Properties and applications of embryonic stem cells

Mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells derived from the early embryo and can be propagated stably in undifferentiated state in vitro. They retain the ability to differentiate into all cell types found in the embryonic and adult body in vivo, and can be induced to differentiate into many cell types under appropriate culture conditions in vitro. Using these properties, people have set up various differentiated systems of many cell types and tissues in vitro. Through analysis of these systems, one can identify novel bioactive factors and reveal mechanisms of cell differentiation and organogenesis. ES cell-derived differentiated cells can also be applied to cell transplantation therapy. In addition, we summarized the features and potential applications of human ES cells.     

The molecular mechanism of embryonic stem cell pluripotency maintenance

In vitro cultured embryonic stem （ES） cells are derived from the inner cell mass （ICM） of pre-implantation embryos, and are capable of giving rise to all cell and tissue types of the three germ layers upon being injected back into blastocysts. These ceils are therefore said to possess pluripotency that can be maintained infinitely in culture under optimal conditions. Such pluripotency maintenance is believed to be due to the symmetrical cleavage of the cells in an undifferentiated state. The pluripotency of ES cells is the basis for their various practical and potential applications. ES cells can be used as donor cells to generate knockout or transgenic animals, as in vitro models of mammalian development, and as cell resources for cell therapy in regenerative medicine. The further success in these applications, particularly in the last two, is dependent on the establishment of a culture system with components in the medium clearly defined and the subsequent procedures for controlled differentiation of the cells into specific lineages. In turn, elucidating the molecular mechanism for pluripotency maintenance of ES cells is the prerequisite. This paper summarizes the recent progresses in this area, focusing mainly on the LIF/STAT3, BMPs/Smads, canonical Wnt, TGFβ/activin/nodal, PI3K and FGF signaling pathways and the genes such as oct4, nanog that are crucial in ES cell pluripotency maintenance. The regulatory systems of pluripotency maintenance in both mouse and human ES cells are also discussed. We believe that the cross-talkings between these signaling pathways, as well as the regulatory system underlying pluripotency maintenance will be the main focus in the area of ES cell researches in the future.     

Differentiation of bone mar-row derived Thy-1~+β_2M~- cells into hepatocytes induced by coculture with transgenic CFSCs

Studies of transplantation in vivo indicted thatbone marrow derived stem cells had a potential to differenti-ate into mature hepatocytes. However, there are lots ofdoubts and uncertainties in the influencing factors and con-trol agents of effectively inducing stem cell differentiation invitro, the efficiency of stem cells‘ differentiation into hepato-cytes and differentiated cells‘ life-span and functional state,etc. In this study, rat bone marrow derived Thy-l^ β2M^- cells(BDTCs) were induced to differentiate into hepatocytes byco-culturing with CFSC/HGF feeder layers which expressedhHGF efficiently and stably. RT-PCR and immunofluores-cent texts proved induced BDTCs expressed infant and adulthepatocyte specific genes. Further more, these cells displayedfunctions of indocyanine green (ICG) uptake, ammoniummetabolism and albumin production. It was shown thatgrowth factors together with hepatic nonparenchyma cellsprovided a feasible microenvironment for differentiation ofbone marrow stem cells into hepatocytes. The studies notonly provided a significant biological model for going deepinto the mechanism of stem cell plasticity, but also offered atheoretical and technical foundation of gene and stem cellengineering-based regenerative medicine for end-stage liverdiseases.     

Induction of embryonic stem cells to hematopoietic cellsin vitro

In order to get hematopoietic cells from embryonic stem (ES) cells and to study development mechanisms of hematopoietic cells, the method of inducing embryonic stem cells to hematopoietic cells was explored by differenciating mouse ES cells and human embryonic cells in three stages. The differentiated cells were identified by flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry and Wright’s staining. The results showed that embryoid bodies (EBs) could form when ES cells were cultured in the medium with 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME). However, cytokines, such as stem cell factor (SCF), thrombopoietin (TPO), interleukin-3 (IL-3), interleukin-6 (IL-6), erythropoietin (EPO) and granular colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), were not helpful for forming EBs. SCF, TPO and embryonic cell conditional medium were useful for the differentiation of mouse EBs to hematopoietic progenitors. Eighty-six percent of these cells were CD34⁺ after 6-d culture. Hematopoietic progenitors differentiated to B lymphocytes when they were cocultured with primary bone marrow stroma cells in the DMEM medium with SCF and IL-6. 14 d later, most of the cells were CD34^－CD38⁺. Wright’s staining and immunohistochemistry showed that 80% of these cells were plasma-like morphologically and immunoglubolin positive. The study of hematopoietic cells from human embryonic cells showed that human embryonic cell differentiation was very similar to that of mouse ES cells. They could form EBs in the first stage and the CD34 positive cells account for about 48.5% in the second stage.     

