Directed neuronal differentiation of mouse embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells and their gene expression profiles

Int J Mol Med. 2013 Jul;32(1):25-34. doi: 10.3892/ijmm.2013.1372. Epub 2013 May 8.

Abstract

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) may be useful as a therapeutic source of cells for the production of healthy tissue; however, they are associated with certain challenges including immunorejection as well as ethical issues. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are a promising substitute since a patient's own adult cells would serve as tissue precursors. Ethical concerns prevent a full evaluation of the developmental potency of human ESCs and iPSCs, therefore, mouse iPSC models are required for protocol development and safety assessments. We used a modified culturing protocol to differentiate pluripotent cells from a mouse iPS cell line and two mouse ES cell lines into neurons. Our results indicated that all three pluripotent stem cell lines underwent nearly the same differentiation process when induced to form neurons in vitro. Genomic expression microarray profiling and single-cell RT-qPCR were used to analyze the neural lineage differentiation process, and more than one thousand differentially expressed genes involved in multiple molecular processes relevant to neural development were identified.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Culture Techniques
  • Cell Differentiation / drug effects
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics*
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Culture Media, Conditioned / pharmacology
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / drug effects
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / cytology*
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • Neurogenesis / genetics
  • Neurons / cytology*
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Transcriptome*

Substances

  • Culture Media, Conditioned