.)
- MESA+ Institute (B.J.v.M.), University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands
| | - Milena Bellin
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands (G.C., L.M.W., B.J.v.M., M.B., C.L.M.)
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Italy (M.B.)
- Veneto Institute of Molecular Medicine, Padua, Padua, Italy (M.B.)
| | - Christine L. Mummery
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands (G.C., L.M.W., B.J.v.M., M.B., C.L.M.)
- Department of Applied Stem Cell Technologies (C.L.M.), University of Twente, Enschede, the Netherlands
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8
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Tadevosyan K, Iglesias-García O, Mazo MM, Prósper F, Raya A. Engineering and Assessing Cardiac Tissue Complexity. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22031479. [PMID: 33540699 PMCID: PMC7867236 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22031479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiac tissue engineering is very much in a current focus of regenerative medicine research as it represents a promising strategy for cardiac disease modelling, cardiotoxicity testing and cardiovascular repair. Advances in this field over the last two decades have enabled the generation of human engineered cardiac tissue constructs with progressively increased functional capabilities. However, reproducing tissue-like properties is still a pending issue, as constructs generated to date remain immature relative to native adult heart. Moreover, there is a high degree of heterogeneity in the methodologies used to assess the functionality and cardiac maturation state of engineered cardiac tissue constructs, which further complicates the comparison of constructs generated in different ways. Here, we present an overview of the general approaches developed to generate functional cardiac tissues, discussing the different cell sources, biomaterials, and types of engineering strategies utilized to date. Moreover, we discuss the main functional assays used to evaluate the cardiac maturation state of the constructs, both at the cellular and the tissue levels. We trust that researchers interested in developing engineered cardiac tissue constructs will find the information reviewed here useful. Furthermore, we believe that providing a unified framework for comparison will further the development of human engineered cardiac tissue constructs displaying the specific properties best suited for each particular application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karine Tadevosyan
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC), 08908 L’Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain;
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Olalla Iglesias-García
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC), 08908 L’Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain;
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.M.M.); (F.P.)
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Correspondence: (O.I.-G.); (A.R.)
| | - Manuel M. Mazo
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.M.M.); (F.P.)
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Area, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
| | - Felipe Prósper
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Cima Universidad de Navarra, Foundation for Applied Medical Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain; (M.M.M.); (F.P.)
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Hematology and Cell Therapy Area, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, 31008 Pamplona, Spain
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Cancer (CIBERONC), 28029 Madrid, Spain
| | - Angel Raya
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL) and Program for Clinical Translation of Regenerative Medicine in Catalonia (P-CMRC), 08908 L’Hospitalet del Llobregat, Spain;
- Center for Networked Biomedical Research on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine (CIBER-BBN), 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Correspondence: (O.I.-G.); (A.R.)
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9
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Cashman JR. Small Molecule Regulation of Stem Cells that Generate Bone, Chondrocyte, and Cardiac Cells. Curr Top Med Chem 2020; 20:2344-2361. [PMID: 32819246 DOI: 10.2174/1568026620666200820143912] [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: 06/22/2020] [Revised: 07/20/2020] [Accepted: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are stem cells (SCs) that can self-renew and differentiate into a myriad of cell types. The process of developing stemness is determined by signaling molecules that drive stem cells to a specific lineage. For example, ESCs can differentiate into mature cells (e.g., cardiomyocytes) and mature cardiomyocytes can be characterized for cell beating, action potential, and ion channel function. A goal of this Perspective is to show how small molecules can be used to differentiate ESCs into cardiomyocytes and how this can reveal novel aspects of SC biology. This approach can also lead to the discovery of new molecules of use in cardiovascular disease. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) afford the ability to produce unlimited numbers of normal human cells. The creation of patient-specific hiPSCs provides an opportunity to study cell models of human disease. The second goal is to show that small molecules can stimulate hiPSC commitment to cardiomyocytes. How iPSCs can be used in an approach to discover new molecules of use in cardiovascular disease will also be shown in this study. Adult SCs, including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), can likewise participate in self-renewal and multilineage differentiation. MSCs are capable of differentiating into osteoblasts, adipocytes or chondrocytes. A third goal of this Perspective is to describe differentiation of MSCs into chondrogenic and osteogenic lineages. Small molecules can stimulate MSCs to specific cell fate both in vitro and in vivo. In this Perspective, some recent examples of applying small molecules for osteogenic and chondrogenic cell fate determination are summarized. Underlying molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved are described. Small molecule-based modulation of stem cells shows insight into cell regulation and potential approaches to therapeutic strategies for MSC-related diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Cashman
- Human BioMolecular Research Institute, 5310 Eastgate Mall, San Diego, CA 92121, United States
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10
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Jiang B, Yan L, Shamul JG, Hakun M, He X. Stem cell therapy of myocardial infarction: a promising opportunity in bioengineering. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2020; 3:1900182. [PMID: 33665356 PMCID: PMC7928435 DOI: 10.1002/adtp.201900182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Myocardial infarction (MI) is a life-threatening disease resulting from irreversible death of cardiomyocytes (CMs) and weakening of the heart blood-pumping function. Stem cell-based therapies have been studied for MI treatment over the last two decades with promising outcome. In this review, we critically summarize the past work in this field to elucidate the advantages and disadvantages of treating MI using pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) including both embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), adult stem cells, and cardiac progenitor cells. The main advantage of the latter is their cytokine production capability to modulate immune responses and control the progression of healing. However, human adult stem cells have very limited (if not 'no') capacity to differentiate into functional CMs in vitro or in vivo. In contrast, PSCs can be differentiated into functional CMs although the protocols for the cardiac differentiation of PSCs are mainly for adherent cells under 2D culture. Derivation of PSC-CMs in 3D, allowing for large-scale production of CMs via modulation of the Wnt/β-catenin signal pathway with defined chemicals and medium, may be desired for clinical translation. Furthermore, the technology of purification and maturation of the PSC-CMs may need further improvements to eliminate teratoma formation after in vivo implantation of the PSC-CMs for treating MI. In addition, in vitro derived PSC-CMs may have mechanical and electrical mismatch with the patient's cardiac tissue, which causes arrhythmia. This supports the use of PSC-derived cells committed to cardiac lineage without beating for implantation to treat MI. In this case, the PSC derived cells may utilize the mechanical, electrical, and chemical cues in the heart to further differentiate into mature/functional CMs in situ. Another major challenge facing stem cell therapy of MI is the low retention/survival of stem cells or their derivatives (e.g., PSC-CMs) in the heart for MI treatment after injection in vivo. This may be resolved by using biomaterials to engineer stem cells for reduced immunogenicity, immobilization of the cells in the heart, and increased integration with the host cardiac tissue. Biomaterials have also been applied in the derivation of CMs in vitro to increase the efficiency and maturation of differentiation. Collectively, a lot has been learned from the past failure of simply injecting intact stem cells or their derivatives in vivo for treating MI, and bioengineering stem cells with biomaterials is expected to be a valuable strategy for advancing stem cell therapy towards its widespread application for treating MI in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bin Jiang
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Li Yan
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - James G Shamul
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Maxwell Hakun
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
| | - Xiaoming He
- Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, United States
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11
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Generating ring-shaped engineered heart tissues from ventricular and atrial human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Nat Commun 2020; 11:75. [PMID: 31911598 PMCID: PMC6946709 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13868-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Accepted: 12/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The functions of the heart are achieved through coordination of different cardiac cell subtypes (e.g., ventricular, atrial, conduction-tissue cardiomyocytes). Human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) offer unique opportunities for cardiac research. Traditional studies using these cells focused on single-cells and utilized mixed cell populations. Our goal was to develop clinically-relevant engineered heart tissues (EHTs) comprised of chamber-specific hPSC-CMs. Here we show that such EHTs can be generated by directing hPSCs to differentiate into ventricular or atrial cardiomyocytes, and then embedding these cardiomyocytes in a collagen-hydrogel to create chamber-specific, ring-shaped, EHTs. The chamber-specific EHTs display distinct atrial versus ventricular phenotypes as revealed by immunostaining, gene-expression, optical assessment of action-potentials and conduction velocity, pharmacology, and mechanical force measurements. We also establish an atrial EHT-based arrhythmia model and confirm its usefulness by applying relevant pharmacological interventions. Thus, our chamber-specific EHT models can be used for cardiac disease modeling, pathophysiological studies and drug testing. The cellular composition of previous engineered heart tissue is often heterogeneous. Here, the authors create chamber-specific human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes to form both ventricular and atrial cells before embedding in collagen-based matrix to form ring-shaped engineered heart tissue.