Interferon enhances 2-5A synthetase in embryonal carcinoma cells

Mouse teratocarcinomas provide a useful model of mammalian differentiation, because the malignant embryonal carcinoma (EC) stem cells of such tumours may produce various differential cell types in vivo or in vitro. Many EC cell lines have now been established and classified on the basis of their ability to differentiate in vivo into cell types characteristically derived from any of the three germ layers. There is convincing evidence that EC cells can neither produce interferon, nor respond to it by becoming resistant to virus, whereas differentiated cells derived from EC lines behave normally in both respects. We investigated the lack of responsiveness of EC cells towards interferon by measuring the levels of two double-stranded RNA-dependent enzyme activities recently shown to be enhanced by interferon. We report here that on treatment with interferon, EC cells show increased 2-5A synthetase levels comparable to those found in differentiated cells, while there is little or no effect on kinase activity in EC cells, in contrast to their differentiated counterparts.     

Abnormal gonad development in Kit W-2Bao mice caused by a Kit gene missense mutation

Kit ^W-2Bao mice are single-gene autosomal dominant mutation mice with a B6 background that were bred in our laboratory. Heterozygotes had morphological characteristics including albinism of the abdomen, extremities, and tail, whereas the homozygotes had albinism of the body, black eyes, and infertility. The homozygous mutants showed small, structurally abnormal gonads, and lacked germ cells. Heterozygous male mice lacked germ cells in some contorted seminiferous tubules. This mutation has been mapped at 43.8 cM from the centromere in chromosome 5 by linkage analysis and Kit has been identified as the candidate gene. After Kit full-length mRNA amplification, it was found that a G to T conversion at position 1228 in the ORF changed the 410th amino acid from V to F. This amino acid change could affect the protein’s secondary structure. Heterozygous mutant mice were intercrossed and homozygous mutant mice were bred and genotyped. We found that no primordial germ cells (PGCs) appeared in the urogenital ridge area at fetus day 11.5 in the homozygotes. The number of PGCs also significantly decreased in heterozygotes. At fetus day 15.5, the differentiation of the testis tubule structure was unclear; as well, they contained no spermatogonia. Female homozygotes contained no primordial follicles in the ovary. The numbers of PGCs and primordial follicles were significantly decreased in heterozygous mice. W ^?2Bao is the only mutated site in the extracellular 4th Ig-like domain and this mutant mouse model provides new material for the study of the mechanism of reproductive system development.     

IDH mutation impairs histone demethylation and results in a block to cell differentiation

Recurrent mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 have been identified in gliomas, acute myeloid leukaemias (AML) and chondrosarcomas, and share a novel enzymatic property of producing 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) from α-ketoglutarate. Here we report that 2HG-producing IDH mutants can prevent the histone demethylation that is required for lineage-specific progenitor cells to differentiate into terminally differentiated cells. In tumour samples from glioma patients, IDH mutations were associated with a distinct gene expression profile enriched for genes expressed in neural progenitor cells, and this was associated with increased histone methylation. To test whether the ability of IDH mutants to promote histone methylation contributes to a block in cell differentiation in non-transformed cells, we tested the effect of neomorphic IDH mutants on adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Introduction of either mutant IDH or cell-permeable 2HG was associated with repression of the inducible expression of lineage-specific differentiation genes and a block to differentiation. This correlated with a significant increase in repressive histone methylation marks without observable changes in promoter DNA methylation. Gliomas were found to have elevated levels of similar histone repressive marks. Stable transfection of a 2HG-producing mutant IDH into immortalized astrocytes resulted in progressive accumulation of histone methylation. Of the marks examined, increased H3K9 methylation reproducibly preceded a rise in DNA methylation as cells were passaged in culture. Furthermore, we found that the 2HG-inhibitable H3K9 demethylase KDM4C was induced during adipocyte differentiation, and that RNA-interference suppression of KDM4C was sufficient to block differentiation. Together these data demonstrate that 2HG can inhibit histone demethylation and that inhibition of histone demethylation can be sufficient to block the differentiation of non-transformed cells.     

