Directed Differentiation of Notochord-like and Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells Using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.
Cell Rep 2021;
30:2791-2806.e5. [PMID:
32101752 DOI:
10.1016/j.celrep.2020.01.100]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 01/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Intervertebral disc degeneration might be amenable to stem cell therapy, but the required cells are scarce. Here, we report the development of a protocol for directed in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into notochord-like and nucleus pulposus (NP)-like cells of the disc. The first step combines enhancement of ACTIVIN/NODAL and WNT and inhibition of BMP pathways. By day 5 of differentiation, hPSC-derived cells express notochordal cell characteristic genes. After activating the TGF-β pathway for an additional 15 days, qPCR, immunostaining, and transcriptome data show that a wide array of NP markers are expressed. Transcriptomically, the in vitro-derived cells become more like in vivo adolescent human NP cells, driven by a set of influential genes enriched with motifs bound by BRACHYURY and FOXA2, consistent with an NP cell-like identity. Transplantation of these NP-like cells attenuates fibrotic changes in a rat disc injury model of disc degeneration.
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