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12
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Wang Z, Huang J. Apela Promotes Cardiomyocyte Differentiation from Transgenic Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 2019; 189:396-410. [PMID: 31025171 DOI: 10.1007/s12010-019-03012-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Although embryonic stem (ES) cells (ESCs) may be a promising donor source for the repair of infarcted or ischemic heart tissues, their successful application in regenerative medicine has been hampered by difficulties in enriching, identifying, and selecting cardiomyocytes from the differentiating cells. We established transgenic human ES cell lines by transcriptional control of the α-cardiac myosin heavy chain (α-MHC) promoter driving green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression. Differentiated GFP-expressing cells display the characteristics of cardiomyocytes (CMs). Apela, a recently identified short peptide, up-regulated the expression of the cardiac-restricted transcription factors Tbx5 and GATA4 as well as differentiated the cardiomyocyte markers α-MHC and β-MHC. Flow cytometric analysis showed that apela increased the percentage of GFP-expressing cells in the beating foci of the embryoid bodies. The percentage of cardiac troponin T (TNT)-positive cells and the protein expression of TNT were increased in the ES cell-derived CMs with apela treatment. Functionally, the contractile frequency of the ES-derived CMs responded appropriately to the vasoactive drugs isoprenaline and carbachol. Our work presented a protocol for specially labelling and enriching CMs by combining transgenic human ES cell lines and exogenous growth factor treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi Wang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nanjing Chest Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, No. 264 Guangzhou Road, Nanjing, 210029, People's Republic of China.
| | - Jin Huang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nanjing Brain Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. .,Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Nanjing Chest Hospital, Nanjing, People's Republic of China.
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Sharf T, Hansma PK, Hari MA, Kosik KS. Non-contact monitoring of extra-cellular field potentials with a multi-electrode array. LAB ON A CHIP 2019; 19:1448-1457. [PMID: 30887972 DOI: 10.1039/c8lc00984h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Developing tools to enable non-invasive, high-throughput electrophysiology measurements of large functional-networks of electrogenic cells used as in vitro disease models for the heart and brain remains an outstanding challenge for preclinical drug discovery, where failures are costly and can prove to be fatal during clinical trials. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, that it is possible to perform non-contact monitoring of extra-cellular field potentials with a multi-electrode array (MEA). To do this preliminary demonstration we built a prototype with a custom mechanical stage to micro-position cells grown on conventional glass coverslips over the recording surface of a MEA sensor. The prototype can monitor extra-cellular fields generated by multi-cellular networks in a non-contact configuration, enabling a single MEA sensor to probe different cultures in succession, without fouling or degrading its sensitive electronic surface. This first demonstration with easy to culture cardiomyocyte cells and a prototype device points to the exciting possibility for instrument development leading to more efficient and cost-effective drug screening paradigms for cardiovascular and neurological diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Sharf
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA.
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Lin K, Chen R, Zhang L, Zang D, Geng X, Shen W. Transparent Bioreactors Based on Nanoparticle-Coated Liquid Marbles for in Situ Observation of Suspending Embryonic Body Formation and Differentiation. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2019; 11:8789-8796. [PMID: 30511842 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.8b20169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Transparent liquid marbles coated with hydrophobic silica nanoparticles were used as micro-bioreactors for embryonic stem cell (ESC) culturing. The high transparency of silica liquid marbles enables real-time and in situ monitoring of embryonic body (EB) formation and differentiation. The experimental result shows that ESCs can aggregate with each other close to the bottom of the liquid marble and form EBs, while remaining suspended in the culture media. The differentiation of the suspending EBs into contractile cardiomyocytes has been demonstrated inside the transparent liquid marbles, which enable the in situ microscopic observation. It was also found, through comparison, that ESCs in a bare sessile drop placed on a superhydrophobic substrate tend to anchor onto the substrate and then differentiate following the normal way of cell spreading, i.e., withdrawal from the cell cycle, fusion with nascent myotubes, and final differentiation into cardiomyocytes. In contrast, liquid marble particle shells weaken the adhesion of spherical EBs to the substrate, encouraging them to differentiate in suspension into cardiomyocytes, without anchoring. The results of this study highlight the promising performance of liquid marbles as "one-pot" micro-bioreactors for EB formation and differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kejun Lin
- Functional Soft Matter & Materials Group, MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, School of Science , Northwestern Polytechnical University , Xi'an 710129 , China
| | | | - Liyuan Zhang
- National Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Advanced Textile Processing and Clean Production, Science & Technology Institute , Wuhan Textile University , Jiangxia , Hubei 430200 , China
| | - Duyang Zang
- Functional Soft Matter & Materials Group, MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, School of Science , Northwestern Polytechnical University , Xi'an 710129 , China
| | - Xingguo Geng
- Functional Soft Matter & Materials Group, MOE Key Laboratory of Material Physics and Chemistry under Extraordinary Conditions, School of Science , Northwestern Polytechnical University , Xi'an 710129 , China
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15
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Graphene Microelectrode Arrays for Electrical and Optical Measurements of Human Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. Cell Mol Bioeng 2018; 11:407-418. [PMID: 31719891 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-018-0525-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Cell-cell communication plays a pivotal role in biological systems' coordination and function. Electrical properties have been linked to specification and differentiation of stem cells into targeted progeny, such as neurons and cardiomyocytes. Currently, there is a critical need in developing new ways to complement fluorescent indicators, such as Ca2+-sensitive dyes, for direct electrophysiological measurements of cells and tissue. Here, we report a unique transparent and biocompatible graphene-based electrical platform that enables electrical and optical investigation of human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes' (hESC-CMs) intracellular processes and intercellular communication. Methods Graphene, a honeycomb sp2 hybridized two-dimensional carbon lattice, was synthesized using low pressure chemical vapor deposition system, and was tested for biocompatibility. Au and graphene microelectrode arrays (MEAs) were fabricated using well-established microfabrication methods. Au and graphene MEAs were interfaced with hESC-CMs to perform both optical and electrical recordings. Results Optical imaging and Raman spectroscopy confirmed the presence of monolayer graphene. Viability assay showed biocompatibility of graphene. Electrochemical characterization proved graphene's functional activity. Nitric acid treatment further enhanced the electrochemical properties of graphene. Graphene electrodes' transparency enabled both optical and electrical recordings from hESC-CMs. Graphene MEA detected changes in beating frequency and field potential duration upon β-adrenergic receptor agonist treatment. Conclusion The transparent graphene platform enables the investigation of both intracellular and intercellular communication processes and will create new avenues for bidirectional communication (sensing and stimulation) with electrically active tissues and will set the ground for investigations reported diseases such as Alzheimer, Parkinson's disease and arrhythmias.
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Besser RR, Ishahak M, Mayo V, Carbonero D, Claure I, Agarwal A. Engineered Microenvironments for Maturation of Stem Cell Derived Cardiac Myocytes. Am J Cancer Res 2018; 8:124-140. [PMID: 29290797 PMCID: PMC5743464 DOI: 10.7150/thno.19441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2017] [Accepted: 10/19/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Through the use of stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes, tissue-engineered human myocardial constructs are poised for modeling normal and diseased physiology of the heart, as well as discovery of novel drugs and therapeutic targets in a human relevant manner. This review highlights the recent bioengineering efforts to recapitulate microenvironmental cues to further the maturation state of newly differentiated cardiac myocytes. These techniques include long-term culture, co-culture, exposure to mechanical stimuli, 3D culture, cell-matrix interactions, and electrical stimulation. Each of these methods has produced various degrees of maturation; however, a standardized measure for cardiomyocyte maturation is not yet widely accepted by the scientific community.
