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Gandhi N, Wills L, Akers K, Su Y, Niccum P, Murali TM, Rajagopalan P. Comparative transcriptomic and phenotypic analysis of induced pluripotent stem cell hepatocyte-like cells and primary human hepatocytes. Cell Tissue Res 2024; 396:119-139. [PMID: 38369646 DOI: 10.1007/s00441-024-03868-9] [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: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Primary human hepatocytes (PHHs) are used extensively for in vitro liver cultures to study hepatic functions. However, limited availability and invasive retrieval prevent their widespread use. Induced pluripotent stem cells exhibit significant potential since they can be obtained non-invasively and differentiated into hepatic lineages, such as hepatocyte-like cells (iHLCs). However, there are concerns about their fetal phenotypic characteristics and their hepatic functions compared to PHHs in culture. Therefore, we performed an RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis to understand pathways that are either up- or downregulated in each cell type. Analysis of the RNA-seq data showed an upregulation in the bile secretion pathway where genes such as AQP9 and UGT1A1 were higher expressed in PHHs compared to iHLCs by 455- and 15-fold, respectively. Upon immunostaining, bile canaliculi were shown to be present in PHHs. The TCA cycle in PHHs was upregulated compared to iHLCs. Cellular analysis showed a 2-2.5-fold increase in normalized urea production in PHHs compared to iHLCs. In addition, drug metabolism pathways, including cytochrome P450 (CYP450) and UDP-glucuronosyltransferase enzymes, were upregulated in PHHs compared to iHLCs. Of note, CYP2E1 gene expression was significantly higher (21,810-fold) in PHHs. Acetaminophen and ethanol were administered to PHH and iHLC cultures to investigate differences in biotransformation. CYP450 activity of baseline and toxicant-treated samples was significantly higher in PHHs compared to iHLCs. Our analysis revealed that iHLCs have substantial differences from PHHs in critical hepatic functions. These results have highlighted the differences in gene expression and hepatic functions between PHHs and iHLCs to motivate future investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeti Gandhi
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 333 Kelly Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA
| | - Lauren Wills
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA
| | - Kyle Akers
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Ph.D. Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Yiqi Su
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Parker Niccum
- Genetics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology Ph.D. Program, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - T M Murali
- Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
| | - Padmavathy Rajagopalan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Virginia Tech, 333 Kelly Hall, Blacksburg, VA, 24061, USA.
- School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, USA.
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2
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Thakur A, Park K, Cullum R, Fuglerud BM, Khoshnoodi M, Drissler S, Stephan TL, Lotto J, Kim D, Gonzalez FJ, Hoodless PA. HNF4A guides the MLL4 complex to establish and maintain H3K4me1 at gene regulatory elements. Commun Biol 2024; 7:144. [PMID: 38297077 PMCID: PMC10830483 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05835-0] [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: 03/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4A (HNF4A/NR2a1), a transcriptional regulator of hepatocyte identity, controls genes that are crucial for liver functions, primarily through binding to enhancers. In mammalian cells, active and primed enhancers are marked by monomethylation of histone 3 (H3) at lysine 4 (K4) (H3K4me1) in a cell type-specific manner. How this modification is established and maintained at enhancers in connection with transcription factors (TFs) remains unknown. Using analysis of genome-wide histone modifications, TF binding, chromatin accessibility and gene expression, we show that HNF4A is essential for an active chromatin state. Using HNF4A loss and gain of function experiments in vivo and in cell lines in vitro, we show that HNF4A affects H3K4me1, H3K27ac and chromatin accessibility, highlighting its contribution to the establishment and maintenance of a transcriptionally permissive epigenetic state. Mechanistically, HNF4A interacts with the mixed-lineage leukaemia 4 (MLL4) complex facilitating recruitment to HNF4A-bound regions. Our findings indicate that HNF4A enriches H3K4me1, H3K27ac and establishes chromatin opening at transcriptional regulatory regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Thakur
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kwangjin Park
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Rebecca Cullum
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
| | - Bettina M Fuglerud
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | | | - Sibyl Drissler
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
- Cell and Developmental Biology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Tabea L Stephan
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
- Cell and Developmental Biology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Jeremy Lotto
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada
- Cell and Developmental Biology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Donghwan Kim
- Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, 2089, USA
| | - Frank J Gonzalez
- Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, 2089, USA
| | - Pamela A Hoodless
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, V5Z 1L3, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- Cell and Developmental Biology Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada.
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Li G, Zhu L, Guo M, Wang D, Meng M, Zhong Y, Zhang Z, Lin Y, Liu C, Wang J, Zhang Y, Gao Y, Cao Y, Xia Z, Qiu J, Li Y, Liu S, Chen H, Liu W, Han Y, Zheng M, Ma X, Xu L. Characterisation of forkhead box protein A3 as a key transcription factor for hepatocyte regeneration. JHEP Rep 2023; 5:100906. [PMID: 38023606 PMCID: PMC10679869 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhepr.2023.100906] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background & Aims Liver regeneration is vital for the recovery of liver function after injury, yet the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Forkhead box protein A3 (FOXA3), a member of the forkhead box family, plays important roles in endoplasmic reticulum stress sensing, and lipid and glucose homoeostasis, yet its functions in liver regeneration are unknown. Methods Here, we explored whether Foxa3 regulates liver regeneration via acute and chronic liver injury mice models. We further characterised the molecular mechanism by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and rescue experiments in vivo and in vitro. Then, we assessed the impact of Foxa3 pharmacological activation on progression and termination of liver regeneration. Finally, we confirmed the Foxa3-Cebpb axis in human liver samples. Results Foxa3 is dominantly expressed in hepatocytes and cholangiocytes and is induced upon partial hepatectomy (PH) or carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) administration. Foxa3 deficiency in mice decreased cyclin gene levels and delayed liver regeneration after PH, or acute or chronic i.p. CCl4 injection. Conversely, hepatocyte-specific Foxa3 overexpression accelerated hepatocytes proliferation and attenuated liver damage in an CCl4-induced acute model. Mechanistically, Foxa3 directly regulates Cebpb transcription, which is involved in hepatocyte division and apoptosis both in vivo and in vitro. Of note, Cebpb overexpression in livers of Foxa3-deficient mice rescued their defects in cell proliferation and regeneration upon CCl4 treatment. In addition, pharmacological induction of Foxa3 via cardamonin speeded up hepatocyte proliferation after PH, without interfering with liver regeneration termination. Finally, Cebpb and Ki67 levels had a positive correlation with Foxa3 expression in human chronic disease livers. Conclusions These data characterise Foxa3 as a vital regulator of liver regeneration, which may represent an essential factor to maintain liver mass after liver injury by governing Cebpb transcription. Impact and Implications Liver regeneration is vital for the recovery of liver function after chemical insults or hepatectomy, yet the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Herein, via in vitro and in vivo models and analysis, we demonstrated that Forkhead box protein A3 (FOXA3), a Forkhead box family member, maintained normal liver regeneration progression by governing Cebpb transcription and proposed cardamonin as a lead compound to induce Foxa3 and accelerate liver repair, which signified that FOXA3 may be a potential therapeutic target for further preclinical study on treating liver injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guoqiang Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Lijun Zhu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingwei Guo
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Dongmei Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Meiyao Meng
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yinzhao Zhong
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhijian Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Lin
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Caizhi Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiawen Wang
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yahui Zhang
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai General Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yining Gao
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yuxiang Cao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhirui Xia
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jin Qiu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yu Li
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Shuang Liu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Haibing Chen
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Wenyue Liu
- Department of Endocrinology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Yu Han
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
| | - Minghua Zheng
- MAFLD Research Center, Department of Hepatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China
- Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Treatment for the Development of Chronic Liver Disease in Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China
| | - Xinran Ma
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Shanghai Frontiers Science Center of Genome Editing and Cell Therapy, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Chongqing Key Laboratory of Precision Optics, Chongqing Institute of East China Normal University, Chongqing, China
| | - Lingyan Xu
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences and School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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Lu Z, Miao X, Song Q, Ding H, Rajan SAP, Skardal A, Votanopoulos KI, Dai K, Zhao W, Lu B, Atala A. Detection of lineage-reprogramming efficiency of tumor cells in a 3D-printed liver-on-a-chip model. Theranostics 2023; 13:4905-4918. [PMID: 37771785 PMCID: PMC10526656 DOI: 10.7150/thno.86921] [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] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: The liver metastasis accompanied with the loss of liver function is one of the most common complications in patients with triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC). Lineage reprogramming, as a technique direct inducing the functional cell types from one lineage to another lineage without passing through an intermediate pluripotent stage, is promising in changing cell fates and overcoming the limitations of primary cells. However, most reprogramming techniques are derived from human fibroblasts, and whether cancer cells can be reversed into hepatocytes remains elusive. Methods: Herein, we simplify preparation of reprogramming reagents by expressing six transcriptional factors (HNF4A, FOXA2, FOXA3, ATF5, PROX1, and HNF1) from two lentiviral vectors, each expressing three factors. Then the virus was transduced into MDA-MB-231 cells to generated human induced hepatocyte-like cells (hiHeps) and single-cell sequencing was used to analyze the fate for the cells after reprogramming. Furthermore, we constructed a Liver-on-a-chip (LOC) model by bioprinting the Gelatin Methacryloyl hydrogel loaded with hepatocyte extracellular vesicles (GelMA-EV) bioink onto the microfluidic chip to assess the metastasis behavior of the reprogrammed TNBC cells under the 3D liver microenvironment in vitro. Results: The combination of the genes HNF4A, FOXA2, FOXA3, ATF5, PROX1 and HNF1A could reprogram MDA-MB-231 tumor cells into human-induced hepatocytes (hiHeps), limiting metastasis of these cells. Single-cell sequencing analysis showed that the oncogenes were significantly inhibited while the liver-specific genes were activated after lineage reprogramming. Finally, the constructed LOC model showed that the hepatic phenotypes of the reprogrammed cells could be observed, and the metastasis of embedded cancer cells could be inhibited under the liver microenvironment. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that reprogramming could be a promising method to produce hepatocytes and treat TNBC liver metastasis. And the LOC model could intimate the 3D liver microenvironment and assess the behavior of the reprogrammed TNBC cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuyan Lu
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Xiangwan Miao
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Qianqian Song
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Huifen Ding
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Shiny Amala Priya Rajan
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Aleksander Skardal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | | | - Kerong Dai
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Orthopaedic Implants, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200011, China
| | - Weixin Zhao
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Baisong Lu
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Anthony Atala
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
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5
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Goulart E. A Review of Stem Cell Technology Targeting Hepatocyte Growth as an Alternative to Organ Transplantation. Methods Mol Biol 2023; 2575:181-193. [PMID: 36301476 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-0716-2716-7_9] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Currently, the only feasible option for patients with progressive and/or end-stage organ degeneration is to undergo transplantation. Due to the growing unmatched demand of available organ donors and, as a consequence, the continuous growth of patients' waiting lists, the development of new tissue engineering technologies is a relevant need. In this chapter, we will focus on the liver as a model organ to discuss contemporary tissue engineering strategies. Induced pluripotent cells are an attractive alternative to serve as a cell source for tissue engineering applications due to their pluripotency, the potentiality to generate autologous transplantation, and for their high proliferation rate. Among the main liver tissue engineering technologies, 3D bioprinting, hepatic organoids, and decellularization/recellularization of biological matrixes have grown much attention as alternatives to derive functional liver grafts. Thus, this chapter will discuss how recent publications have demonstrated the use of induced pluripotent cells in the development of the aforementioned technologies. Bioprinting is an additive manufacturing biofabrication process where cells are dispersed within a matrix formulation (i.e., bioink) and extruded in a modified 3D-printer. Polymers within bioink can be cross-linked to increase stiffness. Hepatic spheroids showed greater viability and liver function, due to preserved epithelial phenotype over time. Organoid is multi-lineage tissue constructs derived from a stem cell that recapitulates the early stages of organogenesis. The influence of cellular composition of non-parenchymal cells using induced pluripotent-derived cells or primary adult cells for hepatic organoid formation was recently tested. Decellularization is a process where harvested tissues or organs are washed with a detergent-based solution, to lyse and remove all cellular components. The final product is an extracellular scaffold with preserved tissue vasculature and ultra-structure, which can be used for subsequent recellularization with recipient cells. This chapter sheds light on recent works on the use of induced pluripotent-derived cells for liver tissue engineering approaches and on how such technologies could potentially generate therapeutic alternatives for patients on waiting lists for liver transplantation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernesto Goulart
