High-throughput micropatterning platform reveals Nodal-dependent bisection of peri-gastrulation-associated versus preneurulation-associated fate patterning.

In vitro models of postimplantation human development are valuable to the fields of regenerative medicine and developmental biology. Here, we report characterization of a robust in vitro platform that enabled high-content screening of multiple human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines for their ability to undergo peri-gastrulation-like fate patterning upon bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) treatment of geometrically confined colonies and observed significant heterogeneity in their differentiation propensities along a gastrulation associable and neuralization associable axis. This cell line-associated heterogeneity was found to be attributable to endogenous Nodal expression, with up-regulation of Nodal correlated with expression of a gastrulation-associated gene profile, and Nodal down-regulation correlated with a preneurulation-associated gene profile expression. We harness this knowledge to establish a platform of preneurulation-like fate patterning in geometrically confined hPSC colonies in which fates arise because of a BMPs signalling gradient conveying positional information. Our work identifies a Nodal signalling-dependent switch in peri-gastrulation versus preneurulation-associated fate patterning in hPSC cells, provides a technology to robustly assay hPSC differentiation outcomes, and suggests conserved mechanisms of organized fate specification in differentiating epiblast and ectodermal tissues.

Report of the International Stem Cell Banking Initiative Workshop Activity: Current Hurdles and Progress in Seed-Stock Banking of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells.

This article summarizes the recent activity of the International Stem Cell Banking Initiative (ISCBI) held at the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) in California (June 26, 2016) and the Korean National Institutes for Health in Korea (October 19-20, 2016). Through the workshops, ISCBI is endeavoring to support a new paradigm for human medicine using pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) for cell therapies. Priority considerations for ISCBI include ensuring the safety and efficacy of a final cell therapy product and quality assured source materials, such as stem cells and primary donor cells. To these ends, ISCBI aims to promote global harmonization on quality and safety control of stem cells for research and the development of starting materials for cell therapies, with regular workshops involving hPSC banking centers, biologists, and regulatory bodies. Here, we provide a brief overview of two such recent activities, with summaries of key issues raised. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1956-1962.

Engineering the haemogenic niche mitigates endogenous inhibitory signals and controls pluripotent stem cell-derived blood emergence.

Efforts to recapitulate haematopoiesis, a process guided by spatial and temporal inductive signals, to generate haematopoietic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have focused primarily on exogenous signalling pathway activation or inhibition. Here we show haemogenic niches can be engineered using microfabrication strategies by micropatterning hPSC-derived haemogenic endothelial (HE) cells into spatially-organized, size-controlled colonies. CD34+VECAD+ HE cells were generated with multi-lineage potential in serum-free conditions and cultured as size-specific haemogenic niches that displayed enhanced blood cell induction over non-micropatterned cultures. Intra-colony analysis revealed radial organization of CD34 and VECAD expression levels, with CD45+ blood cells emerging primarily from the colony centroid area. We identify the induced interferon gamma protein (IP-10)/p-38 MAPK signalling pathway as the mechanism for haematopoietic inhibition in our culture system. Our results highlight the role of spatial organization in hPSC-derived blood generation, and provide a quantitative platform for interrogating molecular pathways that regulate human haematopoiesis.

A Multi-Lineage Screen Reveals mTORC1 Inhibition Enhances Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Mesendoderm and Blood Progenitor Production.

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) exist in heterogeneous micro-environments with multiple subpopulations, convoluting fate-regulation analysis. We patterned hPSCs into engineered micro-environments and screened responses to 400 small-molecule kinase inhibitors, measuring yield and purity outputs of undifferentiated, neuroectoderm, mesendoderm, and extra-embryonic populations. Enrichment analysis revealed mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibition as a strong inducer of mesendoderm. Dose responses of mTOR inhibitors such as rapamycin synergized with Bone Morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) and activin A to enhance the yield and purity of BRACHYURY-expressing cells. Mechanistically, small interfering RNA knockdown of RAPTOR, a component of mTOR complex 1, phenocopied the mesendoderm-enhancing effects of rapamycin. Functional analysis during mesoderm and endoderm differentiation revealed that mTOR inhibition increased the output of hemogenic endothelial cells 3-fold, with a concomitant enhancement of blood colony-forming cells. These data demonstrate the power of our multi-lineage screening approach and identify mTOR signaling as a node in hPSC differentiation to mesendoderm and its derivatives.

The use of vascular endothelial growth factor functionalized agarose to guide pluripotent stem cell aggregates toward blood progenitor cells.

The developmental potential of pluripotent stem cells is influenced by their local cellular microenvironment. To better understand the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGFA) in the embryonic cellular microenvironment, we synthesized an artificial stem cell niche wherein VEGFA was immobilized in an agarose hydrogel. Agarose was first modified with coumarin-protected thiols. Upon exposure to ultra-violet excitation, the coumarin groups were cleaved leaving reactive thiols to couple with maleimide-activated VEGFA. Mouse embryonic stem cells (ESC) aggregates were encapsulated in VEGFA immobilized agarose and cultured for 7 days as free-floating aggregates under serum-free conditions. Encapsulated aggregates were assessed for their capacity to give rise to blood progenitor cells. In the presence of bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP-4), cells exposed to immobilized VEGFA upregulated mesodermal markers, brachyury and VEGF receptor 2 (T+VEGFR2+) by day 4, and expressed CD34 and CD41 (CD34+CD41+) on day 7. It was found that immobilized VEGFA treatment was more efficient at inducing blood progenitors (including colony forming cells) on a per molecule basis than soluble VEGFA. This work demonstrates the use of functionalized hydrogels to guide encapsulated ESCs toward blood progenitor cells and introduces a tool capable of recapitulating aspects of the embryonic microenvironment.

The relationship between hand strength and the forces used to access containers by well elderly persons.

OBJECTIVE: This study extended previous work of Rice, Leonard, and Carter [AJOT, 52(8), 621-626] and examined the relationship between grip and pinch strengths and the forces produced while accessing common household containers in healthy, elderly persons. METHOD: Forty-two women and 9 men 60 years of age and older were assigned randomly to one of four order groups in a counterbalanced, repeated-measures design. Grip strength was measured via a dynamometer and pinch strength via a pinch meter. The forces required to access six common household containers were measured with force sensing resistors applied to each container. Data analysis included Pearson product-moment correlations between the dependent variables of grip and pinch strength and force produced on the containers. Analyses of variance were used to determine differences by gender on the dependent measures and order of presentation of containers. RESULTS: A fair relationship (r = .31 to .44) was found between grip and pinch strength and the ability to open three containers. Little or no relationship was found between grip and pinch strength and the ability to open the remaining three containers (r = -.03 to .25). Significant gender differences existed on overall strength and the force used to access two of the six containers. No order effects were found. CONCLUSIONS: Strong relationships did not exist between the grip and pinch strength and the amount of force the elderly participants used to open the containers, which is similar to what Rice et al. found for younger persons. The participants appeared to use a greater proportion of their available strength when accessing the containers than did their younger counterparts previously studied. Further research is needed to determine at what level of weakness one would expect to see performance deficits in common daily occupations.