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Falconer D, Papageorgiou N, Androulakis E, Alfallouji Y, Lim WY, Providencia R, Tousoulis D. Biological therapies targeting arrhythmias: are cells and genes the answer? Expert Opin Biol Ther 2017; 18:237-249. [PMID: 29202595 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2018.1410130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Arrhythmias can cause symptoms ranging from simple dizziness to life-threatening circulatory collapse. Current management includes medical therapy and procedures such as catheter ablation or device implantation. However, these strategies still pose a risk of serious side effects, and some patients remain symptomatic. Advancement in our understanding of how arrhythmias develop on the cellular level has made more targeted approaches possible. In addition, contemporary studies have found that several genes are involved in the pathogenesis of arrhythmias. AREAS COVERED In the present review, the authors explore the cellular and genetic mechanisms leading to arrhythmias as well as the progress that has been made in using both gene and cell therapy to treat tachy- and bradyarrhythmias. They also consider why gene and cell therapy has resulted into a few clinical trials with promising results, however still not applicable in routine clinical practice. EXPERT OPINION The question currently is whether such biological therapies could replace current established approaches. The contemporary evidence suggests that despite recent advances in this field, it will need more work in experimental models before this is applied into clinical practice. Gene and cell studies targeting conduction and repolarization are promising, but still not ready for use in the clinical setting.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Wei Yao Lim
- b Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital , London , UK
| | - Rui Providencia
- b Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew's Hospital , London , UK
| | - Dimitris Tousoulis
- d 1st Cardiology Department , Hippokration Hospital, Athens University Medical School , Athens , Greece
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Peter AK, Bjerke MA, Leinwand LA. Biology of the cardiac myocyte in heart disease. Mol Biol Cell 2017; 27:2149-60. [PMID: 27418636 PMCID: PMC4945135 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e16-01-0038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac hypertrophy is a major risk factor for heart failure, and it has been shown that this increase in size occurs at the level of the cardiac myocyte. Cardiac myocyte model systems have been developed to study this process. Here we focus on cell culture tools, including primary cells, immortalized cell lines, human stem cells, and their morphological and molecular responses to pathological stimuli. For each cell type, we discuss commonly used methods for inducing hypertrophy, markers of pathological hypertrophy, advantages for each model, and disadvantages to using a particular cell type over other in vitro model systems. Where applicable, we discuss how each system is used to model human disease and how these models may be applicable to current drug therapeutic strategies. Finally, we discuss the increasing use of biomaterials to mimic healthy and diseased hearts and how these matrices can contribute to in vitro model systems of cardiac cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela K Peter
- Biofrontiers Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
| | - Maureen A Bjerke
- Biofrontiers Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
| | - Leslie A Leinwand
- Biofrontiers Institute, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309
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19
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Chubb R, Oh J, Riley AK, Kimura T, Wu SM, Wu JY. In Vivo Rescue of the Hematopoietic Niche By Pluripotent Stem Cell Complementation of Defective Osteoblast Compartments. Stem Cells 2017; 35:2150-2159. [PMID: 28741855 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Bone-forming osteoblasts play critical roles in supporting bone marrow hematopoiesis. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced PSCs (iPSC), are capable of differentiating into osteoblasts. To determine the capacity of stem cells needed to rescue aberrant skeletal development and bone marrow hematopoiesis in vivo, we used a skeletal complementation model. Mice deficient in Runx2, a master transcription factor for osteoblastogenesis, fail to form a mineralized skeleton and bone marrow. Wild-type (WT) green fluorescent protein (GFP)+ ESCs and yellow fluorescent protein (YFP)+ iPSCs were introduced into Runx2-null blastocyst-stage embryos. We assessed GFP/YFP+ cell contribution by whole-mount fluorescence and histological analysis and found that the proportion of PSCs in the resulting chimeric embryos is directly correlated with the degree of mineralization in the skull. Moreover, PSC contribution to long bones successfully restored bone marrow hematopoiesis. We validated this finding in a separate model with diphtheria toxin A-mediated ablation of hypertrophic chondrocytes and osteoblasts. Remarkably, chimeric embryos harboring as little as 37.5% WT PSCs revealed grossly normal skeletal morphology, suggesting a near-complete rescue of skeletogenesis. In summary, we demonstrate that fractional contribution of PSCs in vivo is sufficient to complement and reconstitute an osteoblast-deficient skeleton and hematopoietic marrow. Further investigation using genetically modified PSCs with conditional loss of gene function in osteoblasts will enable us to address the specific roles of signaling mediators to regulate bone formation and hematopoietic niches in vivo. Stem Cells 2017;35:2150-2159.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhiannon Chubb
- Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - James Oh
- Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Alyssa K Riley
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Takaharu Kimura
- Division of Endocrinology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Sean M Wu
- Cardiovascular Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joy Y Wu
- Endocrine Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Division of Endocrinology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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20
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Moon SH, Bae D, Jung TH, Chung EB, Jeong YH, Park SJ, Chung HM. From Bench to Market: Preparing Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Derived Cardiomyocytes for Various Applications. Int J Stem Cells 2017; 10:1-11. [PMID: 28531912 PMCID: PMC5488771 DOI: 10.15283/ijsc17024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human cardiomyocytes (CMs) cease to proliferate and remain terminally differentiated thereafter, when humans reach the mid-20s. Thus, any damages sustained by myocardium tissue are irreversible, and they require medical interventions to regain functionality. To date, new surgical procedures and drugs have been developed, albeit with limited success, to treat various heart diseases including myocardial infarction. Hence, there is a pressing need to develop more effective treatment methods to address the increasing mortality rate of the heart diseases. Functional CMs are not only an important in vitro cellular tool to model various types of heart diseases for drug development, but they are also a promising therapeutic agent for cell therapy. However, the limited proliferative capacity entails difficulties in acquiring functional CMs in the scale that is required for pathological studies and cell therapy development. Stem cells, human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in particular, have been considered as an unlimited cellular source for providing functional CMs for various applications. Notable progress has already been made: the first clinical trials of hPSCs derived CMs (hPSC-CMs) for treating myocardial infarction was approved in 2015, and their potential use in disease modeling and drug discovery is being fully explored. This concise review gives an account of current development of differentiation, purification and maturation techniques for hPSC-CMs, and their application in cell therapy development and pharmaceutical industries will be discussed with the latest experimental evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sung-Hwan Moon
- Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | | | - Taek-Hee Jung
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Eun-Bin Chung
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Young-Hoon Jeong
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Soon-Jung Park
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyung-Min Chung
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea
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21
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Cell culture chamber with gas supply for prolonged recording of human neuronal cells on microelectrode array. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 280:27-35. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2017.01.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2016] [Revised: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 01/31/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
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22
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Monnerat G, Alarcón ML, Vasconcellos LR, Hochman-Mendez C, Brasil G, Bassani RA, Casis O, Malan D, Travassos LH, Sepúlveda M, Burgos JI, Vila-Petroff M, Dutra FF, Bozza MT, Paiva CN, Carvalho AB, Bonomo A, Fleischmann BK, de Carvalho ACC, Medei E. Macrophage-dependent IL-1β production induces cardiac arrhythmias in diabetic mice. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13344. [PMID: 27882934 PMCID: PMC5123037 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Accepted: 09/24/2016] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) encompasses a multitude of secondary disorders, including heart disease. One of the most frequent and potentially life threatening disorders of DM-induced heart disease is ventricular tachycardia (VT). Here we show that toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and NLRP3 inflammasome activation in cardiac macrophages mediate the production of IL-1β in DM mice. IL-1β causes prolongation of the action potential duration, induces a decrease in potassium current and an increase in calcium sparks in cardiomyocytes, which are changes that underlie arrhythmia propensity. IL-1β-induced spontaneous contractile events are associated with CaMKII oxidation and phosphorylation. We further show that DM-induced arrhythmias can be successfully treated by inhibiting the IL-1β axis with either IL-1 receptor antagonist or by inhibiting the NLRP3 inflammasome. Our results establish IL-1β as an inflammatory connection between metabolic dysfunction and arrhythmias in DM.