- Human Genome and Stem Cell Research Center, Department of Genetics and Evolutionary Biology, Biosciences Institute, University of São Paulo (USP), São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
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6
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Tauran Y, Lereau-Bernier M, Segard BD, Danoy M, Kimura K, Shinohara M, Brioude A, Sakai Y, de Jonge H, Melnyk O, Vicogne J, Leclerc E. A novel agonist for the HGF receptor MET promotes differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into hepatocyte-like cells. Dev Growth Differ 2022; 64:527-536. [PMID: 36251346 DOI: 10.1111/dgd.12818] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 08/09/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is the natural ligand of the MET receptor tyrosine kinase. This ligand-receptor couple is essential for the maturation process of hepatocytes. Previously, the rational design of a synthetic protein based on the assembly of two K1 domains from HGF led to the production of a potent and stable MET receptor agonist. In this study, we compared the effects of K1K1 with HGF during the differentiation of hepatocyte progenitors derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). In vitro, K1K1, in the range of 20 to 200 nM, successfully substituted for HGF and efficiently activated ERK downstream signaling. Analysis of the levels of hepatocyte markers showed typical liver mRNA and protein expression (HNF4α, albumin, alpha-fetoprotein, CYP3A4) and phenotypes. Although full maturation was not achieved, the results suggest that K1K1 is an attractive candidate MET agonist suitable for replacing complex and expensive HGF treatments to induce hepatic differentiation of hiPSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Tauran
- CNRS IRL 2820, Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,LMI CNRS UMR5615, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Myriam Lereau-Bernier
- CNRS IRL 2820, Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bertrand David Segard
- CNRS IRL 2820, Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Mathieu Danoy
- CNRS IRL 2820, Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Keiichi Kimura
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Marie Shinohara
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Arnaud Brioude
- LMI CNRS UMR5615, Université Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Yasuyuki Sakai
- Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hugo de Jonge
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Pavia University Immunology and General Pathology section, Pavia, Italy
| | - Oleg Melnyk
- University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, UMR 9017, CIIL, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Jérôme Vicogne
- University of Lille, CNRS, Inserm, CHU Lille, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, UMR 9017, CIIL, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille, Lille, France
| | - Eric Leclerc
- CNRS IRL 2820, Laboratory for Integrated Micro Mechatronic Systems, Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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7
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Costa A, Powell LM, Malaguti M, Soufi A, Lowell S, Jarman AP. Repurposing the lineage-determining transcription factor Atoh1 without redistributing its genomic binding sites. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:1016367. [PMID: 36420143 PMCID: PMC9676683 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.1016367] [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] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Although the lineage-determining ability of transcription factors is often modulated according to cellular context, the mechanisms by which such switching occurs are not well known. Using a transcriptional programming model, we found that Atoh1 is repurposed from a neuronal to an inner ear hair cell (HC) determinant by the combined activities of Gfi1 and Pou4f3. In this process, Atoh1 maintains its regulation of neuronal genes but gains ability to regulate HC genes. Pou4f3 enables Atoh1 access to genomic locations controlling the expression of sensory (including HC) genes, but Atoh1 + Pou4f3 are not sufficient for HC differentiation. Gfi1 is key to the Atoh1-induced lineage switch, but surprisingly does not alter Atoh1's binding profile. Gfi1 acts in two divergent ways. It represses the induction by Atoh1 of genes that antagonise HC differentiation, a function in keeping with its well-known repressor role in haematopoiesis. Remarkably, we find that Gfi1 also acts as a co-activator: it binds directly to Atoh1 at existing target genes to enhance its activity. These findings highlight the diversity of mechanisms by which one TF can redirect the activity of another to enable combinatorial control of cell identity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Costa
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Lynn M. Powell
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Mattias Malaguti
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Abdenour Soufi
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Sally Lowell
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Institute for Stem Cell Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew P. Jarman
- Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, Edinburgh Medical School, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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8
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Heuts BMH, Arza-Apalategi S, Frölich S, Bergevoet SM, van den Oever SN, van Heeringen SJ, van der Reijden BA, Martens JHA. Identification of transcription factors dictating blood cell development using a bidirectional transcription network-based computational framework. Sci Rep 2022; 12:18656. [PMID: 36333382 PMCID: PMC9636203 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-21148-w] [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] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Advanced computational methods exploit gene expression and epigenetic datasets to predict gene regulatory networks controlled by transcription factors (TFs). These methods have identified cell fate determining TFs but require large amounts of reference data and experimental expertise. Here, we present an easy to use network-based computational framework that exploits enhancers defined by bidirectional transcription, using as sole input CAGE sequencing data to correctly predict TFs key to various human cell types. Next, we applied this Analysis Algorithm for Networks Specified by Enhancers based on CAGE (ANANSE-CAGE) to predict TFs driving red and white blood cell development, and THP-1 leukemia cell immortalization. Further, we predicted TFs that are differentially important to either cell line- or primary- associated MLL-AF9-driven gene programs, and in primary MLL-AF9 acute leukemia. Our approach identified experimentally validated as well as thus far unexplored TFs in these processes. ANANSE-CAGE will be useful to identify transcription factors that are key to any cell fate change using only CAGE-seq data as input.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. M. H. Heuts
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, RIMLS, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S. Arza-Apalategi
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S. Frölich
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, RIMLS, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S. M. Bergevoet
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S. N. van den Oever
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, RIMLS, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - S. J. van Heeringen
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, RIMLS, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - B. A. van der Reijden
- grid.10417.330000 0004 0444 9382Department of Laboratory Medicine, Laboratory of Hematology, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences (RIMLS), Radboud University Medical Center, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J. H. A. Martens
- grid.5590.90000000122931605Department of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, RIMLS, Radboud University, 6525 GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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9
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Di Zeo-Sánchez DE, Segovia-Zafra A, Matilla-Cabello G, Pinazo-Bandera JM, Andrade RJ, Lucena MI, Villanueva-Paz M. Modeling drug-induced liver injury: current status and future prospects. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2022; 18:555-573. [DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2022.2122810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel E. Di Zeo-Sánchez
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Segovia-Zafra
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Gonzalo Matilla-Cabello
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - José M. Pinazo-Bandera
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
| | - Raúl J. Andrade
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - M. Isabel Lucena
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), 28029, Madrid, Spain
- Plataforma ISCIII de Ensayos Clínicos. UICEC-IBIMA, 29071, Malaga, Spain
| | - Marina Villanueva-Paz
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, 29071 Málaga, Spain
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10
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Hersbach BA, Fischer DS, Masserdotti G, Deeksha, Mojžišová K, Waltzhöni T, Rodriguez-Terrones D, Heinig M, Theis FJ, Götz M, Stricker SH. Probing cell identity hierarchies by fate titration and collision during direct reprogramming. Mol Syst Biol 2022; 18:e11129. [PMID: 36106915 PMCID: PMC9476893 DOI: 10.15252/msb.202211129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the therapeutic promise of direct reprogramming, basic principles concerning fate erasure and the mechanisms to resolve cell identity conflicts remain unclear. To tackle these fundamental questions, we established a single‐cell protocol for the simultaneous analysis of multiple cell fate conversion events based on combinatorial and traceable reprogramming factor expression: Collide‐seq. Collide‐seq revealed the lack of a common mechanism through which fibroblast‐specific gene expression loss is initiated. Moreover, we found that the transcriptome of converting cells abruptly changes when a critical level of each reprogramming factor is attained, with higher or lower levels not contributing to major changes. By simultaneously inducing multiple competing reprogramming factors, we also found a deterministic system, in which titration of fates against each other yields dominant or colliding fates. By investigating one collision in detail, we show that reprogramming factors can disturb cell identity programs independent of their ability to bind their target genes. Taken together, Collide‐seq has shed light on several fundamental principles of fate conversion that may aid in improving current reprogramming paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bob A Hersbach
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Division of Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.,Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Biocenter, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - David S Fischer
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.,Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Giacomo Masserdotti
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Division of Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Deeksha
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Division of Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
| | - Karolina Mojžišová
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Thomas Waltzhöni
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Core Facility Genomics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Diego Rodriguez-Terrones
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany
| | - Matthias Heinig
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabian J Theis
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.,Department of Informatics, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.,German Excellence Cluster of Systems Neurology, Biomedical Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Magdalena Götz
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Division of Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany.,German Excellence Cluster of Systems Neurology, Biomedical Center Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan H Stricker
- Institute of Stem Cell Research, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,Division of Physiological Genomics, Biomedical Center Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Munich, Germany
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11
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Bentsen M, Heger V, Schultheis H, Kuenne C, Looso M. TF-COMB - discovering grammar of transcription factor binding sites. Comput Struct Biotechnol J 2022; 20:4040-4051. [PMID: 35983231 PMCID: PMC9358416 DOI: 10.1016/j.csbj.2022.07.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cooperativity between transcription factors is important to regulate target gene expression. In particular, the binding grammar of TFs in relation to each other, as well as in the context of other genomic elements, is crucial for TF functionality. However, tools to easily uncover co-occurrence between DNA-binding proteins, and investigate the regulatory modules of TFs, are limited. Here we present TF-COMB (Transcription Factor Co-Occurrence using Market Basket analysis) - a tool to investigate co-occurring TFs and binding grammar within regulatory regions. We found that TF-COMB can accurately identify known co-occurring TFs from ChIP-seq data, as well as uncover preferential localization to other genomic elements. With the use of ATAC-seq footprinting and TF motif locations, we found that TFs exhibit both preferred orientation and distance in relation to each other, and that these are biologically significant. Finally, we extended the analysis to not only investigate individual TF pairs, but also TF pairs in the context of networks, which enabled the investigation of TF complexes and TF hubs. In conclusion, TF-COMB is a flexible tool to investigate various aspects of TF binding grammar.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mette Bentsen
- Bioinformatics Core Unit (BCU), Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Vanessa Heger
- Bioinformatics Core Unit (BCU), Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Hendrik Schultheis
- Bioinformatics Core Unit (BCU), Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Carsten Kuenne
- Bioinformatics Core Unit (BCU), Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
| | - Mario Looso
- Bioinformatics Core Unit (BCU), Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany
- Cardio-Pulmonary Institute (CPI), Bad Nauheim, Germany
- Corresponding author at: Bioinformatics Core Unit (BCU), Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Bad Nauheim, Germany.
