Novel method for efficient production of multipotential hematopoietic progenitors from human embryonic stem cells

Int J Hematol. 2007 Jun;85(5):371-9. doi: 10.1532/IJH97.06203.

Abstract

We propose a novel method for the efficient production of hematopoietic progenitors from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) via coculture with murine fetal liver-derived stromal cells, in which embryonic hematopoiesis dramatically expands at midgestation. We generated various hematopoietic progenitors in coculture, and this hematopoietic activity was concentrated in cobblestone-like cells derived from differentiated hESC. The cobblestone-like cells mostly expressed CD34 and retained an endothelial cell potential. They also contained hematopoietic colony-forming cells, especially erythroid and multilineage colony-forming cells at high frequency. The multipotential hematopoietic progenitors abundant among the cobblestone-like cells produced almost all types of mature blood cells, including adult-type alpha-globin-expressing erythrocytes and tryptase/chymase double-positive mast cells. These progenitors showed neither the immature properties of ESC nor the potential to differentiate into endoderm and ectoderm at a clonal level. The coculture system developed for hESC can provide a novel source of hematopoietic and blood cells for applications in cellular therapy and drug screening.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Cell Division
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Coculture Techniques / methods*
  • Female
  • Hematopoiesis, Extramedullary*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Humans
  • Liver / cytology
  • Liver / embryology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Multipotent Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Pregnancy
  • Stromal Cells / cytology