Generation of chick skeletal muscle cells in groups of 16 from stem cells

The commonly accepted hypothesis explaining the control of skeletal muscle differentiation is that all myogenic precursor cells are equivalent and that they differentiate into post-mitotic muscle cells in response to exogenous signals, specifically low mitogen concentrations. Large clones derived from vertebrate myogenic cells, however, consist both of cycling precursors and of terminally differentiated, post-mitotic muscle cells. Here, we count the total number of cells and the number of terminally differentiated cells (or nuclei, in fused cells) in large myogenic clones. The number of terminally differentiated cells per clone was usually equal to or just below a multiple of 16. This finding is not expected from a model postulating a homogeneous population of muscle precursor cells. Rather, our results suggest that a self-renewing stem cell exists in the skeletal muscle lineage. This cell can generate committed precursors which then give rise to cohorts of 16 terminally differentiated muscle cells. This model of myogenesis provides a simple explanation for the protracted and asynchronous nature of muscle differentiation in vertebrate embryogenesis.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> induction of mouse meningeal-derived ips cells into neural-like cells

Previous research has shown that mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells can be induced to form neural cells in adherent monocultures. In this study, pluripotent stem (iPS) C5 cells derived from meningeal membranes were converted successfully into neural-like cells using the same protocol generally used for ES cells. Meningeal-iPS C5 cells were induced to express neural markers Sox1, Sox3, Pax6, Nestin and Tuj1 and to reduce the expression of ES markers Oct4 and Nanog during neural differentiation, and can be differentiated into Pax6 and Nestin positive neural progenitors, and further into neuronal, astrocytic, and oligodendrocytic cells. In vitro differentiation of iPS cells into patient-specific neural cells could serve as a model to study mechanisms of genetic diseases and develop promising candidates for therapeutic applications in dysfunctional or aging neural tissues. Meningeal cells express a high level of the embryonic master regulator Sox2, allowing them to be reprogrammed into iPS cells more easily than other somatic cells.     

Cloning and Characterization of the fecC Gene Necessary for Optimal Growth under Iron-Deficiency Conditions in the Cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120

The fecC gene encoding a putative iron (Ⅲ) dicitrate transporte rwas cloned from nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120, and inactivated. The mutant grows normally in medium with NO3^- , NH1^- or without combined nitrogen. But in iron-deficient medium, the mutant grows slowly. Photosynthetic properties were compared between the mutant and the wildtype strain, the content of photosynthetic pigments in the mutant is lower than that of the wild-type. The results of RT-PCR experiments show that the fecC gene is expressed under iron-deficient conditions, but is not expressed under iron-replete conditions. These results revealed that fecC gene product is required for optimal growth under iron-deficient conditions in Anabaena sp. PCC 7120.     

实验用五指山小型猪胚胎生殖细胞的分离培养

目的对从猪的原始生殖细胞分离获得胚胎干细胞的方法进行初步研究。方法胎儿取自怀孕26～28d的实验用五指山母猪。分离胎儿生殖嵴获得PGCs,接种于STO饲养层上,以DMEM+2mmol/L谷氨酰胺+0.1mmol/L非必需氨基酸+0.1mmol/Lβ-巯基乙醇+100IU/mL青霉素+100μg/mL链霉素+15%FCS作为培养基,对细胞进行培养传代。结果培养的细胞传至4～5代,形态多样,经AKP染色、SSEA-1免疫荧光染色、Oct-4免疫荧光标记等方法鉴定为阳性,具有胚胎干细胞的特征。     

中药诱导小鼠胚胎干细胞分化为心肌细胞的研究进展

指出了胚胎干细胞(ES细胞)是一类可进行自我复制和更新并向骨骼、软骨、脂肪、神经、肌肉等多个胚层的组织分化的细胞.研究表明:ES细胞移植入缺血心脏后可以分化形成新生心肌细胞,血管内皮细胞等,还可以通过分泌多种生长因子,促进微循环的建立,提高梗死后心脏功能.综述了中药如黄芩苷、葛根素、淫羊藿苷、黄芪、丹参、皂苷、双龙方等诱导小鼠干细胞分化为心肌细胞的研究进展.     

Advances in stem cell research

In.1998,biologists Thomson and Gearhart successfully derived stem cells from human embryos. One year later,several researchers discovered that adult stem cells still retain the ability to be differentiated into unrelated types of cells. Advances in stem cell research open a promising derection for applied medical science. Moreover,it may also force scientists to reconsider the fundamental theory about how cells grow up. Stem cell research was considered by Science as the top of the ten breakthroughs of science of the year^[1]. This paper gives a survey of recent advances in stem cell research.     