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12
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Segovia-Zafra A, Di Zeo-Sánchez DE, López-Gómez C, Pérez-Valdés Z, García-Fuentes E, Andrade RJ, Lucena MI, Villanueva-Paz M. Preclinical models of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI): Moving towards prediction. Acta Pharm Sin B 2021; 11:3685-3726. [PMID: 35024301 PMCID: PMC8727925 DOI: 10.1016/j.apsb.2021.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 11/07/2021] [Accepted: 11/10/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (iDILI) encompasses the unexpected harms that prescription and non-prescription drugs, herbal and dietary supplements can cause to the liver. iDILI remains a major public health problem and a major cause of drug attrition. Given the lack of biomarkers for iDILI prediction, diagnosis and prognosis, searching new models to predict and study mechanisms of iDILI is necessary. One of the major limitations of iDILI preclinical assessment has been the lack of correlation between the markers of hepatotoxicity in animal toxicological studies and clinically significant iDILI. Thus, major advances in the understanding of iDILI susceptibility and pathogenesis have come from the study of well-phenotyped iDILI patients. However, there are many gaps for explaining all the complexity of iDILI susceptibility and mechanisms. Therefore, there is a need to optimize preclinical human in vitro models to reduce the risk of iDILI during drug development. Here, the current experimental models and the future directions in iDILI modelling are thoroughly discussed, focusing on the human cellular models available to study the pathophysiological mechanisms of the disease and the most used in vivo animal iDILI models. We also comment about in silico approaches and the increasing relevance of patient-derived cellular models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Segovia-Zafra
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga 29071, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - Daniel E. Di Zeo-Sánchez
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga 29071, Spain
| | - Carlos López-Gómez
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Aparato Digestivo, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga 29010, Spain
| | - Zeus Pérez-Valdés
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga 29071, Spain
| | - Eduardo García-Fuentes
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Aparato Digestivo, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Málaga 29010, Spain
| | - Raúl J. Andrade
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga 29071, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid 28029, Spain
| | - M. Isabel Lucena
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga 29071, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en el Área Temática de Enfermedades Hepáticas y Digestivas (CIBERehd), Madrid 28029, Spain
- Platform ISCIII de Ensayos Clínicos, UICEC-IBIMA, Málaga 29071, Spain
| | - Marina Villanueva-Paz
- Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Gastroenterología, Servicio de Farmacología Clínica, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga-IBIMA, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Victoria, Universidad de Málaga, Málaga 29071, Spain
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13
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Qu M, Qu H, Jia Z, Kay SA. HNF4A defines tissue-specific circadian rhythms by beaconing BMAL1::CLOCK chromatin binding and shaping the rhythmic chromatin landscape. Nat Commun 2021; 12:6350. [PMID: 34732735 PMCID: PMC8566521 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26567-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcription modulated by the circadian clock is diverse across cell types, underlying circadian control of peripheral metabolism and its observed perturbation in human diseases. We report that knockout of the lineage-specifying Hnf4a gene in mouse liver causes associated reductions in the genome-wide distribution of core clock component BMAL1 and accessible chromatin marks (H3K4me1 and H3K27ac). Ectopically expressing HNF4A remodels chromatin landscape and nucleates distinct tissue-specific BMAL1 chromatin binding events, predominantly in enhancer regions. Circadian rhythms are disturbed in Hnf4a knockout liver and HNF4A-MODY diabetic model cells. Additionally, the epigenetic state and accessibility of the liver genome dynamically change throughout the day, synchronized with chromatin occupancy of HNF4A and clustered expression of circadian outputs. Lastly, Bmal1 knockout attenuates HNF4A genome-wide binding in the liver, likely due to downregulated Hnf4a transcription. Our results may provide a general mechanism for establishing circadian rhythm heterogeneity during development and disease progression, governed by chromatin structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meng Qu
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
| | - Han Qu
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Zhenyu Jia
- Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
- Graduate Program in Genetics, Genomics, and Bioinformatics, University of California, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Steve A Kay
- Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, 90089, USA.
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14
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Han JK, Shin Y, Kim HS. Direct Conversion of Cell Fate and Induced Endothelial Cells. Circ J 2021; 86:1925-1933. [PMID: 34732599 DOI: 10.1253/circj.cj-21-0703] [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] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Advances in nuclear reprogramming technology have enabled the dedifferentiation and transdifferentiation of mammalian cells. Forced induction of the key transcription factors constituting a transcriptional network can convert cells back to their pluripotent status or directly to another cell fate without inducing pluripotency. To date, direct conversion to several cell types, including cardiomyocytes, various types of neurons, and pancreatic β-cells, has been reported. We previously demonstrated direct lineage reprogramming of adult fibroblasts into induced endothelial cells (iECs) in mice and humans. In contrast to induced pluripotent stem cells, for which there is consensus on the criteria defining pluripotency, such criteria have not yet been established in the field of direct conversion. We thus suggest that careful assessment of the status of converted cells using genetic and epigenetic profiling, various functional assays, and the use of multiple readouts is essential to determine successful conversion. As direct conversion does not go through pluripotent status, this technique can be utilized for therapeutic purposes without the risk of tumorigenesis. Further, direct conversion can be induced in vivo by gene delivery to the target tissue or organ in situ. Thus, direct conversion technology can be developed into cell therapy or gene therapy for regenerative purposes. Here, we review the potential and future directions of direct cell fate conversion and iECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jung-Kyu Han
- Department of Internal Medicine, and Strategic Center of Cell and Bio Therapy for Heart, Diabetes and Cancer, Seoul National University Hospital
| | - Youngchul Shin
- Department of Internal Medicine, and Strategic Center of Cell and Bio Therapy for Heart, Diabetes and Cancer, Seoul National University Hospital
| | - Hyo-Soo Kim
- Department of Internal Medicine, and Strategic Center of Cell and Bio Therapy for Heart, Diabetes and Cancer, Seoul National University Hospital
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15
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Rombaut M, Boeckmans J, Rodrigues RM, van Grunsven LA, Vanhaecke T, De Kock J. Direct reprogramming of somatic cells into induced hepatocytes: Cracking the Enigma code. J Hepatol 2021; 75:690-705. [PMID: 33989701 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhep.2021.04.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2021] [Revised: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
There is an unmet need for functional primary human hepatocytes to support the pharmaceutical and (bio)medical demand. The unique discovery, a decade ago, that somatic cells can be drawn out of their apparent biological lockdown to reacquire a pluripotent state has revealed a completely new avenue of possibilities for generating surrogate human hepatocytes. Since then, the number of papers reporting the direct conversion of somatic cells into induced hepatocytes (iHeps) has burgeoned. A hepatic cell fate can be established via the ectopic expression of native liver-enriched transcription factors in somatic cells, thereby bypassing the need for an intermediate (pluripotent) stem cell state. That said, understanding and eventually controlling the processes that give rise to functional iHeps remains challenging. In this review, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art reprogramming cocktails and techniques, as well as their corresponding conversion efficiencies. Special attention is paid to the role of liver-enriched transcription factors as hepatogenic reprogramming tools and small molecules as facilitators of hepatic transdifferentiation. To conclude, we formulate recommendations to optimise, standardise and enrich the in vitro production of iHeps to reach clinical standards, and propose minimal criteria for their characterisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthias Rombaut
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Joost Boeckmans
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robim M Rodrigues
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Leo A van Grunsven
- Liver Cell Biology Research Group, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tamara Vanhaecke
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Joery De Kock
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Laarbeeklaan 103, B-1090 Brussels, Belgium.
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16
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Choi DH, Lee KE, Park J, Park YJ, Lee JY, Park YS. Cell-Permeable Oct4 Gene Delivery Enhances Stem Cell-like Properties of Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:9357. [PMID: 34502264 PMCID: PMC8430778 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22179357] [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] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Direct conversion of one cell type into another is a trans-differentiation process. Recent advances in fibroblast research revealed that epithelial cells can give rise to fibroblasts by epithelial-mesenchymal transition. Conversely, fibroblasts can also give rise to epithelia by undergoing a mesenchymal to epithelial transition. To elicit stem cell-like properties in fibroblasts, the Oct4 transcription factor acts as a master transcriptional regulator for reprogramming somatic cells. Notably, the production of gene complexes with cell-permeable peptides, such as low-molecular-weight protamine (LMWP), was proposed to induce reprogramming without cytotoxicity and genomic mutation. We designed a complex with non-cytotoxic LMWP to prevent the degradation of Oct4 and revealed that the positively charged cell-permeable LMWP helped condense the size of the Oct4-LMWP complexes (1:5 N:P ratio). When the Oct4-LMWP complex was delivered into mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), stemness-related gene expression increased while fibroblast intrinsic properties decreased. We believe that the Oct4-LMWP complex developed in this study can be used to reprogram terminally differentiated somatic cells or convert them into stem cell-like cells without risk of cell death, improving the stemness level and stability of existing direct conversion techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Da Hyeon Choi
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea; (D.H.C.); (K.E.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Kyeong Eun Lee
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea; (D.H.C.); (K.E.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Jiwon Park
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea; (D.H.C.); (K.E.L.); (J.P.)
| | - Yoon Jeong Park
- Department of Dental Regenerative Bioengineering and Dental Research Institute, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea;
- Central Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea;
| | - Jue-Yeon Lee
- Central Research Institute, Nano Intelligent Biomedical Engineering Corporation (NIBEC), School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul 03080, Korea;
| | - Yoon Shin Park
- Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Korea; (D.H.C.); (K.E.L.); (J.P.)