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MESH Headings
- Action Potentials
- Animals
- Antirheumatic Agents/pharmacology
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac/etiology
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac/immunology
- Arrhythmias, Cardiac/metabolism
- Calcium/metabolism
- Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Type 2/metabolism
- Caspase 1/metabolism
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/complications
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/immunology
- Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/metabolism
- Inflammasomes/antagonists & inhibitors
- Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist Protein/pharmacology
- Interleukin-1beta/genetics
- Interleukin-1beta/immunology
- Interleukin-1beta/metabolism
- Macrophages/immunology
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Myocardial Contraction
- Myocytes, Cardiac/immunology
- Myocytes, Cardiac/metabolism
- NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/antagonists & inhibitors
- NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/genetics
- NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein/immunology
- Potassium/metabolism
- Receptors, Interleukin-1/antagonists & inhibitors
- Receptors, Interleukin-1/genetics
- Receptors, Interleukin-1/immunology
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/etiology
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/immunology
- Tachycardia, Ventricular/metabolism
- Toll-Like Receptor 2/genetics
- Toll-Like Receptor 2/immunology
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Affiliation(s)
- Gustavo Monnerat
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Micaela L. Alarcón
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Luiz R. Vasconcellos
- LIRS-Laboratory of Immunoreceptors and Signaling, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Camila Hochman-Mendez
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Guilherme Brasil
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Rosana A. Bassani
- Center for Biomedical Engineering, University of Campinas, Campinas 13.083-970, Brazil
| | - Oscar Casis
- Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidad del País Vasco UPV/EHU, 01006 Vitoria, Spain
| | - Daniela Malan
- Institute of Physiology I, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn D-53127, Germany
| | - Leonardo H. Travassos
- LIRS-Laboratory of Immunoreceptors and Signaling, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Marisa Sepúlveda
- Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Conicet La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Juan Ignacio Burgos
- Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Conicet La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Martin Vila-Petroff
- Centro de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares, Conicet La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata 1900, Argentina
| | - Fabiano F. Dutra
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Marcelo T. Bozza
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Claudia N. Paiva
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Adriana Bastos Carvalho
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Adriana Bonomo
- Instituto de Microbiologia, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- FIOCANCER/ VPPLR/FIOCRUZ, FIOCRUZ-Manguinhos, Rio de Janeiro 21040-360, Brazil
| | - Bernd K. Fleischmann
- Institute of Physiology I, Life and Brain Center, University of Bonn, Bonn D-53127, Germany
| | - Antonio Carlos Campos de Carvalho
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging—CENABIO/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
| | - Emiliano Medei
- Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
- National Center for Structural Biology and Bioimaging—CENABIO/UFRJ, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil
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Wang Q, Yang H, Bai A, Jiang W, Li X, Wang X, Mao Y, Lu C, Qian R, Guo F, Ding T, Chen H, Chen S, Zhang J, Liu C, Sun N. Functional engineered human cardiac patches prepared from nature's platform improve heart function after acute myocardial infarction. Biomaterials 2016; 105:52-65. [DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2016.07.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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24
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Gu X, Yao C, Liu Y, Hsing IM. 16-Channel Organic Electrochemical Transistor Array for In Vitro Conduction Mapping of Cardiac Action Potential. Adv Healthc Mater 2016; 5:2345-51. [PMID: 27396472 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201600189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 06/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
16-Channel organic electrochemical transistor arrays (OECTs) are developed for mapping the propagation and studying the characteristics of action potentials of primary cardiomyocytes. The physiological activities of a rat cardiomyocyte monolayer during a long-term culturing is revealed by this biocompatible, low-cost, and high transconductance organic electronic device. OECT has great potential to be used in cardiac and neuronal drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Gu
- Bioengineering Graduate Program; Division of Biomedical Engineering; The Hong Kong University of Scienceand Technology; Hong Kong China 999077
| | - Chunlei Yao
- Bioengineering Graduate Program; Division of Biomedical Engineering; The Hong Kong University of Scienceand Technology; Hong Kong China 999077
| | - Ying Liu
- Bioengineering Graduate Program; Division of Biomedical Engineering; The Hong Kong University of Scienceand Technology; Hong Kong China 999077
| | - I-Ming Hsing
- Bioengineering Graduate Program; Division of Biomedical Engineering; The Hong Kong University of Scienceand Technology; Hong Kong China 999077
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25
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Clements M. Multielectrode Array (MEA) Assay for Profiling Electrophysiological Drug Effects in Human Stem Cell-Derived Cardiomyocytes. CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN TOXICOLOGY 2016; 68:22.4.1-22.4.32. [PMID: 27145112 DOI: 10.1002/cptx.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
More relevant and reliable preclinical cardiotoxicity tests are required to improve drug safety and reduce the cost of drug development. Human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hSC-CMs) provide a potential model for the development of superior assays for preclinical drug safety screening. One such hSC-CM assay that has shown significant potential for enabling more predictive drug cardiac risk assessment is the MEA assay. The Multi-electrode Array (MEA) assay is an electrophysiology-based technique that uses microelectrodes embedded in the culture surface of each well to measure fluctuations in extracellular field potential (FP) generated from spontaneously beating hSC-CMs. Perturbations to the recorded FP waveform can be used as an unbiased method of predicting the identity of ion channel(s) impacted on drug exposure. Here, a higher throughput MEA assay using hSC-CMs in 48-well MEA plates is described for profiling compound-induced effects on cardiomyocyte electrophysiology. Techniques for preparing hSC-CM monolayers in MEA plates and methods to contextualize MEA assay experimental results are also covered. © 2016 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike Clements
- GE Healthcare Life Sciences, Maynard Centre, Forest Farm, Whitchurch, Cardiff, United Kingdom
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Autonomous beating rate adaptation in human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. Nat Commun 2016; 7:10312. [PMID: 26785135 PMCID: PMC4735644 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms10312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 127] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2015] [Accepted: 11/27/2015] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The therapeutic success of human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes critically depends on their ability to respond to and integrate with the surrounding electromechanical environment. Currently, the immaturity of human cardiomyocytes derived from stem cells limits their utility for regenerative medicine and biological research. We hypothesize that biomimetic electrical signals regulate the intrinsic beating properties of cardiomyocytes. Here we show that electrical conditioning of human stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes in three-dimensional culture promotes cardiomyocyte maturation, alters their automaticity and enhances connexin expression. Cardiomyocytes adapt their autonomous beating rate to the frequency at which they were stimulated, an effect mediated by the emergence of a rapidly depolarizing cell population, and the expression of hERG. This rate-adaptive behaviour is long lasting and transferable to the surrounding cardiomyocytes. Thus, electrical conditioning may be used to promote cardiomyocyte maturation and establish their automaticity, with implications for cell-based reduction of arrhythmia during heart regeneration.
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Liu J, Laksman Z, Backx PH. The electrophysiological development of cardiomyocytes. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2016; 96:253-73. [PMID: 26788696 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2015.12.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2015] [Revised: 12/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The generation of human cardiomyocytes (CMs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has become an important resource for modeling human cardiac disease and for drug screening, and also holds significant potential for cardiac regeneration. Many challenges remain to be overcome however, before innovation in this field can translate into a change in the morbidity and mortality associated with heart disease. Of particular importance for the future application of this technology is an improved understanding of the electrophysiologic characteristics of CMs, so that better protocols can be developed and optimized for generating hPSC-CMs. Many different cell culture protocols are currently utilized to generate CMs from hPSCs and all appear to yield relatively “developmentally” immature CMs with highly heterogeneous electrical properties. These hPSC-CMs are characterized by spontaneous beating at highly variable rates with a broad range of depolarization-repolarization patterns, suggestive of mixed populations containing atrial, ventricular and nodal cells. Many recent studies have attempted to introduce approaches to promote maturation and to create cells with specific functional properties. In this review, we summarize the studies in which the electrical properties of CMs derived from stem cells have been examined. In order to place this information in a useful context, we also review the electrical properties of CMs as they transition from the developing embryo to the adult human heart. The signal pathways involved in the regulation of ion channel expression during development are also briefly considered.