Preparation of a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector with a mutation of human factor Ⅸ in large scale and its expression in vitro and in vivo

A series of adeno-associated viral vectors containing a mutation of human factor Ⅸ (hFⅨR338A) with different regulation elements were constructed and used to transduce cell lines. The plasmids and the stable transduction cell clones with high expression level of hFⅨR338A were obtained by selecting and optimizing, and then, the recombinant adeno-associated viral vector with hFⅨR338A was prepared via novel rHSV/AAV hybrid virus packaging system on a large scale, which contained the capsid protein genes. A method for producing rAAV-hFⅨR338A viral stocks on a large scale and higher titer was established, which can be used for industrial purpose. The titer of rAAV-hFⅨR338A was more than 1.25×10¹² particle/mL, and then, a mammalian cell line, C2C12 and the factor Ⅸ knock-out mice were transfected with the rAAV-hFⅨR338A in vitro and in vivo. The results show that the high-level expression of rAAV-hFⅨR338A was achieved in cell line and hemophilia B mice. It reached at (2551.32±92.14) ng·(10⁶ cells)^-1·(24 h)^-1 in C2C12 cell in vitro and had a peak concentration of 463.28 ng/mL in mice treated with rAAV-hFⅨR338A, which was as high as the expression of rAAV-hFⅨ-wt (2565.76±64.36) ng·(10⁶ cells)^-1·(24 h)^-1 in C2C12 and 453.92 ng/mL in the mice treated with rAAV-hFⅨ-wt) in vitro and in vivo, there is no any difference between two groups, but the clotting activity of hFⅨR338A is about 2.46 times higher than that of hFⅨ-wt. It was first reported that a mutation of human factor Ⅸ was used into gene therapy research for hemophilia B, meanwhile, a novel packaging system, rAAV/HSV was used for preparation of rAAV-hFⅨR338A on a large scale, which laid the foundation of industrial production for applying rAAV viral stocks to gene therapy clinical trial for hemophilia B mediated with rAAV-hFⅨ.     

Generation of pluripotent stem cells from adult human testis

Human primordial germ cells and mouse neonatal and adult germline stem cells are pluripotent and show similar properties to embryonic stem cells. Here we report the successful establishment of human adult germline stem cells derived from spermatogonial cells of adult human testis. Cellular and molecular characterization of these cells revealed many similarities to human embryonic stem cells, and the germline stem cells produced teratomas after transplantation into immunodeficient mice. The human adult germline stem cells differentiated into various types of somatic cells of all three germ layers when grown under conditions used to induce the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells. We conclude that the generation of human adult germline stem cells from testicular biopsies may provide simple and non-controversial access to individual cell-based therapy without the ethical and immunological problems associated with human embryonic stem cells.     

Mechanisms of plant somatic embryogenesis

Based on our experimental results and the related research reports, this review addresses some important issues about plant somatic embryogenesis. Once plant somatic cells develop into embryonic cells, the organelles of the cells increase, and their function is active. In the early stage of embryogenic cells, the reaction products of AT-Pase are mainly deposited on the plasma and vacuole's membranes, then the activity of ATPase can be found in the cytoplasm, vacuole and nucleus in the late stage of embryogenic cells. ATPase-catalyzed reaction occurs actively in the thickened wall of embryogenic cells. Endogenous hormone is a critical factor affecting somatic embryogenesis. Superox-ide dismutase (SOD) activity, which is closely related to embryogenic cell differentiation, is much higher in differentiated embryogenic cells than in undifferentiated cells, indicating that embryogenic cells have stronger function of antioxida-tion. In addition, the lower level H2O2 can promote embryogenic cell differentiation. The programmed cell death (PCD) exists in the process of embryogenic cell differentiation and development, and the active oxygen species plays an important role in inducing of plant PCD.     

胚胎干细胞的研究进展及应用前景

胚胎干细胞主要来源于两种组织:早期胚胎内细胞团分离的ESC(embryonic stem cell)和胚胎生殖嵴分离的胚胎生殖细胞(embryonil germ cell,EGC)．由于这些细胞具有高度复制能力及多向分化潜能,已被用于生命科学的各个领域．本文综述了胚胎干细胞的建立、生物学特性、临床应用前景及所面临的问题．