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17
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Xu Q, Georgiou G, Frölich S, van der Sande M, Veenstra G, Zhou H, van Heeringen S. ANANSE: an enhancer network-based computational approach for predicting key transcription factors in cell fate determination. Nucleic Acids Res 2021; 49:7966-7985. [PMID: 34244796 PMCID: PMC8373078 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkab598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Proper cell fate determination is largely orchestrated by complex gene regulatory networks centered around transcription factors. However, experimental elucidation of key transcription factors that drive cellular identity is currently often intractable. Here, we present ANANSE (ANalysis Algorithm for Networks Specified by Enhancers), a network-based method that exploits enhancer-encoded regulatory information to identify the key transcription factors in cell fate determination. As cell type-specific transcription factors predominantly bind to enhancers, we use regulatory networks based on enhancer properties to prioritize transcription factors. First, we predict genome-wide binding profiles of transcription factors in various cell types using enhancer activity and transcription factor binding motifs. Subsequently, applying these inferred binding profiles, we construct cell type-specific gene regulatory networks, and then predict key transcription factors controlling cell fate transitions using differential networks between cell types. This method outperforms existing approaches in correctly predicting major transcription factors previously identified to be sufficient for trans-differentiation. Finally, we apply ANANSE to define an atlas of key transcription factors in 18 normal human tissues. In conclusion, we present a ready-to-implement computational tool for efficient prediction of transcription factors in cell fate determination and to study transcription factor-mediated regulatory mechanisms. ANANSE is freely available at https://github.com/vanheeringen-lab/ANANSE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quan Xu
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Georgios Georgiou
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Siebren Frölich
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Maarten van der Sande
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Gert Jan C Veenstra
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Huiqing Zhou
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Radboud University Medical Center, Department of Human Genetics, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Simon J van Heeringen
- Radboud University, Department of Molecular Developmental Biology, Faculty of Science, Radboud Institute for Molecular Life Sciences, 6525GA Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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18
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Fráguas-Eggenschwiler M, Eggenschwiler R, Söllner JH, Cortnumme L, Vondran FWR, Cantz T, Ott M, Niemann H. Direct conversion of porcine primary fibroblasts into hepatocyte-like cells. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9334. [PMID: 33927320 PMCID: PMC8085017 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-88727-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The pig is an important model organism for biomedical research, mainly due to its extensive genetic, physiological and anatomical similarities with humans. Until date, direct conversion of somatic cells into hepatocyte-like cells (iHeps) has only been achieved in rodents and human cells. Here, we employed lentiviral vectors to screen a panel of 12 hepatic transcription factors (TF) for their potential to convert porcine fibroblasts into hepatocyte-like cells. We demonstrate for the first time, hepatic conversion of porcine somatic cells by over-expression of CEBPα, FOXA1 and HNF4α2 (3TF-piHeps). Reprogrammed 3TF-piHeps display a hepatocyte-like morphology and show functional characteristics of hepatic cells, including albumin secretion, Dil-AcLDL uptake, storage of lipids and glycogen and activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP1A2 and CYP2C33 (CYP2C9 in humans). Moreover, we show that markers of mature hepatocytes are highly expressed in 3TF-piHeps, while fibroblastic markers are reduced. We envision piHeps as useful cell sources for future studies on drug metabolism and toxicity as well as in vitro models for investigation of pig-to-human infectious diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mariane Fráguas-Eggenschwiler
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology Department, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. .,Twincore Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Reto Eggenschwiler
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology Department, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology, REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine and Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Jenny-Helena Söllner
- Institute of Farm Animal Genetics, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Mariensee, Neustadt, Germany
| | - Leon Cortnumme
- Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology, REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine and Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Florian W R Vondran
- Department of General, Visceral and Transplant Surgery, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Hannover-Braunschweig, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tobias Cantz
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology Department, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Translational Hepatology and Stem Cell Biology, REBIRTH - Research Center for Translational Regenerative Medicine and Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany
| | - Michael Ott
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology Department, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Twincore Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Heiner Niemann
- Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology Department, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany. .,Twincore Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.
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19
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Lu Z, Priya Rajan SA, Song Q, Zhao Y, Wan M, Aleman J, Skardal A, Bishop C, Atala A, Lu B. 3D scaffold-free microlivers with drug metabolic function generated by lineage-reprogrammed hepatocytes from human fibroblasts. Biomaterials 2021; 269:120668. [PMID: 33461059 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2021.120668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2020] [Revised: 12/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Generating microliver tissues to recapitulate hepatic function is of increasing importance in tissue engineering and drug screening. But the limited availability of primary hepatocytes and the marked loss of phenotype hinders their application. Human induced hepatocytes (hiHeps) generated by direct reprogramming can address the shortage of primary hepatocytes to make personalized drug prediction possible. Here, we simplify preparation of reprogramming reagents by expressing six transcriptional factors (HNF4A, FOXA2, FOXA3, ATF5, PROX1, and HNF1) from two lentiviral vectors, each expressing three factors. Transducing human fetal and adult fibroblasts with low vector dosage generated human induced hepatocyte-like cells (hiHeps) displaying characteristics of mature hepatocytes and capable of drug metabolism. To mimic the physiologic liver microenvironment and improve hepatocyte function, we prepared 3D scaffold-free microliver spheroids using hiHeps and human liver nonparenchymal cells through self-assembly without exogenous scaffolds. We then introduced the microliver spheroids into a two-organ microfluidic system to examine interactions between hepatocytes and tumor cells. The hiHeps-derived spheroids metabolized the prodrug capecitabine into the active metabolite 5-fluorouracil and induced toxicity in downstream tumor spheroids. Our results demonstrate that hiHeps can be used to make microliver spheroids and combined with a microfluidic system for drug evaluation. Our work could make it possible to use patient-specific hepatocyte-like cells to predict drug efficacy and side effects in various organs from the same patient.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuyan Lu
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Shiny Amala Priya Rajan
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Qianqian Song
- Department of Cancer Biology, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, 27157, USA
| | - Yu Zhao
- Jiangsu Healthy Life Innovation Medical Technology Co, Ltd., Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Meimei Wan
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Julio Aleman
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Aleksander Skardal
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Colin Bishop
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Anthony Atala
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
| | - Baisong Lu
- Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest University Health Sciences, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
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20
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Nemoto A, Kobayashi R, Yoshimatsu S, Sato Y, Kondo T, Yoo AS, Shiozawa S, Okano H. Direct Neuronal Reprogramming of Common Marmoset Fibroblasts by ASCL1, microRNA-9/9*, and microRNA-124 Overexpression. Cells 2020; 10:E6. [PMID: 33375083 PMCID: PMC7822173 DOI: 10.3390/cells10010006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has attracted considerable attention, especially in the biomedical science and neuroscience research fields, because of its potential to recapitulate the complex and multidimensional phenotypes of human diseases, and several neurodegenerative transgenic models have been reported. However, there remain several issues as (i) it takes years to generate late-onset disease models, and (ii) the onset age and severity of phenotypes can vary among individuals due to differences in genetic background. In the present study, we established an efficient and rapid direct neuronal induction method (induced neurons; iNs) from embryonic and adult marmoset fibroblasts to investigate cellular-level phenotypes in the marmoset brain in vitro. We overexpressed reprogramming effectors, i.e., microRNA-9/9*, microRNA-124, and Achaete-Scute family bHLH transcription factor 1, in fibroblasts with a small molecule cocktail that facilitates neuronal induction. The resultant iNs from embryonic and adult marmoset fibroblasts showed neuronal characteristics within two weeks, including neuron-specific gene expression and spontaneous neuronal activity. As directly reprogrammed neurons have been shown to model neurodegenerative disorders, the neuronal reprogramming of marmoset fibroblasts may offer new tools for investigating neurological phenotypes associated with disease progression in non-human primate neurological disease models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akisa Nemoto
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (A.N.); (R.K.); (S.Y.); (T.K.); (S.S.)
| | - Reona Kobayashi
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (A.N.); (R.K.); (S.Y.); (T.K.); (S.S.)
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan;
| | - Sho Yoshimatsu
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (A.N.); (R.K.); (S.Y.); (T.K.); (S.S.)
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan;
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan
| | - Yuta Sato
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan;
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Keio University, Kanagawa 223-8522, Japan
| | - Takahiro Kondo
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (A.N.); (R.K.); (S.Y.); (T.K.); (S.S.)
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan;
| | - Andrew S. Yoo
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA;
| | - Seiji Shiozawa
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (A.N.); (R.K.); (S.Y.); (T.K.); (S.S.)
- Institute of Animal Experimentation, School of Medicine, Kurume University, Fukuoka 830-0011, Japan
| | - Hideyuki Okano
- Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8582, Japan; (A.N.); (R.K.); (S.Y.); (T.K.); (S.S.)
- Laboratory for Marmoset Neural Architecture, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako City, Saitama 351-0198, Japan;
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21
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Velazquez JJ, LeGraw R, Moghadam F, Tan Y, Kilbourne J, Maggiore JC, Hislop J, Liu S, Cats D, Chuva de Sousa Lopes SM, Plaisier C, Cahan P, Kiani S, Ebrahimkhani MR. Gene Regulatory Network Analysis and Engineering Directs Development and Vascularization of Multilineage Human Liver Organoids. Cell Syst 2020; 12:41-55.e11. [PMID: 33290741 PMCID: PMC8164844 DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2020.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2019] [Revised: 08/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Pluripotent stem cell (PSC)-derived organoids have emerged as novel multicellular models of human tissue development but display immature phenotypes, aberrant tissue fates, and a limited subset of cells. Here, we demonstrate that integrated analysis and engineering of gene regulatory networks (GRNs) in PSC-derived multilineage human liver organoids direct maturation and vascular morphogenesis in vitro. Overexpression of PROX1 and ATF5, combined with targeted CRISPR-based transcriptional activation of endogenous CYP3A4, reprograms tissue GRNs and improves native liver functions, such as FXR signaling, CYP3A4 enzymatic activity, and stromal cell reactivity. The engineered tissues possess superior liver identity when compared with other PSC-derived liver organoids and show the presence of hepatocyte, biliary, endothelial, and stellate-like cell populations in single-cell RNA-seq analysis. Finally, they show hepatic functions when studied in vivo. Collectively, our approach provides an experimental framework to direct organogenesis in vitro by systematically probing molecular pathways and transcriptional networks that promote tissue development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy J Velazquez
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Ryan LeGraw
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Farzaneh Moghadam
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Yuqi Tan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Institute for Cell Engineering Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | | | - Joseph C Maggiore
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Joshua Hislop
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Silvia Liu
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Davy Cats
- Department of Medical Statistics and Bioinformatics, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg, 2333 ZC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Susana M Chuva de Sousa Lopes
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, Einthovenweg, 2333 ZC Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Christopher Plaisier
- School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Patrick Cahan
- Institute for Cell Engineering Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA; Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Samira Kiani
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Mo R Ebrahimkhani
- Department of Pathology, Division of Experimental Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA; Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; School of Biological and Health Systems Engineering, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA; Department of Bioengineering, Swanson School of Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science, Phoenix, AZ 85054, USA; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15219, USA.