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Bedada FB, Wheelwright M, Metzger JM. Maturation status of sarcomere structure and function in human iPSC-derived cardiac myocytes. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR CELL RESEARCH 2015; 1863:1829-38. [PMID: 26578113 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbamcr.2015.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 11/05/2015] [Accepted: 11/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Human heart failure due to myocardial infarction is a major health concern. The paucity of organs for transplantation limits curative approaches for the diseased and failing adult heart. Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes (hiPSC-CMs) have the potential to provide a long-term, viable, regenerative-medicine alternative. Significant progress has been made with regard to efficient cardiac myocyte generation from hiPSCs. However, directing hiPSC-CMs to acquire the physiological structure, gene expression profile and function akin to mature cardiac tissue remains a major obstacle. Thus, hiPSC-CMs have several hurdles to overcome before they find their way into translational medicine. In this review, we address the progress that has been made, the void in knowledge and the challenges that remain. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cardiomyocyte Biology: Integration of Developmental and Environmental Cues in the Heart edited by Marcus Schaub and Hughes Abriel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fikru B Bedada
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Matthew Wheelwright
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Joseph M Metzger
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota Medical School Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
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Abstract
The bone is a regenerative tissue, capable of healing itself after fractures. However, some circumstances such as critical-size defects, malformations, and tumor destruction may exceed the skeleton's capacity for self-repair. In addition, bone mass and strength decline with age, leading to an increase in fragility fractures. Therefore, the ability to generate large numbers of patient-specific osteoblasts would have enormous clinical implications for the treatment of skeletal defects and diseases. This review will highlight recent advances in the derivation of pluripotent stem cells, and in their directed differentiation towards bone-forming osteoblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy Y Wu
- Division of Endocrinology, Stanford University School of Medicine, 300 Pasteur Dr., S-025, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA,
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Jin Y, Cao J, Xu X, Ye X, Chen Y, Yang J, Feng Q, Zhu L, Qian X, Yang C. Effects of C-Reactive Protein on the Cardiac Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells. Biol Pharm Bull 2015; 38:1361-7. [PMID: 26328491 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b15-00311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
A major challenge in stem cell therapy for cardiac repair is how to obtain normally functioning stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. We aim to address the effects of C-reactive protein (CRP) on the cardiac differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells. Immunostaining, Western blotting and electrophysiology were employed. A hundred fifty milligran/liters CRP significantly reduced the percentage of cardiomyocytes differentiated from mouse ES cells, while it may also promote sarcomere development compared to 30 mg/L CRP treatment. Further examination of the action potential (AP) in individual ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes showed that there exist three types of cardiomyocytes: artial-like (A-like), ventricular-like (V-like), and pacemaker-like (P-like). A hundred fifty milligran/liters CRP treatment decreased the P-like cardiomyocytes, whereas it increased the A-like. Such inhibitory effect and alteration were not significant at 30 mg/L CRP treatment. Moreover, 150 mg/L CRP significantly increased the APD90 (90% of duration of AP) and decreased the spontaneous firing rate of AP in P-like cells, while had little effect on other electrophysiological characteristics, including APA (AP amplitude) and MDP (maximum diastolic potential). This study revealed the effect of CRP on the cardiac differentiation of ES cells. It provides an in vitro pathological model and may be of importance to the future work of ES cell-based therapy in clinical applications and in vivo pathological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Jin
- Department of Cardiology, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Wuxi Second Hospital
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Schulpen SH, Theunissen PT, Pennings JL, Piersma AH. Comparison of gene expression regulation in mouse- and human embryonic stem cell assays during neural differentiation and in response to valproic acid exposure. Reprod Toxicol 2015; 56:77-86. [DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2015.06.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2015] [Revised: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/02/2015] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Nussinovitch U, Gepstein L. Optogenetics for suppression of cardiac electrical activity in human and rat cardiomyocyte cultures. NEUROPHOTONICS 2015; 2:031204. [PMID: 26158013 PMCID: PMC4478752 DOI: 10.1117/1.nph.2.3.031204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Optogenetics has revolutionized neuroscience by enabling precise control of neural excitation. The development of similar optogenetics strategies in the heart is just emerging and mainly focused on pacing with light activation of channelrhodopsin-2. Here, we aimed to develop an optogenetic approach to suppress local cardiac electrical activity by using engineered cell-grafts (HEK293-cells) transfected to express the light-sensitive hyperpolarizing proton-pump archaerhodopsin-3 (Arch3). To evaluate the ability of the engineered cells to couple and modulate the electrical activity of cardiomyocytes, we co-cultured the Arch3-HEK293 cells with neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs) or human embryonic stem cells derived cardiomyocytes (hESC-CMs). The co-cultures' conduction and chronotropic properties were evaluated prior, during, and following application of focused monochromatic light (590 nm) using a multielectrode array mapping system. Application of focused illumination completely silenced electrical activity at the illuminated area in all NRCM co-cultures, leading to development of localized functional conduction blocks. Similarly, illumination significantly slowed spontaneous beating-rate in the hESCs-CMs co-cultures (from [Formula: see text] to [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text]). Interestingly, a transient acceleration in beating-rate was noted immediately postillumination. In conclusion, a combined gene and cell therapy approach, using light-sensitive hyperpolarizing proteins, could be used to modulate conduction and automaticity in cardiomyocyte cultures, opening the way for future optogenetic treatments for cardiac tachyarrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udi Nussinovitch
- Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Sohnis Family Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, POB 9649, Haifa 31093, Israel
- Rambam Health Care Campus, Department of Internal Medicine A, Haifa 31096, Israel
| | - Lior Gepstein
- Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Sohnis Family Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, POB 9649, Haifa 31093, Israel
- Rambam Health Care Campus, Cardiology Department, Haifa 31096, Israel
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Yang C, Al-Aama J, Stojkovic M, Keavney B, Trafford A, Lako M, Armstrong L. Concise Review: Cardiac Disease Modeling Using Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells. Stem Cells 2015; 33:2643-51. [PMID: 26033645 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2014] [Revised: 05/07/2015] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Genetic cardiac diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality. Although animal models have been created to provide some useful insights into the pathogenesis of genetic cardiac diseases, the significant species differences and the lack of genetic information for complex genetic diseases markedly attenuate the application values of such data. Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patient-specific specimens and subsequent derivation of cardiomyocytes offer novel avenues to study the mechanisms underlying cardiac diseases, to identify new causative genes, and to provide insights into the disease aetiology. In recent years, the list of human iPSC-based models for genetic cardiac diseases has been expanding rapidly, although there are still remaining concerns on the level of functionality of iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and their ability to be used for modeling complex cardiac diseases in adults. This review focuses on the development of cardiomyocyte induction from pluripotent stem cells, the recent progress in heart disease modeling using iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes, and the challenges associated with understanding complex genetic diseases. To address these issues, we examine the similarity between iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and their ex vivo counterparts and how this relates to the method used to differentiate the pluripotent stem cells into a cardiomyocyte phenotype. We progress to examine categories of congenital cardiac abnormalities that are suitable for iPSC-based disease modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunbo Yang
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, The International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Jumana Al-Aama
- Princess Al Jawhara Center of Excellence in Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
| | - Miodrag Stojkovic
- Center for Molecular Medicine and Stem Cell Research, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, Serbia
| | - Bernard Keavney
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences Core Technology, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew Trafford
- Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences Core Technology, Manchester University, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Majlinda Lako
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, The International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Lyle Armstrong
- Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University, The International Centre for Life, Central Parkway, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
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Georgiadis V, Stephanou A, Townsend PA, Jackson TR. MultiElec: A MATLAB Based Application for MEA Data Analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129389. [PMID: 26076010 PMCID: PMC4468069 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2015] [Accepted: 05/07/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
We present MultiElec, an open source MATLAB based application for data analysis of microelectrode array (MEA) recordings. MultiElec displays an extremely user-friendly graphic user interface (GUI) that allows the simultaneous display and analysis of voltage traces for 60 electrodes and includes functions for activation-time determination, the production of activation-time heat maps with activation time and isoline display. Furthermore, local conduction velocities are semi-automatically calculated along with their corresponding vector plots. MultiElec allows ad hoc signal suppression, enabling the user to easily and efficiently handle signal artefacts and for incomplete data sets to be analysed. Voltage traces and heat maps can be simply exported for figure production and presentation. In addition, our platform is able to produce 3D videos of signal progression over all 60 electrodes. Functions are controlled entirely by a single GUI with no need for command line input or any understanding of MATLAB code. MultiElec is open source under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation, version 3. Both the program and source code are available to download from http://www.cancer.manchester.ac.uk/MultiElec/.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vassilis Georgiadis
- Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Anastasis Stephanou
- Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Paul A. Townsend
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Manchester Centre for Cellular Metabolism, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Thomas R. Jackson
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- Manchester Centre for Cellular Metabolism, Manchester Cancer Research Centre, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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35
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Zhang YS, Aleman J, Arneri A, Bersini S, Piraino F, Shin SR, Dokmeci MR, Khademhosseini A. From cardiac tissue engineering to heart-on-a-chip: beating challenges. Biomed Mater 2015; 10:034006. [PMID: 26065674 PMCID: PMC4489846 DOI: 10.1088/1748-6041/10/3/034006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 100] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The heart is one of the most vital organs in the human body, which actively pumps the blood through the vascular network to supply nutrients to as well as to extract wastes from all other organs, maintaining the homeostasis of the biological system. Over the past few decades, tremendous efforts have been exerted in engineering functional cardiac tissues for heart regeneration via biomimetic approaches. More recently, progress has been made toward the transformation of knowledge obtained from cardiac tissue engineering to building physiologically relevant microfluidic human heart models (i.e. heart-on-chips) for applications in drug discovery. The advancement in stem cell technologies further provides the opportunity to create personalized in vitro models from cells derived from patients. Here, starting from heart biology, we review recent advances in engineering cardiac tissues and heart-on-a-chip platforms for their use in heart regeneration and cardiotoxic/cardiotherapeutic drug screening, and then briefly conclude with characterization techniques and personalization potential of the cardiac models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Shrike Zhang
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Julio Aleman
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Andrea Arneri
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Bioengineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Simone Bersini
- Bioengineering Department, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133 Milan, Italy
| | - Francesco Piraino
- Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Su Ryon Shin
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Mehmet Remzi Dokmeci
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Ali Khademhosseini
- Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Physics, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21569, Saudi Arabia
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Huyer LD, Montgomery M, Zhao Y, Xiao Y, Conant G, Korolj A, Radisic M. Biomaterial based cardiac tissue engineering and its applications. Biomed Mater 2015; 10:034004. [PMID: 25989939 PMCID: PMC4464787 DOI: 10.1088/1748-6041/10/3/034004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death worldwide, necessitating the development of effective treatment strategies. A myocardial infarction involves the blockage of a coronary artery leading to depletion of nutrient and oxygen supply to cardiomyocytes and massive cell death in a region of the myocardium. Cardiac tissue engineering is the growth of functional cardiac tissue in vitro on biomaterial scaffolds for regenerative medicine application. This strategy relies on the optimization of the complex relationship between cell networks and biomaterial properties. In this review, we discuss important biomaterial properties for cardiac tissue engineering applications, such as elasticity, degradation, and induced host response, and their relationship to engineered cardiac cell environments. With these properties in mind, we also emphasize in vitro use of cardiac tissues for high-throughput drug screening and disease modelling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Locke Davenport Huyer
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Miles Montgomery
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yimu Zhao
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Yun Xiao
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Genevieve Conant
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anastasia Korolj
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Milica Radisic
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Toronto General Research Institute, University Health Network and IBBME, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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Zhu S, Hu X, Yu Z, Peng Y, Zhu J, Liu X, Li M, Han S, Zhu C. Effect of miR-20b on Apoptosis, Differentiation, the BMP Signaling Pathway and Mitochondrial Function in the P19 Cell Model of Cardiac Differentiation In Vitro. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0123519. [PMID: 25898012 PMCID: PMC4405592 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Accepted: 02/19/2015] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective To explore the effect of miR-20b on apoptosis, differentiation, the BMP signaling pathway and mitochondrial function in the P19 cell model of cardiac differentiation in vitro. Methods A miR-20b over-expression vector, a miR-20b silencing vector and their corresponding empty vectors were constructed and transfected into P19 cells, separately. Stably miR-20b overexpressing and silenced P19 cell lines were successfully selected by blasticidin and puromycin, separately. The cells were induced to undergo apoptosis in FBS-free-α-MEM. The induced cells were examined by flow cytometry and measurement of their caspase-3 activities. Quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to evaluate the relative expression of marker genes of cardiomyocytes during differentiation, such as cTnT, GATA4 and ANP. QRT-PCR was also used to detect the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number. We investigated the cellular ATP production using a luciferase-based luminescence assay. The reactive oxygen species (ROS) was determined by DCFDA (2’, 7’-Dichlorofluorescein diacetate) and the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was elucidated by a JC-1 fluorescent probe, both using fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometer. The expression of BMP signaling pathway-related proteins were analyzed by Western blotting. Results Stably miR-20b overexpressing and silenced P19 cell lines were successfully obtained. MiR-20b overexpression increased apoptosis and promoted differentiation in P19 cells by promoting the activation of the BMP signaling pathway. In addition, miR-20b overexpression induced mitochondrial impairment in P19 cells during differentiation, which was characterized by lower MMP, raised ATP synthesis and increased ROS levels. The effects of miR-20b silencing were the exact opposite to those of overexpression. Conclusion Collectively, these results suggested that miR-20b was very important in apoptosis, differentiation and mitochondrial function of P19 cells. MiR-20b may represent a new therapeutic target for congenital heart diseases and provide new insights into the mechanisms of cardiac diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Zhu
- Department of Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China
| | - Xiaoshan Hu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
| | - Zhangbin Yu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
| | - Yuzhu Peng
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
| | - Jingai Zhu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
| | - Xuehua Liu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
| | - Mengmeng Li
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
| | - Shuping Han
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
- * E-mail: (SPH); (CZ)
| | - Chun Zhu
- State key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Nanjing Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210004, China
- * E-mail: (SPH); (CZ)
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Jha R, Xu RH, Xu C. Efficient differentiation of cardiomyocytes from human pluripotent stem cells with growth factors. Methods Mol Biol 2015; 1299:115-131. [PMID: 25836579 PMCID: PMC4886660 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-2572-8_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells have tremendous replicative capacity and demonstrated potential to generate functional cardiomyocytes. These cardiomyocytes represent a promising source for cell replacement therapy to treat heart disease and may serve as a useful tool for drug discovery and disease modeling. Efficient cardiomyocyte differentiation, a prerequisite for the application of stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes, can be achieved with a growth factor-guided method. Undifferentiated cells are sequentially treated with activin A and BMP4 in a serum-free and insulin-free medium and then maintained in a serum-free medium with insulin. This method yields as much as >75% cardiomyocytes in the differentiation culture within 2 weeks, and the beating cardiomyocytes have expected molecular, cellular, and electrophysiological characteristics. In this chapter, we describe in detail the differentiation protocol and follow-up characterization focusing on immunocytochemistry, quantitative RT-PCR, and flow cytometry analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajneesh Jha
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Ren-He Xu
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Macau, Taipa, Macau
| | - Chunhui Xu
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
- The Parker H. Petit Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Pham TLB, Nguyen TT, Van Bui A, Nguyen MT, Van Pham P. Fetal heart extract facilitates the differentiation of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells into heart muscle precursor cells. Cytotechnology 2014; 68:645-58. [PMID: 25377264 DOI: 10.1007/s10616-014-9812-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Accepted: 10/27/2014] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UCB-MSCs) are a promising stem cell source with the potential to modulate the immune system as well as the capacity to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. In previous publications, UCB-MSCs have been successfully differentiated into cardiomyocytes. This study aimed to improve the efficacy of differentiation of UCB-MSCs into cardiomyocytes by combining 5-azacytidine (Aza) with mouse fetal heart extract (HE) in the induction medium. UCB-MSCs were isolated from umbilical cord blood according to a published protocol. Murine fetal hearts were used to produce fetal HE using a rapid freeze-thaw procedure. MSCs at the 3rd to 5th passage were differentiated into cardiomyocytes in two kinds of induction medium: complete culture medium plus Aza (Aza group) and complete culture medium plus Aza and fetal HE (Aza + HE group). The results showed that the cells in both kinds of induction medium exhibited the phenotype of cardiomyocytes. At the transcriptional level, the cells expressed a number of cardiac muscle-specific genes such as Nkx2.5, Gata 4, Mef2c, HCN2, hBNP, α-Ca, cTnT, Desmin, and β-MHC on day 27 in the Aza group and on day 18 in the Aza + HE group. At the translational level, sarcomic α-actin was expressed on day 27 in the Aza group and day 18 in the Aza + HE group. Although they expressed specific genes and proteins of cardiac muscle cells, the induced cells in both groups did not contract and beat spontaneously. These properties are similar to properties of heart muscle precursor cells in vivo. These results demonstrated that the fetal HE facilitates the differentiation process of human UCB-MSCs into heart muscle precursor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Truc Le-Buu Pham
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Tam Thanh Nguyen
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Anh Van Bui
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - My Thu Nguyen
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
| | - Phuc Van Pham
- Laboratory of Stem Cell Research and Application, University of Science, Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
