Laminin-guided highly efficient endothelial commitment from human pluripotent stem cells

Sci Rep. 2016 Nov 2:6:35680. doi: 10.1038/srep35680.

Abstract

Obtaining highly purified differentiated cells via directed differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) is an essential step for their clinical application. Among the various conditions that should be optimized, the precise role and contribution of the extracellular matrix (ECM) during differentiation are relatively unclear. Here, using a short fragment of laminin 411 (LM411-E8), an ECM predominantly expressed in the vascular endothelial basement membrane, we demonstrate that the directed switching of defined ECMs robustly yields highly-purified (>95%) endothelial progenitor cells (PSC-EPCs) without cell sorting from hPSCs in an integrin-laminin axis-dependent manner. Single-cell RNA-seq analysis revealed that LM411-E8 resolved intercellular transcriptional heterogeneity and escorted the progenitor cells to the appropriate differentiation pathway. The PSC-EPCs gave rise to functional endothelial cells both in vivo and in vitro. We therefore propose that sequential switching of defined matrices is an important concept for guiding cells towards desired fate.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Basement Membrane / metabolism
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology*
  • Cell Line
  • Endothelial Cells / cytology*
  • Extracellular Matrix / physiology*
  • Feeder Cells / cytology
  • Humans
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Integrin alpha6beta1 / metabolism
  • Laminin / metabolism*
  • Peptide Fragments / metabolism
  • Sequence Analysis, RNA

Substances

  • Integrin alpha6beta1
  • Laminin
  • Peptide Fragments