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22
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Hendriks D, Artegiani B, Hu H, Chuva de Sousa Lopes S, Clevers H. Establishment of human fetal hepatocyte organoids and CRISPR-Cas9-based gene knockin and knockout in organoid cultures from human liver. Nat Protoc 2020; 16:182-217. [PMID: 33247284 DOI: 10.1038/s41596-020-00411-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
The liver is composed of two epithelial cell types: hepatocytes and liver ductal cells. Culture conditions for expansion of human liver ductal cells in vitro as organoids were previously described in a protocol; however, primary human hepatocytes remained hard to expand, until recently. In this protocol, we provide full details of how we overcame this limitation, establishing culture conditions that facilitate long-term expansion of human fetal hepatocytes as organoids. In addition, we describe how to generate (multi) gene knockouts using CRISPR-Cas9 in both human fetal hepatocyte and adult liver ductal organoid systems. Using a CRISPR-Cas9 and homology-independent organoid transgenesis (CRISPR-HOT) approach, efficient gene knockin can be achieved in these systems. These gene knockin and knockout approaches, and their multiplexing, should be useful for a variety of applications, such as disease modeling, investigating gene functions and studying processes, such as cellular differentiation and cell division. The protocol to establish human fetal hepatocyte organoid cultures takes ~1-2 months. The protocols to genome engineer human liver ductal organoids and human fetal hepatocyte organoids take 2-3 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delilah Hendriks
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands. .,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Benedetta Artegiani
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands. .,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands. .,The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Huili Hu
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | | | - Hans Clevers
- Hubrecht Institute, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Utrecht, the Netherlands. .,Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands. .,The Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
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23
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Hagiwara R, Oki Y, Matsumaru T, Ibayashi S, Kano K. Generation of metabolically functional hepatocyte-like cells from dedifferentiated fat cells by Foxa2, Hnf4a and Sall1 transduction. Genes Cells 2020; 25:811-824. [PMID: 33064855 PMCID: PMC7894465 DOI: 10.1111/gtc.12814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 10/10/2020] [Accepted: 10/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Mature adipocyte-derived dedifferentiated fat (DFAT) cells have been identified to possess similar multipotency to mesenchymal stem cells, but a method for converting DFAT cells into hepatocytes was previously unknown. Here, using comprehensive analysis of gene expression profiles, we have extracted three transcription factors, namely Foxa2, Hnf4a and Sall1 (FHS), that can convert DFAT cells into hepatocytes. Hepatogenic induction has converted FHS-infected DFAT cells into an epithelial-like morphological state and promoted the expression of hepatocyte-specific features. Furthermore, the DFAT-derived hepatocyte-like (D-Hep) cells catalyzed the detoxification of several compounds. These results indicate that the transduction of DFAT cells with three genes, which were extracted by comprehensive gene expression analysis, efficiently generated D-Hep cells with detoxification abilities similar to those of primary hepatocytes. Thus, D-Hep cells may be useful as a new cell source for surrogate hepatocytes and may be applied to drug discovery studies, such as hepatotoxicity screening and drug metabolism tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reiko Hagiwara
- Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Yoshinao Oki
- Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Takashi Matsumaru
- Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Shiho Ibayashi
- Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan
| | - Koichiro Kano
- Laboratory of Cell and Tissue Biology, Graduate School of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Japan
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24
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Dubois V, Staels B, Lefebvre P, Verzi MP, Eeckhoute J. Control of Cell Identity by the Nuclear Receptor HNF4 in Organ Pathophysiology. Cells 2020; 9:E2185. [PMID: 32998360 DOI: 10.3390/cells9102185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 09/25/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4 (HNF4) is a transcription factor (TF) belonging to the nuclear receptor family whose expression and activities are restricted to a limited number of organs including the liver and gastrointestinal tract. In this review, we present robust evidence pointing to HNF4 as a master regulator of cellular differentiation during development and a safekeeper of acquired cell identity in adult organs. Importantly, we discuss that transient loss of HNF4 may represent a protective mechanism upon acute organ injury, while prolonged impairment of HNF4 activities could contribute to organ dysfunction. In this context, we describe in detail mechanisms involved in the pathophysiological control of cell identity by HNF4, including how HNF4 works as part of cell-specific TF networks and how its expression/activities are disrupted in injured organs.
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25
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Horisawa K, Udono M, Ueno K, Ohkawa Y, Nagasaki M, Sekiya S, Suzuki A. The Dynamics of Transcriptional Activation by Hepatic Reprogramming Factors. Mol Cell 2020; 79:660-676.e8. [PMID: 32755593 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2020.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2020] [Revised: 06/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Specific combinations of two transcription factors (Hnf4α plus Foxa1, Foxa2, or Foxa3) can induce direct conversion of mouse fibroblasts into hepatocyte-like cells. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying hepatic reprogramming are largely unknown. Here, we show that the Foxa protein family members and Hnf4α sequentially and cooperatively bind to chromatin to activate liver-specific gene expression. Although all Foxa proteins bind to and open regions of closed chromatin as pioneer factors, Foxa3 has the unique potential of transferring from the distal to proximal regions of the transcription start site of target genes, binding RNA polymerase II, and co-traversing target genes. These distinctive characteristics of Foxa3 are essential for inducing the hepatic fate in fibroblasts. Similar functional coupling of transcription factors to RNA polymerase II may occur in other contexts whereby transcriptional activation can induce cell differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi Horisawa
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Miyako Udono
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Kazuko Ueno
- Genome Medical Science Project, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo 162-8655, Japan
| | - Yasuyuki Ohkawa
- Division of Transcriptomics, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Masao Nagasaki
- Center for Genomic Medicine, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan; Human Biosciences Unit for the Top Global Course, Center for the Promotion of Interdisciplinary Education and Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
| | - Sayaka Sekiya
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Atsushi Suzuki
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan.
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26
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Choi JS, Jeong IS, Park YJ, Kim SW. HGF and IL-10 expressing ALB::GFP reporter cells generated from iPSCs show robust anti-fibrotic property in acute fibrotic liver model. Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 11:332. [PMID: 32746905 PMCID: PMC7398392 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-01745-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cell therapy using hepatocytes derived from stem cells has been regarded as a promising alternate to liver transplantation. However, the heterogeneity of these hepatocytes makes them unsuitable for therapeutic use. To overcome this limitation, we generated homogenous hepatocyte like induced hepatocyte-like (iHep) cells. METHODS iHep cells were generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) integrated with the albumin (ALB) reporter gene. The therapeutic properties of these iHep cells were investigated after transplantation in fibrotic liver tissues of a mouse model. RESULTS The iHep cells expressed hepatocyte specific genes and proteins, and exhibited high levels of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and interleukin (IL)-10 expressions. Transplantation of iHep cells significantly decreased thioacetamide (TAA)-induced liver fibrosis, apoptotic cells in the liver, and ameliorated abnormal liver function. Liver tissues engrafted with iHep cells exhibited decreased expression of pro-inflammatory factors such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β, IL-6, and monocyte chemo attractant protein (MCP)-1. Furthermore, an increased number of proliferating hepatocytes and human albumin-expressing iHep cells were detected in mice liver. CONCLUSIONS This study has investigated and proven the liver regeneration potential of genome-edited iHep cells and promises to be a strong foundation for further studies exploring cell therapy as an alternative therapeutic option for the treatment of liver fibrosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ja Sung Choi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - In Sil Jeong
- Department Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Gangneung, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Jin Park
- Department of Family Medicine, Dong-A University College of Medicine, Dong-A University Medical Center, Busan, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Whan Kim
- Department Medicine, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Gangneung, Republic of Korea. .,International St. Mary's Hospital, 25, Simgok-ro 100 beon-gil, Seo-gu, Incheon, 404-190, South Korea.
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27
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Deepak HB, Shreekrishna N, Sameermahmood Z, Anand NN, Hulgi R, Suresh J, Khare S, Dhakshinamoorthy S. An in vitro model of hepatic steatosis using lipid loaded induced pluripotent stem cell derived hepatocyte like cells. J Biol Methods 2020; 7:e135. [PMID: 32934967 PMCID: PMC7483829 DOI: 10.14440/jbm.2020.330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatic steatosis is a metabolic disease, characterized by selective and progressive accumulation of lipids in liver, leading to progressive non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and cirrhosis. The existing in vitro models of hepatic steatosis to elucidate the molecular mechanisms behind the onset of hepatic steatosis and to profile small molecule modulators uses lipid loaded primary hepatocytes, and cell lines like HepG2. The limitation of these models includes high variability between the different donor samples, reproducibility, and translatability to physiological context. An in vitro human hepatocyte derived model that mimics the pathophysiological changes seen in hepatic steatosis may provide an alternative tool for pre-clinical drug discovery research. We report the development of an in vitro experimental model of hepatic steatosis using human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived hepatocytes like cells (HLC), loaded with lipids. Our data suggests that HLC carry some of the functional characteristics of primary hepatocytes and are amenable for development of an in vitro steatosis model using lipid loading method. The in vitro experimental model of hepatic steatosis was further characterized using biomarker analysis and validated using telmisartan. With some refinement and additional validation, our in vitro steatosis model system may be useful for profiling small molecule inhibitors and studying the mechanism of action of new drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Raghotham Hulgi
- Discovery Biology and Pharmacology, Jubilant Biosys Ltd., Bangalore 560022, India
| | - Juluri Suresh
- Discovery Biology and Pharmacology, Jubilant Biosys Ltd., Bangalore 560022, India
| | - Sonal Khare
- Discovery Biology and Pharmacology, Jubilant Biosys Ltd., Bangalore 560022, India
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Rodríguez-Morales R, Vélez-Negrón V, Torrado-Tapias A, Varshney G, Behra M. Expression patterns of activating transcription factor 5 (atf5a and atf5b) in zebrafish. Gene Expr Patterns 2020; 37:119126. [PMID: 32663618 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2020.119126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2019] [Revised: 07/07/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The Activating Transcription Factor 5 (ATF5) is a basic leucine-zipper (bZIP) transcription factor (TF) with proposed stress-protective, anti-apoptotic and oncogenic roles which were all established in cell systems. In whole animals, Atf5 function seems highly context dependent. Atf5 is strongly expressed in the rodent nose and mice knockout (KO) pups have defective olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs), smaller olfactory bulbs (OB), while adults are smell deficient. It was therefore proposed that Atf5 plays an important role in maturation and maintenance of OSNs. Atf5 expression was also described in murine liver and bones where it appears to promote differentiation of progenitor cells. By contrast in the rodent brain, Atf5 was first described as uniquely expressed in neuroprogenitors and thus, proposed to drive their proliferation and inhibit their differentiation. However, it was later also found in mature neurons stressing the need for additional work in whole animals. ATF5 is well conserved with two paralogs, atf5a and atf5b in zebrafish. Here, we present the expression patterns for both from 6 h (hpf) to 5day post-fertilization (dpf). We found early expression for both genes, and from 1dpf onwards overlapping expression patterns in the inner ear and the developing liver. In the brain, at 24hpf both atf5a and atf5b were expressed in the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. However, from 2dpf and onwards we only detected atf5a expression namely in the olfactory bulbs, the mesencephalon, and the metencephalon. We further evidenced additional differential expression for atf5a in the sensory neurons of the olfactory organs, and for atf5b in the neuromasts, that form the superficial sensory organ called the lateral line (LL). Our results establish the basis for future functional analyses in this lower vertebrate.