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Mehta A, Verma V, Nandihalli M, Ramachandra CJA, Sequiera GL, Sudibyo Y, Chung Y, Sun W, Shim W. A systemic evaluation of cardiac differentiation from mRNA reprogrammed human induced pluripotent stem cells. PLoS One 2014; 9:e103485. [PMID: 25068310 PMCID: PMC4113436 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0103485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2014] [Accepted: 07/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetically unmodified cardiomyocytes mandated for cardiac regenerative therapy is conceivable by “foot-print free” reprogramming of somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). In this study, we report generation of foot-print free hiPSC through messenger RNA (mRNA) based reprograming. Subsequently, we characterize cardiomyocytes derived from these hiPSC using molecular and electrophysiological methods to characterize their applicability for regenerative medicine. Our results demonstrate that mRNA-iPSCs differentiate ontogenetically into cardiomyocytes with increased expression of early commitment markers of mesoderm, cardiac mesoderm, followed by cardiac specific transcriptional and sarcomeric structural and ion channel genes. Furthermore, these cardiomyocytes stained positively for sarcomeric and ion channel proteins. Based on multi-electrode array (MEA) recordings, these mRNA-hiPSC derived cardiomyocytes responded predictably to various pharmacologically active drugs that target adrenergic, sodium, calcium and potassium channels. The cardiomyocytes responded chronotropically to isoproterenol in a dose dependent manner, inotropic activity of nifidipine decreased spontaneous contractions. Moreover, Sotalol and E-4031 prolonged QT intervals, while TTX reduced sodium influx. Our results for the first time show a systemic evaluation based on molecular, structural and functional properties of cardiomyocytes differentiated from mRNA-iPSC. These results, coupled with feasibility of generating patient-specific iPSCs hold great promise for the development of large-scale generation of clinical grade cardiomyocytes for cardiac regenerative medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ashish Mehta
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (AM); (WS)
| | - Vinod Verma
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Manasi Nandihalli
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Glen L. Sequiera
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yuliansa Sudibyo
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yingying Chung
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
| | - William Sun
- Experimental and Therapeutics Centre, A’STAR, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Winston Shim
- National Heart Research Institute Singapore, National Heart Centre, Singapore, Singapore
- Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disorders Program, DUKE-NUS, Singapore, Singapore
- * E-mail: (AM); (WS)
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Dambrot C, Braam SR, Tertoolen LGJ, Birket M, Atsma DE, Mummery CL. Serum supplemented culture medium masks hypertrophic phenotypes in human pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes. J Cell Mol Med 2014; 18:1509-18. [PMID: 24981391 PMCID: PMC4190898 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.12356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2014] [Accepted: 05/27/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
It has been known for over 20 years that foetal calf serum can induce hypertrophy in cultured cardiomyocytes but this is rarely considered when examining cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSC). Here, we determined how serum affected cardiomyocytes from human embryonic- (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and hiPSC from patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy linked to a mutation in the MYBPC3 gene. We first confirmed previously published hypertrophic effects of serum on cultured neonatal rat cardiomyocytes demonstrated as increased cell surface area and beating frequency. We then found that serum increased the cell surface area of hESC- and hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes and their spontaneous contraction rate. Phenylephrine, which normally induces cardiac hypertrophy, had no additional effects under serum conditions. Likewise, hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes from three MYBPC3 patients which had a greater surface area than controls in the absence of serum as predicted by their genotype, did not show this difference in the presence of serum. Serum can thus alter the phenotype of human PSC derived cardiomyocytes under otherwise defined conditions such that the effects of hypertrophic drugs and gene mutations are underestimated. It is therefore pertinent to examine cardiac phenotypes in culture media without or in low concentrations of serum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl Dambrot
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands; Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
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Lundy SD, Murphy SA, Dupras SK, Dai J, Murry CE, Laflamme MA, Regnier M. Cell-based delivery of dATP via gap junctions enhances cardiac contractility. J Mol Cell Cardiol 2014; 72:350-9. [PMID: 24780238 PMCID: PMC4073675 DOI: 10.1016/j.yjmcc.2014.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
The transplantation of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (hPSC-CMs) is a promising strategy to treat myocardial infarction and reverse heart failure, but to date the contractile benefit in most studies remains modest. We have previously shown that the nucleotide 2-deoxyadenosine triphosphate (dATP) can substitute for ATP as the energy substrate for cardiac myosin, and increasing cellular dATP content by globally overexpressing ribonucleotide reductase (R1R2) can dramatically enhance cardiac contractility. Because dATP is a small molecule, we hypothesized that it would diffuse readily between cells via gap junctions and enhance the contractility of neighboring coupled wild type cells. To test this hypothesis, we performed studies with the goals of (1) validating gap junction-mediated dATP transfer in vitro and (2) investigating the use of R1R2-overexpressing hPSC-CMs in vivo as a novel strategy to increase cardiac function. We first performed intracellular dye transfer studies using dATP conjugated to fluorescein and demonstrated rapid gap junction-mediated transfer between cardiomyocytes. We then cocultured wild type cardiomyocytes with either cardiomyocytes or fibroblasts overexpressing R1R2 and saw more than a twofold increase in the extent and rate of contraction of wild type cardiomyocytes. Finally, we transplanted hPSC-CMs overexpressing R1R2 into healthy uninjured rat hearts and noted an increase in fractional shortening from 41±4% to 53±5% just five days after cell transplantation. These findings demonstrate that dATP is an inotropic factor that spreads between cells via gap junctions. Our data suggest that transplantation of dATP-producing hPSC-CMs could significantly increase the effectiveness of cardiac cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott D Lundy
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sean A Murphy
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Sarah K Dupras
- Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Jin Dai
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Charles E Murry
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Medicine/Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael A Laflamme
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Michael Regnier
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; Center for Cardiovascular Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
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Jung JJ, Husse B, Rimmbach C, Krebs S, Stieber J, Steinhoff G, Dendorfer A, Franz WM, David R. Programming and isolation of highly pure physiologically and pharmacologically functional sinus-nodal bodies from pluripotent stem cells. Stem Cell Reports 2014; 2:592-605. [PMID: 24936448 PMCID: PMC4050488 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2014.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 03/17/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Therapeutic approaches for “sick sinus syndrome” rely on electrical pacemakers, which lack hormone responsiveness and bear hazards such as infection and battery failure. These issues may be overcome via “biological pacemakers” derived from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs). Here, we show that forward programming of PSCs with the nodal cell inducer TBX3 plus an additional Myh6-promoter-based antibiotic selection leads to cardiomyocyte aggregates consisting of >80% physiologically and pharmacologically functional pacemaker cells. These induced sinoatrial bodies (iSABs) exhibited highly increased beating rates (300–400 bpm), coming close to those found in mouse hearts, and were able to robustly pace myocardium ex vivo. Our study introduces iSABs as highly pure, functional nodal tissue that is derived from PSCs and may be important for future cell therapies and drug testing in vitro. TBX3 plus Myh6-promoter antibiotic selection yields pacemaker cells from PSCs Induced sinoatrial bodies (iSABs) consist of >80% functional pacemaker cells iSABs showed highly increased beating rates and were able to pace myocardium ex vivo iSABs represent highly pure functional nodal tissue derived from PSCs
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Jeannine Jung
- Referenz und Translationszentrum für Kardiale Stammzelltherapie (RTC) der Universität Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Britta Husse
- Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie und Angiologie, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria ; Walter Brendel Centre, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Christian Rimmbach
- Referenz und Translationszentrum für Kardiale Stammzelltherapie (RTC) der Universität Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Stefan Krebs
- Gene Center Munich, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Juliane Stieber
- Institut für Experimentelle und Klinische Pharmakologie und Toxikologie der FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
| | - Gustav Steinhoff
- Referenz und Translationszentrum für Kardiale Stammzelltherapie (RTC) der Universität Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
| | - Andreas Dendorfer
- Walter Brendel Centre, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany ; German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Munich Heart Alliance, Munich, Germany
| | - Wolfgang-Michael Franz
- Universitätsklinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie und Angiologie, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Robert David
- Referenz und Translationszentrum für Kardiale Stammzelltherapie (RTC) der Universität Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany
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Nussinovitch U, Shinnawi R, Gepstein L. Modulation of cardiac tissue electrophysiological properties with light-sensitive proteins. Cardiovasc Res 2014; 102:176-87. [PMID: 24518144 DOI: 10.1093/cvr/cvu037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AIMS Optogenetics approaches, utilizing light-sensitive proteins, have emerged as unique experimental paradigms to modulate neuronal excitability. We aimed to evaluate whether a similar strategy could be used to control cardiac-tissue excitability. METHODS AND RESULTS A combined cell and gene therapy strategy was developed in which fibroblasts were transfected to express the light-activated depolarizing channel Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2). Patch-clamp studies confirmed the development of a robust inward current in the engineered fibroblasts following monochromatic blue-light exposure. The engineered cells were co-cultured with neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (or human embryonic stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes) and studied using a multielectrode array mapping technique. These studies revealed the ability of the ChR2-fibroblasts to electrically couple and pace the cardiomyocyte cultures at varying frequencies in response to blue-light flashes. Activation mapping pinpointed the source of this electrical activity to the engineered cells. Similarly, diffuse seeding of the ChR2-fibroblasts allowed multisite optogenetics pacing of the co-cultures, significantly shortening their electrical activation time and synchronizing contraction. Next, optogenetics pacing in an in vitro model of conduction block allowed the resynchronization of the tissue's electrical activity. Finally, the ChR2-fibroblasts were transfected to also express the light-sensitive hyperpolarizing proton pump Archaerhodopsin-T (Arch-T). Seeding of the ChR2/ArchT-fibroblasts allowed to either optogentically pace the cultures (in response to blue-light flashes) or completely suppress the cultures' electrical activity (following continuous illumination with 624 nm monochromatic light, activating ArchT). CONCLUSIONS The results of this proof-of-concept study highlight the unique potential of optogenetics for future biological pacemaking and resynchronization therapy applications and for the development of novel anti-arrhythmic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Udi Nussinovitch
