Germline stem cells: toward the regeneration of spermatogenesis

Improved therapies for cancer and other conditions have resulted in a growing population of long-term survivors. Infertility is an unfortunate side effect of some cancer therapies that impacts the quality of life of survivors who are in their reproductive or prereproductive years. Some of these patients have the opportunity to preserve their fertility using standard technologies that include sperm, egg, or embryo banking, followed by IVF and/or ET. However, these options are not available to all patients, especially the prepubertal patients who are not yet producing mature gametes. For these patients, there are several stem cell technologies in the research pipeline that may give rise to new fertility options and allow infertile patients to have their own biological children. We will review the role of stem cells in normal spermatogenesis as well as experimental stem cell-based techniques that may have potential to generate or regenerate spermatogenesis and sperm. We will present these technologies in the context of the fertility preservation paradigm, but we anticipate that they will have broad implications for the assisted reproduction field.

Quantitative proteomics of protein complexes and their implications for cell reprograming and pluripotency

Pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs)/induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and reprograming of somatic cells (SCs) to pluripotency are governed by known and unknown factors. These factors, including protein complexes, are poorly described at the proteome level. Here, we established the quantitative proteomic profiles across three types of cells (iPSCs, ESCs, and SCs) using OFFGEL fractionation coupled with LTQ-Orbitrp analysis. Additionally, we utilized the previously published proteomic profiles of iPSCs, ESCs, and SCs. By integrating these proteomic profiles with protein-protein interaction resources, we identified numerous protein complexes in iPSCs and/or ESCs, which include known and novel chromatin remodeling complexes that facilitate cell reprograming. The identified protein complexes also include the previously unreported ones that are associated with the imperfect aspects of iPSCs or cell reprograming process. Further, we performed a comparison between our study and previously published studies and highlighted a partial conservation of the identified protein complexes across the iPSCs generated by different laboratories and iPS cell-type specific protein complexes. The identified protein complexes were validated by integrated in silico analysis of microarray repository data related to ESCs differentiation into embryoid bodies. A majority of the protein complexes exhibited significant (p < 0.005) co-regulation of their components upon ESC differentiation, suggesting their role in the maintenance of the pluripotent state. Finally, we showed a link between the components of the protein complexes and embryonic development using the existing loss-of-function phenotype data. Together, our integrated approach provides the first comprehensive view of the protein complexes that may have implications for cell reprograming and pluripotency.

Generation and characterization of transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cells and conversion to putative clinical-grade status

Introduction

The reprogramming of a patient’s somatic cells back into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds significant promise for future autologous cellular therapeutics. The continued presence of potentially oncogenic transgenic elements following reprogramming, however, represents a safety concern that should be addressed prior to clinical applications. The polycistronic stem cell cassette (STEMCCA), an excisable lentiviral reprogramming vector, provides, in our hands, the most consistent reprogramming approach that addresses this safety concern. Nevertheless, most viral integrations occur in genes, and exactly how the integration, epigenetic reprogramming, and excision of the STEMCCA reprogramming vector influences those genes and whether these cells still have clinical potential are not yet known.

Methods

In this study, we used both microarray and sensitive real-time PCR to investigate gene expression changes following both intron-based reprogramming and excision of the STEMCCA cassette during the generation of human iPSCs from adult human dermal fibroblasts. Integration site analysis was conducted using nonrestrictive linear amplification PCR. Transgene-free iPSCs were fully characterized via immunocytochemistry, karyotyping and teratoma formation, and current protocols were implemented for guided differentiation. We also utilized current good manufacturing practice guidelines and manufacturing facilities for conversion of our iPSCs into putative clinical grade conditions.

Results

We found that a STEMCCA-derived iPSC line that contains a single integration, found to be located in an intronic location in an actively transcribed gene, PRPF39, displays significantly increased expression when compared with post-excised stem cells. STEMCCA excision via Cre recombinase returned basal expression levels of PRPF39. These cells were also shown to have proper splicing patterns and PRPF39 gene sequences. We also fully characterized the post-excision iPSCs, differentiated them into multiple clinically relevant cell types (including oligodendrocytes, hepatocytes, and cardiomyocytes), and converted them to putative clinical-grade conditions using the same approach previously approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the conversion of human embryonic stem cells from research-grade to clinical-grade status.

Conclusion

For the first time, these studies provide a proof-of-principle for the generation of fully characterized transgene-free human iPSCs and, in light of the limited availability of current good manufacturing practice cellular manufacturing facilities, highlight an attractive potential mechanism for converting research-grade cell lines into putatively clinical-grade biologics for personalized cellular therapeutics.