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Hong S, Oh SJ, Choi D, Hwang Y, Kim SH. Self-Organized Liver Microtissue on a Bio-Functional Surface: The Role of Human Adipose-Derived Stromal Cells in Hepatic Function. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E4605. [PMID: 32610471 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21134605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2020] [Revised: 06/24/2020] [Accepted: 06/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The maintenance of hepatocyte function is a critical research topic in liver tissue engineering. Although an increasing number of strategies have been developed, liver tissue engineering using hepatocytes as a therapeutic alternative remains challenging owing to its poor efficacy. In this study, we developed a multicellular hepatic microtissue to enhance the function of induced hepatic precursor cells. Mouse induced hepatic precursor cells (miHeps) were self-organized in 3D with human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) on a bio-functional matrix. We found that hepatic phenotypes, such as levels of albumin, asialoglycoprotein receptor-1, and cytochrome P450, were enhanced in miHeps-hASC microtissue comprising miHeps and hASCs relative to two-dimensional-cultured miHeps-hASCs. Additionally, the secretome of 3D-cultured hASCs increased the hepatic function of mature miHeps. Furthermore, hepatic gene expression was reduced in mature miHeps treated with conditioned media of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF1α)-depleted hASCs relative to that with conditioned media of control hASCs. Our results suggested that the hepatic function of 3D-co-cultured miHeps could be enhanced by HIF1α-dependent factors secreted from stromal cells. This study provides an insight into the factors regulating hepatic function and shows that self-organized hepatic microtissue could act as liver spheroids for liver regenerative medicine and liver toxicity tests.
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Orge ID, Gadd VL, Barouh JL, Rossi EA, Carvalho RH, Smith I, Allahdadi KJ, Paredes BD, Silva DN, Damasceno PKF, Sampaio GL, Forbes SJ, Soares MBP, Souza BSF. Phenotype instability of hepatocyte-like cells produced by direct reprogramming of mesenchymal stromal cells. Stem Cell Res Ther 2020; 11:154. [PMID: 32276654 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-020-01665-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2020] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hepatocyte-like cells (iHEPs) generated by transcription factor-mediated direct reprogramming of somatic cells have been studied as potential cell sources for the development of novel therapies targeting liver diseases. The mechanisms involved in direct reprogramming, stability after long-term in vitro expansion, and safety profile of reprogrammed cells in different experimental models, however, still require further investigation. METHODS iHEPs were generated by forced expression of Foxa2/Hnf4a in mouse mesenchymal stromal cells and characterized their phenotype stability by in vitro and in vivo analyses. RESULTS The iHEPs expressed mixed hepatocyte and liver progenitor cell markers, were highly proliferative, and presented metabolic activities in functional assays. A progressive loss of hepatic phenotype, however, was observed after several passages, leading to an increase in alpha-SMA+ fibroblast-like cells, which could be distinguished and sorted from iHEPs by differential mitochondrial content. The resulting purified iHEPs proliferated, maintained liver progenitor cell markers, and, upon stimulation with lineage maturation media, increased expression of either biliary or hepatocyte markers. In vivo functionality was assessed in independent pre-clinical mouse models. Minimal engraftment was observed following transplantation in mice with acute acetaminophen-induced liver injury. In contrast, upon transplantation in a transgenic mouse model presenting host hepatocyte senescence, widespread engraftment and uncontrolled proliferation of iHEPs was observed, forming islands of epithelial-like cells, adipocyte-like cells, or cells presenting both morphologies. CONCLUSION The results have significant implications for cell reprogramming, suggesting that iHEPs generated by Foxa2/Hnf4a expression have an unstable phenotype and depend on transgene expression for maintenance of hepatocyte-like characteristics, showing a tendency to return to the mesenchymal phenotype of origin and a compromised safety profile.
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Takeda Y, Dai P. A developed serum-free medium and an optimized chemical cocktail for direct conversion of human dermal fibroblasts into brown adipocytes. Sci Rep 2020; 10:3775. [PMID: 32111895 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60769-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Brown adipocytes coordinate systemic energy metabolism associated with the pathogenesis of obesity and related metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes. We have previously reported chemical compound-induced brown adipocytes (ciBAs) converted from human dermal fibroblasts without using transgenes. In this study, to reveal a precise molecular mechanism underlying the direct conversion and human adipocyte browning, we developed serum-free brown adipogenic medium (SFBAM) with an optimized chemical cocktail consisting of Rosiglitazone, Forskolin, and BMP7. During the direct conversion, treatment with BMP7 enhanced Ucp1 expression rather than the conversion efficiency in the absence of BMP signalling inhibitors. Moreover, treatment with a TGF-β signalling pathway inhibitor was no longer required in the serum-free medium, likely because the TGF-β pathway was already suppressed. SFBAM and the chemical cocktail efficiently converted human dermal fibroblasts into ciBAs within four weeks. The ciBAs exhibited increased mitochondrial levels, elevated oxygen consumption rate, and a response to β-adrenergic receptor agonists. Thus the ciBAs converted by the serum-free medium and the chemical cocktail provide a novel model of human brown (beige) adipocytes applicable for basic research, drug screening, and clinical applications.
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Garzel B, Zhang L, Huang SM, Wang H. A Change in Bile Flow: Looking Beyond Transporter Inhibition in the Development of Drug-induced Cholestasis. Curr Drug Metab 2020; 20:621-632. [PMID: 31288715 DOI: 10.2174/1389200220666190709170256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Drug-induced Liver Injury (DILI) has received increasing attention over the past decades, as it represents the leading cause of drug failure and attrition. One of the most prevalent and severe forms of DILI involves the toxic accumulation of bile acids in the liver, known as Drug-induced Cholestasis (DIC). Traditionally, DIC is studied by exploring the inhibition of hepatic transporters such as Bile Salt Export Pump (BSEP) and multidrug resistance-associated proteins, predominantly through vesicular transport assays. Although this approach has identified numerous drugs that alter bile flow, many DIC drugs do not demonstrate prototypical transporter inhibition, but rather are associated with alternative mechanisms. METHODS We undertook a focused literature search on DIC and biliary transporters and analyzed peer-reviewed publications over the past two decades or so. RESULTS We have summarized the current perception regarding DIC, biliary transporters, and transcriptional regulation of bile acid homeostasis. A growing body of literature aimed to identify alternative mechanisms in the development of DIC has been evaluated. This review also highlights current in vitro approaches used for prediction of DIC. CONCLUSION Efforts have continued to focus on BSEP, as it is the primary route for hepatic biliary clearance. In addition to inhibition, drug-induced BSEP repression or the combination of these two has emerged as important alternative mechanisms leading to DIC. Furthermore, there has been an evolution in the approaches to studying DIC including 3D cell cultures and computational modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandy Garzel
- Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, United States.,Becton Dickinson, 54 Loveton Circle, Sparks, MD 21152, United States
| | - Lei Zhang
- Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, United States.,Office of Research and Standards, Office of Generic Drugs, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, FDA, Silver Spring, MD 20993, United States
| | - Shiew-Mei Huang
- Office of Clinical Pharmacology, Office of Translational Sciences, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Silver Spring, MD 20993, United States
| | - Hongbing Wang
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
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Cernigliaro V, Peluso R, Zedda B, Silengo L, Tolosano E, Pellicano R, Altruda F, Fagoonee S. Evolving Cell-Based and Cell-Free Clinical Strategies for Treating Severe Human Liver Diseases. Cells 2020; 9:cells9020386. [PMID: 32046114 PMCID: PMC7072646 DOI: 10.3390/cells9020386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2019] [Revised: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Liver diseases represent a major global health issue, and currently, liver transplantation is the only viable alternative to reduce mortality rates in patients with end-stage liver diseases. However, scarcity of donor organs and risk of recidivism requiring a re-transplantation remain major obstacles. Hence, much hope has turned towards cell-based therapy. Hepatocyte-like cells obtained from embryonic stem cells or adult stem cells bearing multipotent or pluripotent characteristics, as well as cell-based systems, such as organoids, bio-artificial liver devices, bioscaffolds and organ printing are indeed promising. New approaches based on extracellular vesicles are also being investigated as cell substitutes. Extracellular vesicles, through the transfer of bioactive molecules, can modulate liver regeneration and restore hepatic function. This review provides an update on the current state-of-art cell-based and cell-free strategies as alternatives to liver transplantation for patients with end-stage liver diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Viviana Cernigliaro
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; (V.C.); (R.P.); (B.Z.)
- Maria Pia Hospital, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Rossella Peluso
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; (V.C.); (R.P.); (B.Z.)
- Maria Pia Hospital, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Beatrice Zedda
- Department of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; (V.C.); (R.P.); (B.Z.)
- Maria Pia Hospital, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Silengo
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Departmet of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; (L.S.); (E.T.)
| | - Emanuela Tolosano
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Departmet of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; (L.S.); (E.T.)
| | | | - Fiorella Altruda
- Molecular Biotechnology Center, Departmet of Molecular Biotechnology and Health Sciences, University of Turin, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy; (L.S.); (E.T.)
- Correspondence: (F.A.); (S.F.)
| | - Sharmila Fagoonee
- Institute of Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Molecular Biotechnology Center, Via Nizza 52, 10126 Turin, Italy
- Correspondence: (F.A.); (S.F.)
