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Mancini FE, Humphreys PEA, Woods S, Bates N, Cuvertino S, O'Flaherty J, Biant L, Domingos MAN, Kimber SJ. Effect of a retinoic acid analogue on BMP-driven pluripotent stem cell chondrogenesis. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2696. [PMID: 38302538 PMCID: PMC10834951 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52362-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Osteoarthritis is the most common degenerative joint condition, leading to articular cartilage (AC) degradation, chronic pain and immobility. The lack of appropriate therapies that provide tissue restoration combined with the limited lifespan of joint-replacement implants indicate the need for alternative AC regeneration strategies. Differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into AC progenitors may provide a long-term regenerative solution but is still limited due to the continued reliance upon growth factors to recapitulate developmental signalling processes. Recently, TTNPB, a small molecule activator of retinoic acid receptors (RARs), has been shown to be sufficient to guide mesodermal specification and early chondrogenesis of hPSCs. Here, we modified our previous differentiation protocol, by supplementing cells with TTNPB and administering BMP2 at specific times to enhance early development (referred to as the RAPID-E protocol). Transcriptomic analyses indicated that activation of RAR signalling significantly upregulated genes related to limb and embryonic skeletal development in the early stages of the protocol and upregulated genes related to AC development in later stages. Chondroprogenitors obtained from RAPID-E could generate cartilaginous pellets that expressed AC-related matrix proteins such as Lubricin, Aggrecan, and Collagen II, but additionally expressed Collagen X, indicative of hypertrophy. This protocol could lay the foundations for cell therapy strategies for osteoarthritis and improve the understanding of AC development in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio E Mancini
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
- Department of Solids and Structures, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Paul E A Humphreys
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Steven Woods
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Nicola Bates
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Sara Cuvertino
- Division of Evolution, Infection and Genomics, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Julieta O'Flaherty
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Leela Biant
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
| | - Marco A N Domingos
- Department of Solids and Structures, School of Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
| | - Susan J Kimber
- Division of Cell Matrix and Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK.
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Humphreys PEA, Woods S, Bates N, Rooney KM, Mancini FE, Barclay C, O'Flaherty J, Martial FP, Domingos MAN, Kimber SJ. Optogenetic manipulation of BMP signaling to drive chondrogenic differentiation of hPSCs. Cell Rep 2023; 42:113502. [PMID: 38032796 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Optogenetics is a rapidly advancing technology combining photochemical, optical, and synthetic biology to control cellular behavior. Together, sensitive light-responsive optogenetic tools and human pluripotent stem cell differentiation models have the potential to fine-tune differentiation and unpick the processes by which cell specification and tissue patterning are controlled by morphogens. We used an optogenetic bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling system (optoBMP) to drive chondrogenic differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We engineered light-sensitive hESCs through CRISPR-Cas9-mediated integration of the optoBMP system into the AAVS1 locus. The activation of optoBMP with blue light, in lieu of BMP growth factors, resulted in the activation of BMP signaling mechanisms and upregulation of a chondrogenic phenotype, with significant transcriptional differences compared to cells in the dark. Furthermore, cells differentiated with light could form chondrogenic pellets consisting of a hyaline-like cartilaginous matrix. Our findings indicate the applicability of optogenetics for understanding human development and tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E A Humphreys
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Steven Woods
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Nicola Bates
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Kirsty M Rooney
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Fabrizio E Mancini
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK; Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Cerys Barclay
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Julieta O'Flaherty
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Franck P Martial
- Division of Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Marco A N Domingos
- Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Civil Engineering, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK
| | - Susan J Kimber
- Division of Cell Matrix & Regenerative Medicine, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PT, UK.
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