- Sohnis Family Research Laboratory for Cardiac Electrophysiology and Regenerative Medicine; the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine and Research Institute, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, PO Box 9649, Haifa 31096, Israel
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Poon E, Yan B, Zhang S, Rushing S, Keung W, Ren L, Lieu DK, Geng L, Kong CW, Wang J, Wong HS, Boheler KR, Li RA. Transcriptome-guided functional analyses reveal novel biological properties and regulatory hierarchy of human embryonic stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes crucial for maturation. PLoS One 2013; 8:e77784. [PMID: 24204964 PMCID: PMC3804624 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0077784] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2013] [Accepted: 09/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Human (h) embryonic stem cells (ESC) represent an unlimited source of cardiomyocytes (CMs); however, these differentiated cells are immature. Thus far, gene profiling studies have been performed with non-purified or non-chamber specific CMs. Here we took a combinatorial approach of using systems biology to guide functional discoveries of novel biological properties of purified hESC-derived ventricular (V) CMs. We profiled the transcriptomes of hESCs, hESC-, fetal (hF) and adult (hA) VCMs, and showed that hESC-VCMs displayed a unique transcriptomic signature. Not only did a detailed comparison between hESC-VCMs and hF-VCMs confirm known expression changes in metabolic and contractile genes, it further revealed novel differences in genes associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) metabolism, migration and cell cycle, as well as potassium and calcium ion transport. Following these guides, we functionally confirmed that hESC-VCMs expressed IKATP with immature properties, and were accordingly vulnerable to hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced apoptosis. For mechanistic insights, our coexpression and promoter analyses uncovered a novel transcriptional hierarchy involving select transcription factors (GATA4, HAND1, NKX2.5, PPARGC1A and TCF8), and genes involved in contraction, calcium homeostasis and metabolism. These data highlight novel expression and functional differences between hESC-VCMs and their fetal counterparts, and offer insights into the underlying cell developmental state. These findings may lead to mechanism-based methods for in vitro driven maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen Poon
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Bin Yan
- Department of Biology, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Shaohong Zhang
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Computer Science, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Stephanie Rushing
- Center of Cardiovascular Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
New York, United States of America
| | - Wendy Keung
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Physiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, China
| | - Lihuan Ren
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Physiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, China
| | - Deborah K. Lieu
- Center of Cardiovascular Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
New York, United States of America
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Lin Geng
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Physiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, China
| | - Chi-Wing Kong
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Physiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, China
| | - Jiaxian Wang
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Physiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, China
- Center of Cardiovascular Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
New York, United States of America
| | - Hau San Wong
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Kenneth R. Boheler
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Ronald A. Li
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Physiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, China
- Center of Cardiovascular Research, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York,
New York, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Haupt S, Grützner J, Thier MC, Kallweit T, Rath BH, Laufenberg I, Forgber M, Eberhardt J, Edenhofer F, Brüstle O. Automated selection and harvesting of pluripotent stem cell colonies. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2013; 59:77-87. [PMID: 23586788 DOI: 10.1002/bab.1014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2012] [Accepted: 02/23/2012] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
The ability of pluripotent stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells of all three germ layers, their capability to self-renew, and their amenability to genetic modification provide fascinating prospects for the generation of cell lines for biomedical applications. Therefore, stem cells must increasingly suffice in terms of industrial standards, and automation of critical or time-consuming steps becomes a fundamental prerequisite for their routine application. Cumbersome manual picking of individual stem cell colonies still represents the most frequently used method for passaging or derivation of clonal stem cell lines. Here, we explore an automated harvesting system (CellCelector™) for detection, isolation, and propagation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and murine induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Automatically transferred hESC colonies maintained their specific biological characteristics even after repeated passaging. We also selected and harvested primary iPSCs derived from mouse embryonic fibroblasts expressing the green fluorescent protein (GFP) under the control of the Oct4 promotor using either morphological criteria or GFP fluorescence. About 80% of the selected and harvested primary iPSC colonies gave rise to homogenously GFP-expressing iPSC lines. To validate the iPSC lines, we analyzed the expression of pluripotency-associated markers and multi-germ layer differentiation potential in vitro. Our data indicate that the CellCelector™ technology enables efficient identification and isolation of pluripotent stem cell colonies at the phase contrast or fluorescence level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Haupt
- Institute of Reconstructive Neurobiology, Life & Brain Center, University of Bonn and Hertie Foundation, Bonn, Germany
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Li S, Chen G, Li RA. Calcium signalling of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. J Physiol 2013; 591:5279-90. [PMID: 24018947 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2013.256495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Loss of cardiomyocytes (CMs), which lack the innate ability to regenerate, due to ageing or pathophysiological conditions (e.g. myocardial infarction or MI) is generally considered irreversible, and can lead to conditions from cardiac arrhythmias to heart failure. Human (h) pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESC) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), can self-renew while maintaining their pluripotency to differentiate into all cell types, including CMs. Therefore, hPSCs provide a potential unlimited ex vivo source of human CMs for disease modelling, drug discovery, cardiotoxicity screening and cell-based heart therapies. As a fundamental property of working CMs, Ca(2+) signalling and its role in excitation-contraction coupling are well described. However, the biology of these processes in hPSC-CMs is just becoming understood. Here we review what is known about the immature Ca(2+)-handling properties of hPSC-CMs, at the levels of global transients and sparks, and the underlying molecular basis in relation to the development of various in vitro approaches to drive their maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sen Li
- R. A. Li: 5/F Hong Kong Jockey Club Building for Interdisciplinary Research, 5 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
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48
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Forming vascular networks within functional cardiac tissue constructs. Biomed Eng Lett 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s13534-013-0106-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022] Open
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49
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Futakuchi-Tsuchida A, Murry CE. Human myocardial grafts: do they meet all the criteria for true heart regeneration? Future Cardiol 2013; 9:151-4. [PMID: 23463965 DOI: 10.2217/fca.13.8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
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50
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Wang J, Chen A, Lieu DK, Karakikes I, Chen G, Keung W, Chan CW, Hajjar RJ, Costa KD, Khine M, Li RA. Effect of engineered anisotropy on the susceptibility of human pluripotent stem cell-derived ventricular cardiomyocytes to arrhythmias. Biomaterials 2013; 34:8878-86. [PMID: 23942210 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.07.039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 07/11/2013] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Human (h) pluripotent stem cells (PSC) such as embryonic stem cells (ESC) can be directed into cardiomyocytes (CMs), representing a potential unlimited cell source for disease modeling, cardiotoxicity screening and myocardial repair. Although the electrophysiology of single hESC-CMs is now better defined, their multi-cellular arrhythmogenicity has not been thoroughly assessed due to the lack of a suitable experimental platform. Indeed, the generation of ventricular (V) fibrillation requires single-cell triggers as well as sustained multi-cellular reentrant events. Although native VCMs are aligned in a highly organized fashion such that electrical conduction is anisotropic for coordinated contractions, hESC-derived CM (hESC-CM) clusters are heterogenous and randomly organized, and therefore not representative of native conditions. Here, we reported that engineered alignment of hESC-VCMs on biomimetic grooves uniquely led to physiologically relevant responses. Aligned but not isotropic control preparations showed distinct longitudinal (L) and transverse (T) conduction velocities (CV), resembling the native human V anisotropic ratio (AR = LCV/TCV = 1.8-2.0). Importantly, the total incidence of spontaneous and inducible arrhythmias significantly reduced from 57% in controls to 17-23% of aligned preparations, thereby providing a physiological baseline for assessing arrhythmogenicity. As such, promotion of pro-arrhythmic effect (e.g., spatial dispersion by β adrenergic stimulation) could be better predicted. Mechanistically, such anisotropy-induced electrical stability was not due to maturation of the cellular properties of hESC-VCMs but their physical arrangement. In conclusion, not only do functional anisotropic hESC-VCMs engineered by multi-scale topography represent a more accurate model for efficacious drug discovery and development as well as arrhythmogenicity screening (of pharmacological and genetic factors), but our approach may also lead to future transplantable prototypes with improved efficacy and safety against arrhythmias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxian Wang
- Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Consortium, LKS Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
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