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Abstract
Cells of multicellular organisms have diverse characteristics despite having the same genetic identity. The distinctive phenotype of each cell is determined by molecular mechanisms such as epigenetic changes that occur throughout the lifetime of an individual. Recently, technologies that enable modification of the fate of somatic cells have been developed, and the number of studies using these technologies has increased drastically in the last decade. Various cell types, including neuronal cells, cardiomyocytes, and hepatocytes, have been generated using these technologies. Although most direct reprogramming methods employ forced transduction of a defined sets of transcription factors to reprogram cells in a manner similar to induced pluripotent cell technology, many other strategies, such as methods utilizing chemical compounds and microRNAs to change the fate of somatic cells, have also been developed. In this review, we summarize transcription factor-based reprogramming and various other reprogramming methods. Additionally, we describe the various industrial applications of direct reprogramming technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenichi HORISAWA
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
| | - Atsushi SUZUKI
- Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan
- Correspondence should be addressed: A. Suzuki, Division of Organogenesis and Regeneration, Medical Institute of Bioregulation, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan (e-mail: )
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Xie PY, Hu XJ, Guo RM, Meng XC, Pang PF, Zhou ZY, Li D, Shan H. Generation of functional hepatocyte-like cells from human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells by overexpression of transcription factor HNF4α and FOXA2. Hepatobiliary Pancreat Dis Int 2019; 18:546-56. [PMID: 31230960 DOI: 10.1016/j.hbpd.2019.03.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/05/2019] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Our previous study showed that overexpression of hepatocyte nuclear factor 4α (HNF4α) could directly promote mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells. However, the efficiency of hepatic differentiation remains low. The purpose of our study was to establish an MSC cell line that overexpressed HNF4α and FOXA2 genes to obtain an increased hepatic differentiation efficiency and hepatocyte-like cells with more mature hepatocyte functions. METHODS Successful establishment of high-level HNF4α and FOXA2 co-overexpression in human induced hepatocyte-like cells (hiHep cells) was verified by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. Measurements of albumin (ALB), urea, glucose, indocyanine green (ICG) uptake and release, cytochrome P450 (CYP) activity and gene expression were used to analyze mature hepatic functions of hiHep cells. RESULTS hiHep cells efficiently express HNF4α and FOXA2 genes and proteins, exhibit typical epithelial morphology and acquire mature hepatocyte-like cell functions, including ALB secretion, urea production, ICG uptake and release, and glycogen storage. hiHep cells can be activated by CYP inducers. The percentage of both ALB and α-1-antitrypsin (AAT)-positive cells was approximately 72.6%. The expression levels of hepatocyte-specific genes (ALB, AAT, and CYP1A1) and liver drug transport-related genes (ABCB1, ABCG2, and SLC22A18) in hiHep cells were significantly higher than those in MSCs-Vector cells. The hiHep cells did not form tumors after subcutaneous xenograft in BALB/c nude mice after 2 months. CONCLUSION This study provides an accessible, feasible and efficient strategy to generate hiHep cells from MSCs.
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Ballester M, Sentandreu E, Luongo G, Santamaria R, Bolonio M, Alcoriza-Balaguer MI, Palomino-Schätzlein M, Pineda-Lucena A, Castell J, Lahoz A, Bort R. Glutamine/glutamate metabolism rewiring in reprogrammed human hepatocyte-like cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:17978. [PMID: 31784643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-54357-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/13/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Human dermal fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into hepatocyte-like (HEP-L) cells by the expression of a set of transcription factors. Yet, the metabolic rewiring suffered by reprogrammed fibroblasts remains largely unknown. Here we report, using stable isotope-resolved metabolic analysis in combination with metabolomic-lipidomic approaches that HEP-L cells mirrors glutamine/glutamate metabolism in primary cultured human hepatocytes that is very different from parental human fibroblasts. HEP-L cells diverge glutamine from multiple metabolic pathways into deamidation and glutamate secretion, just like periportal hepatocytes do. Exceptionally, glutamine contribution to lipogenic acetyl-CoA through reductive carboxylation is increased in HEP-L cells, recapitulating that of primary cultured human hepatocytes. These changes can be explained by transcriptomic rearrangements of genes involved in glutamine/glutamate metabolism. Although metabolic changes in HEP-L cells are in line with reprogramming towards the hepatocyte lineage, our conclusions are limited by the fact that HEP-L cells generated do not display a complete mature phenotype. Nevertheless, our findings are the first to characterize metabolic adaptation in HEP-L cells that could ultimately be targeted to improve fibroblasts direct reprogramming to HEP-L cells.
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Steens J, Unger K, Klar L, Neureiter A, Wieber K, Hess J, Jakob HG, Klump H, Klein D. Direct conversion of human fibroblasts into therapeutically active vascular wall-typical mesenchymal stem cells. Cell Mol Life Sci 2020; 77:3401-22. [PMID: 31712992 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-019-03358-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2019] [Revised: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 10/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cell-based therapies using adult stem cells are promising options for the treatment of a number of diseases including autoimmune and cardiovascular disorders. Among these, vascular wall-derived mesenchymal stem cells (VW-MSCs) might be particularly well suited for the protection and curative treatment of vascular damage because of their tissue-specific action. Here we report a novel method for the direct conversion of human skin fibroblasts towards MSCs using a VW-MSC-specific gene code (HOXB7, HOXC6 and HOXC8) that directs cell fate conversion bypassing pluripotency. This direct programming approach using either a self-inactivating (SIN) lentiviral vector expressing the VW-MSC-specific HOX-code or a tetracycline-controlled Tet-On system for doxycycline-inducible gene expressions of HOXB7, HOXC6 and HOXC8 successfully mediated the generation of VW-typical MSCs with classical MSC characteristics in vitro and in vivo. The induced VW-MSCs (iVW-MSCs) fulfilled all criteria of MSCs as defined by the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT). In terms of multipotency and clonogenicity, which are important specific properties to discriminate MSCs from fibroblasts, iVW-MSCs behaved like primary ex vivo isolated VW-MSCs and shared similar molecular and DNA methylation signatures. With respect to their therapeutic potential, these cells suppressed lymphocyte proliferation in vitro, and protected mice against vascular damage in a mouse model of radiation-induced pneumopathy in vivo, as well as ex vivo cultured human lung tissue. The feasibility to obtain patient-specific VW-MSCs from fibroblasts in large amounts by a direct conversion into induced VW-MSCs could potentially open avenues towards novel, MSC-based therapies.
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Ballester M, Bolonio M, Santamaria R, Castell JV, Ribes-Koninckx C, Bort R. Direct conversion of human fibroblast to hepatocytes using a single inducible polycistronic vector. Stem Cell Res Ther 2019; 10:317. [PMID: 31685034 PMCID: PMC6829923 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-019-1416-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Revised: 08/30/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human fibroblasts can be reprogrammed into induced hepatocyte-like cells through the expression of a set of transcription factors. Although the generation of induced hepatocyte-like cells by HNF4A, HNF1A, and FOXA3 expression has proven to be a robust experimental strategy, using multiple lentivirus results in a highly variable heterogeneous population. METHODS We designed and implemented a novel approach based on the delivery of reprogramming factors and green fluorescent protein in a single doxycycline-inducible lentiviral vector using 2A self-cleaving peptides. RESULTS Fibroblasts infected with the lentiviral vector can be amplified in basic fibroblast culture media in the absence of doxycycline without induction of hepatic genes. Upon switching to hepatic maturation media containing doxycycline, cells stop proliferating, activate hepatic gene transcription, and perform metabolic functions characteristic of hepatocytes. CONCLUSION Our strategy can generate an unlimited source of homogeneously induced hepatocyte-like cells from different genetic background donors, capable of performing typical hepatic functions suitable for drug research and other in vitro applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ballester
- Experimental Hepatology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe and CIBERehd, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Miguel Bolonio
- Experimental Hepatology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe and CIBERehd, 46026, Valencia, Spain.,Coeliac Disease and Inmunopathology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ramon Santamaria
- Experimental Hepatology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe and CIBERehd, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - José V Castell
- Experimental Hepatology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe and CIBERehd, 46026, Valencia, Spain.,Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Carmen Ribes-Koninckx
- Coeliac Disease and Inmunopathology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe. Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe, 46026, Valencia, Spain
| | - Roque Bort
- Experimental Hepatology Research Unit, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe and CIBERehd, 46026, Valencia, Spain.
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Thakur A, Wong JCH, Wang EY, Lotto J, Kim D, Cheng JC, Mingay M, Cullum R, Moudgil V, Ahmed N, Tsai SH, Wei W, Walsh CP, Stephan T, Bilenky M, Fuglerud BM, Karimi MM, Gonzalez FJ, Hirst M, Hoodless PA. Hepatocyte Nuclear Factor 4-Alpha Is Essential for the Active Epigenetic State at Enhancers in Mouse Liver. Hepatology 2019; 70:1360-1376. [PMID: 30933372 PMCID: PMC6773525 DOI: 10.1002/hep.30631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Cell-fate determination is influenced by interactions between master transcription factors (TFs) and cis-regulatory elements. Hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A), a liver-enriched TF, acts as a master controller in specification of hepatic progenitor cells by regulating a network of TFs to control onset of hepatocyte cell fate. Using analysis of genome-wide histone modifications, DNA methylation, and hydroxymethylation in mouse hepatocytes, we show that HNF4A occupies active enhancers in hepatocytes and is essential for active histone and DNA signatures, especially acetylation of lysine 27 of histone 3 (H3K27ac) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). In mice lacking HNF4A protein in hepatocytes, we observed a decrease in both H3K27ac and hydroxymethylation at regions bound by HNF4A. Mechanistically, HNF4A-associated hydroxymethylation (5hmC) requires its interaction with ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 3 (TET3), a protein responsible for oxidation from 5mC to 5hmC. Furthermore, HNF4A regulates TET3 expression in liver by directly binding to an enhancer region. Conclusion: In conclusion, we identified that HNF4A is required for the active epigenetic state at enhancers that amplifies transcription of genes in hepatocytes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avinash Thakur
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Jasper C. H. Wong
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Michael Smith Laboratories Centre for High-Throughput Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Evan Y. Wang
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Jeremy Lotto
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Donghwan Kim
- Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda MD 2089
| | - Jung-Chien Cheng
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Matthew Mingay
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Michael Smith Laboratories Centre for High-Throughput Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rebecca Cullum
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Vaishali Moudgil
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Nafeel Ahmed
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Shu-Huei Tsai
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Wei Wei
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Colum P. Walsh
- Genomic Medicine Research Group, Centre for Molecular Biosciences, Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Ulster University, Coleraine, BT52 1SA, UK
| | - Tabea Stephan
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3
| | - Misha Bilenky
- Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bettina M. Fuglerud
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3,Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway, 0316
| | | | - Frank J. Gonzalez
- Center of Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda MD 2089
| | - Martin Hirst
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Michael Smith Laboratories Centre for High-Throughput Biology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada,Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Pamela A. Hoodless
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, V5Z 1L3,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, V6T 1Z4,School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, V6T 1Z4
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40
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Inoue J, Ninomiya M, Umetsu T, Nakamura T, Kogure T, Kakazu E, Iwata T, Takai S, Sano A, Fukuda M, Watashi K, Isogawa M, Tanaka Y, Shimosegawa T, McNiven MA, Masamune A. Small Interfering RNA Screening for the Small GTPase Rab Proteins Identifies Rab5B as a Major Regulator of Hepatitis B Virus Production. J Virol 2019; 93:e00621-19. [PMID: 31118260 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.00621-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Viruses are considered to use vesicular trafficking in infected cells, but the details of assembly/release pathways of hepatitis B virus (HBV) are still unknown. To identify key regulators of HBV production, we performed short interfering RNA (siRNA) screening for Rab proteins, which are considered to act as molecular switches in vesicular trafficking using HepG2.2.15 cells. Among 62 Rab proteins, the suppression of Rab5B most significantly increased HBV DNA in the culture supernatant. Surprisingly, 5 days after the transfection of Rab5B siRNA, HBV DNA in the supernatant was increased more than 30-fold, reflecting the increase of infectious HBV particles. Northern blotting showed that transcription of 2.4/2.1-kb mRNA coding envelope proteins containing large hepatitis B surface protein (LHBs) was increased. Analysis of hepatocyte nuclear factors (HNFs) showed that transcription of HNF4α, which is known to enhance 2.4-kb mRNA transcription, was regulated by Rab5B. Also, it was revealed that LHBs had accumulated in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) after Rab5B depletion but not in the multivesicular body (MVB), which is thought to be an organelle utilized for HBV envelope formation. Therefore, it was considered that Rab5B is required for the transport of LHBs from the ER to MVB. Immunofluorescent microscopy showed that HBs proteins, including LHBs, colocalized with HBc in the ER of Rab5B-depleted cells, suggesting that HBV envelopment occurs not only in the MVB but also in the ER. In conclusion, Rab5B is a key regulator of HBV production and could be a target of antiviral therapy.IMPORTANCE HBV infection is a worldwide health problem, but the mechanisms of how HBV utilizes cellular machinery for its life cycle are poorly understood. In particular, it has been unclear how the viral components and virions are transported among the organelles. The HBV budding site has been reported to be the ER or MVB, but it has not been clearly determined. In this study, siRNA-based screening of Rab proteins using HBV-expressing cells showed that Rab5B, one of the Rab5 isoforms, has important roles in late steps of the HBV life cycle. Although Rab5 is known to work on early endosomes, this study showed that Rab5B plays a role in the transport of LHBs between the ER and MVB. Furthermore, it affects the transcription of LHBs. This is the first report on the mechanisms of HBV envelope protein transport among the organelles, and the results provide important insights into the therapeutic control of HBV infection.
