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Deng D, Zhang Y, Tang B, Zhang Z. Sources and applications of endothelial seed cells: a review. Stem Cell Res Ther 2024; 15:175. [PMID: 38886767 PMCID: PMC11184868 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03773-6] [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: 04/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Endothelial cells (ECs) are widely used as donor cells in tissue engineering, organoid vascularization, and in vitro microvascular model development. ECs are invaluable tools for disease modeling and drug screening in fundamental research. When treating ischemic diseases, EC engraftment facilitates the restoration of damaged blood vessels, enhancing therapeutic outcomes. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the current sources of ECs, which encompass stem/progenitor cells, primary ECs, cell lineage conversion, and ECs derived from other cellular sources, provides insights into their characteristics, potential applications, discusses challenges, and explores strategies to mitigate these issues. The primary aim is to serve as a reference for selecting suitable EC sources for preclinical research and promote the translation of basic research into clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dan Deng
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Center for Circadian Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Center for Circadian Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China
| | - Bo Tang
- Chongqing International Institute for Immunology, Chongqing, China.
| | - Zhihui Zhang
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Center for Circadian Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, Southwest Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.
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Rincon-Benavides MA, Mendonca NC, Cuellar-Gaviria TZ, Salazar-Puerta AI, Ortega-Pineda L, Blackstone BN, Deng B, McComb DW, Gallego-Perez D, Powell HM, Higuita-Castro N. Engineered Vasculogenic Extracellular Vesicles Drive Nonviral Direct Conversions of Human Dermal Fibroblasts into Induced Endothelial Cells and Improve Wound Closure. ADVANCED THERAPEUTICS 2023; 6:2200197. [PMID: 37577183 PMCID: PMC10416766 DOI: 10.1002/adtp.202200197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Vasculogenic cell therapies have emerged as a powerful tool to increase vascularization and promote tissue repair/regeneration. Current approaches to cell therapies, however, rely mostly on progenitor cells, which pose significant risks (e.g., uncontrolled differentiation, tumorigenesis, and genetic/epigenetic abnormalities). Moreover, reprogramming methodologies used to generate induced endothelial cells (iECs) from induced pluripotent stem cells rely heavily on viral vectors, which pose additional translational limitations. This work describes the development of engineered human extracellular vesicles (EVs) capable of driving reprogramming-based vasculogenic therapies without the need for progenitor cells and/or viral vectors. The EVs were derived from primary human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), and were engineered to pack transcription factor genes/transcripts of ETV2, FLI1, and FOXC2 (EFF). Our results indicate that in addition of EFF, the engineered EVs were also loaded with transcripts of angiogenic factors (e.g., VEGF-A, VEGF-KDR, FGF2). In vitro and in vivo studies indicate that such EVs effectively transfected HDFs and drove direct conversions towards iECs within 7-14 days. Finally, wound healing studies in mice indicate that engineered EVs lead to improved wound closure and vascularity. Altogether, our results show the potential of engineered human vasculogenic EVs to drive direct reprogramming processes of somatic cells towards iECs, and facilitate tissue repair/regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A. Rincon-Benavides
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | | | | | | | | | - Britani N. Blackstone
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Binbin Deng
- Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS), The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - David W McComb
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Center for Electron Microscopy and Analysis (CEMAS), The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Daniel Gallego-Perez
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Heather M. Powell
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
| | - Natalia Higuita-Castro
- Biophysics Graduate Program, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
- Department of Surgery, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
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Sellahewa SG, Li JY, Xiao Q. Updated Perspectives on Direct Vascular Cellular Reprogramming and Their Potential Applications in Tissue Engineered Vascular Grafts. J Funct Biomater 2022; 14:21. [PMID: 36662068 PMCID: PMC9866165 DOI: 10.3390/jfb14010021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 12/25/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease is a globally prevalent disease with far-reaching medical and socio-economic consequences. Although improvements in treatment pathways and revascularisation therapies have slowed disease progression, contemporary management fails to modulate the underlying atherosclerotic process and sustainably replace damaged arterial tissue. Direct cellular reprogramming is a rapidly evolving and innovative tissue regenerative approach that holds promise to restore functional vasculature and restore blood perfusion. The approach utilises cell plasticity to directly convert somatic cells to another cell fate without a pluripotent stage. In this narrative literature review, we comprehensively analyse and compare direct reprogramming protocols to generate endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells and vascular progenitors. Specifically, we carefully examine the reprogramming factors, their molecular mechanisms, conversion efficacies and therapeutic benefits for each induced vascular cell. Attention is given to the application of these novel approaches with tissue engineered vascular grafts as a therapeutic and disease-modelling platform for cardiovascular diseases. We conclude with a discussion on the ethics of direct reprogramming, its current challenges, and future perspectives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saneth Gavishka Sellahewa
- William Harvey Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Jojo Yijiao Li
- William Harvey Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
| | - Qingzhong Xiao
- William Harvey Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London EC1M 6BQ, UK
- Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Diseases, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Guangzhou Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 511436, China
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Lee H, Lee HY, Lee BE, Gerovska D, Park SY, Zaehres H, Araúzo-Bravo MJ, Kim JI, Ha Y, Schöler HR, Kim JB. Sequentially induced motor neurons from human fibroblasts facilitate locomotor recovery in a rodent spinal cord injury model. eLife 2020; 9:e52069. [PMID: 32571478 PMCID: PMC7311175 DOI: 10.7554/elife.52069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Generation of autologous human motor neurons holds great promise for cell replacement therapy to treat spinal cord injury (SCI). Direct conversion allows generation of target cells from somatic cells, however, current protocols are not practicable for therapeutic purposes since converted cells are post-mitotic that are not scalable. Therefore, therapeutic effects of directly converted neurons have not been elucidated yet. Here, we show that human fibroblasts can be converted into induced motor neurons (iMNs) by sequentially inducing POU5F1(OCT4) and LHX3. Our strategy enables scalable production of pure iMNs because of the transient acquisition of proliferative iMN-intermediate cell stage which is distinct from neural progenitors. iMNs exhibited hallmarks of spinal motor neurons including transcriptional profiles, electrophysiological property, synaptic activity, and neuromuscular junction formation. Remarkably, transplantation of iMNs showed therapeutic effects, promoting locomotor functional recovery in rodent SCI model. Together, our advanced strategy will provide tools to acquire sufficient human iMNs that may represent a promising cell source for personalized cell therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyunah Lee
- Hans Schöler Stem Cell Research Center (HSSCRC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
| | - Hye Yeong Lee
- Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Byeong Eun Lee
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
| | - Daniela Gerovska
- Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine Group, Computational Biomedicine Data Analysis Platform, Biodonostia Health Research InstituteSan SebastiánSpain
| | - Soo Yong Park
- Hans Schöler Stem Cell Research Center (HSSCRC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
| | - Holm Zaehres
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular BiomedicineMünsterGermany
| | - Marcos J Araúzo-Bravo
- Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine Group, Computational Biomedicine Data Analysis Platform, Biodonostia Health Research InstituteSan SebastiánSpain
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular BiomedicineMünsterGermany
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for ScienceBilbaoSpain
| | - Jae-Ick Kim
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
| | - Yoon Ha
- Department of Neurosurgery, Spine and Spinal Cord Institute, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of MedicineSeoulRepublic of Korea
| | - Hans R Schöler
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular BiomedicineMünsterGermany
| | - Jeong Beom Kim
- Hans Schöler Stem Cell Research Center (HSSCRC), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
- School of Life Sciences, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)UlsanRepublic of Korea
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