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Li Y, Xu Y, Jadhav K, Zhu Y, Yin L, Zhang Y. Hepatic Forkhead Box Protein A3 Regulates ApoA-I (Apolipoprotein A-I) Expression, Cholesterol Efflux, and Atherogenesis. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2019; 39:1574-1587. [PMID: 31291759 DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.119.312610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To determine the role of hepatic FOXA3 (forkhead box A3) in lipid metabolism and atherosclerosis. Approach and Results: Hepatic FOXA3 expression was reduced in diabetic or high fat diet-fed mice or patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. We then used adenoviruses to overexpress or knock down hepatic FOXA3 expression. Overexpression of FOXA3 in the liver increased hepatic ApoA-I (apolipoprotein A-I) expression, plasma HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) level, macrophage cholesterol efflux, and macrophage reverse cholesterol transport. In contrast, knockdown of hepatic FOXA3 expression had opposite effects. We further showed that FOXA3 directly bound to the promoter of the Apoa1 gene to regulate its transcription. Finally, AAV8 (adeno-associated virus serotype 8)-mediated overexpression of human FOXA3 in the hepatocytes of Apoe-/- (apolipoprotein E-deficient) mice raised plasma HDL-C levels and significantly reduced atherosclerotic lesions. CONCLUSIONS Hepatocyte FOXA3 protects against atherosclerosis by inducing ApoA-I and macrophage reverse cholesterol transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuanyuan Li
- From the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
| | - Yanyong Xu
- From the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
| | - Kavita Jadhav
- From the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
| | - Yingdong Zhu
- From the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
| | - Liya Yin
- From the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
| | - Yanqiao Zhang
- From the Department of Integrative Medical Sciences, Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown
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Natale A, Vanmol K, Arslan A, Van Vlierberghe S, Dubruel P, Van Erps J, Thienpont H, Buzgo M, Boeckmans J, De Kock J, Vanhaecke T, Rogiers V, Rodrigues RM. Technological advancements for the development of stem cell-based models for hepatotoxicity testing. Arch Toxicol 2019; 93:1789-1805. [PMID: 31037322 DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02465-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Stem cells are characterized by their self-renewal capacity and their ability to differentiate into multiple cell types of the human body. Using directed differentiation strategies, stem cells can now be converted into hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) and therefore, represent a unique cell source for toxicological applications in vitro. However, the acquired hepatic functionality of stem cell-derived HLCs is still significantly inferior to primary human hepatocytes. One of the main reasons for this is that most in vitro models use traditional two-dimensional (2D) setups where the flat substrata cannot properly mimic the physiology of the human liver. Therefore, 2D-setups are progressively being replaced by more advanced culture systems, which attempt to replicate the natural liver microenvironment, in which stem cells can better differentiate towards HLCs. This review highlights the most recent cell culture systems, including scaffold-free and scaffold-based three-dimensional (3D) technologies and microfluidics that can be employed for culture and hepatic differentiation of stem cells intended for hepatotoxicity testing. These methodologies have shown to improve in vitro liver cell functionality according to the in vivo liver physiology and allow to establish stem cell-based hepatic in vitro platforms for the accurate evaluation of xenobiotics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Natale
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Koen Vanmol
- Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Flanders Make, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Aysu Arslan
- Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group (PBM), Centre of Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sandra Van Vlierberghe
- Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Flanders Make, Brussels, Belgium
- Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group (PBM), Centre of Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Peter Dubruel
- Polymer Chemistry and Biomaterials Group (PBM), Centre of Macromolecular Chemistry, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jürgen Van Erps
- Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Flanders Make, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Hugo Thienpont
- Brussels Photonics (B-PHOT), Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Flanders Make, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | - Joost Boeckmans
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Joery De Kock
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tamara Vanhaecke
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Vera Rogiers
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Robim M Rodrigues
- Department of In Vitro Toxicology and Dermato-Cosmetology (IVTD), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
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Ramasamy TS, Ong ALC, Cui W. Impact of Three-Dimentional Culture Systems on Hepatic Differentiation of Puripotent Stem Cells and Beyond. Adv Exp Med Biol 2018; 1077:41-66. [PMID: 30357683 DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-0947-2_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2023]
Abstract
Generation of functional hepatocytes from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is a vital tool to produce large amounts of human hepatocytes, which hold a great promise for biomedical and regenerative medicine applications. Despite a tremendous progress in developing the differentiation protocols recapitulating the developmental signalling and stages, these resulting hepatocytes from hPSCs yet achieve maturation and functionality comparable to those primary hepatocytes. The absence of 3D milieu in the culture and differentiation of these hepatocytes may account for this, at least partly, thus developing an optimal 3D culture could be a step forward to achieve this aim. Hence, review focuses on current development of 3D culture systems for hepatic differentiation and maturation and the future perspectives of its application.
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44
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Steens J, Klein D. Current Strategies to Generate Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells In Vitro. Stem Cells Int. 2018;2018:6726185. [PMID: 30224922 PMCID: PMC6129345 DOI: 10.1155/2018/6726185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2018] [Revised: 07/31/2018] [Accepted: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are heterogeneous multipotent stem cells that are involved in the development of mesenchyme-derived evolving structures and organs during ontogeny. In the adult organism, reservoirs of MSCs can be found in almost all tissues where MSCs contribute to the maintenance of organ integrity. The use of these different MSCs for cell-based therapies has been extensively studied over the past years, which highlights the use of MSCs as a promising option for the treatment of various diseases including autoimmune and cardiovascular disorders. However, the proportion of MSCs contained in primary isolates of adult tissue biopsies is rather low and, thus, vigorous ex vivo expansion is needed especially for therapies that may require extensive and repetitive cell substitution. Therefore, more easily and accessible sources of MSCs are needed. This review summarizes the current knowledge of the different strategies to generate human MSCs in vitro as an alternative method for their applications in regenerative therapy.
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45
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Kvist AJ, Kanebratt KP, Walentinsson A, Palmgren H, O'Hara M, Björkbom A, Andersson LC, Ahlqvist M, Andersson TB. Critical differences in drug metabolic properties of human hepatic cellular models, including primary human hepatocytes, stem cell derived hepatocytes, and hepatoma cell lines. Biochem Pharmacol 2018; 155:124-140. [PMID: 29953844 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.06.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2018] [Accepted: 06/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Primary human hepatocytes (PHH), HepaRG™, HepG2, and two sources of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived hepatocytes were characterized regarding gene expression and function of key hepatic proteins, important for the metabolic fate of drugs. The gene expression PCA analysis showed a distance between the two iPSC derived hepatocytes as well as the HepG2 and HepaRG™ cells to the three PHH donors and PHH pool, which were clustered more closely together. Correlation-based hierarchical analysis clustered HepG2 close to the stem cell derived hepatocytes both when the expression of 91 genes related to liver function or only cytochrome P450 (P450) genes were analyzed indicating the non-liver feature and a similar low P450 profile in these cell models. The specific P450 activities and the metabolic pattern of well-characterized drug substances in the cell models demonstrated that iPSC derived hepatocytes had modest levels of CYP3A and CYP2C9, while CYP1A2, 2B6, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, and 2D6 were barely detectable. High expression of several extrahepatic P450s such as CYP1A1 and 1B1 detected in the stem cell derived hepatocytes may have significant effects on metabolite profiles. However, one of the iPSC derived hepatocytes demonstrated significant combined P450 and conjugating enzyme activity of certain drugs. HepaRG™ cells showed many metabolic properties similar to PHHs and will in many respects be a good model in studies of metabolic pathways and induction of drug metabolism whereas there is still ground to cover before iPSC derived hepatocytes will be seen as a substitute to PHH in drug metabolism studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Kvist
- IMED Operations Project Management, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden.
| | - Kajsa P Kanebratt
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Anna Walentinsson
- Translational Sciences, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Henrik Palmgren
- Bioscience Diabetes, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | - Anders Björkbom
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Linda C Andersson
- Drug Safety and Metabolism, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Marie Ahlqvist
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Tommy B Andersson
- Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics, Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases, IMED Biotech Unit, AstraZeneca, Gothenburg, Sweden; Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Section of Pharmacogenetics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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