ABSTRACT
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can immortally self-renew in culture with a high proliferation rate, and they possess unique metabolic characteristics that facilitate pluripotency regulation. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the mechanisms that link cellular metabolism and homeostasis to pluripotency regulation, with particular emphasis on pathways involving amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy. Metabolism of amino acids and lipids is tightly coupled to epigenetic modification, organelle remodeling and cell signaling pathways for pluripotency regulation. PSCs harness enhanced proteasome and autophagy activity to meet the material and energy requirements for cellular homeostasis. These regulatory events reflect a fine balance between the intrinsic cellular requirements and the extrinsic environment. A more complete understanding of this balance will pave new ways to manipulate PSC fate.
ABSTRACT
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can immortally self-renew in culture with a high proliferation rate, and they possess unique metabolic characteristics that facilitate pluripotency regulation. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the mechanisms that link cellular metabolism and homeostasis to pluripotency regulation, with particular emphasis on pathways involving amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy. Metabolism of amino acids and lipids is tightly coupled to epigenetic modification, organelle remodeling and cell signaling pathways for pluripotency regulation. PSCs harness enhanced proteasome and autophagy activity to meet the material and energy requirements for cellular homeostasis. These regulatory events reflect a fine balance between the intrinsic cellular requirements and the extrinsic environment. A more complete understanding of this balance will pave new ways to manipulate PSC fate.
ABSTRACT
Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can immortally self-renew in culture with a high proliferation rate, and they possess unique metabolic characteristics that facilitate pluripotency regulation. Here, we review recent progress in understanding the mechanisms that link cellular metabolism and homeostasis to pluripotency regulation, with particular emphasis on pathways involving amino acid metabolism, lipid metabolism, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and autophagy. Metabolism of amino acids and lipids is tightly coupled to epigenetic modification, organelle remodeling and cell signaling pathways for pluripotency regulation. PSCs harness enhanced proteasome and autophagy activity to meet the material and energy requirements for cellular homeostasis. These regulatory events reflect a fine balance between the intrinsic cellular requirements and the extrinsic environment. A more complete understanding of this balance will pave new ways to manipulate PSC fate.
ABSTRACT
The induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), derived by ectopic expression of reprogramming factors in somatic cells, can potentially provide unlimited autologous cells for regenerative medicine. In theory, the autologous cells derived from patient iPSCs should be immune tolerant by the host without any immune rejections. However, our recent studies have found that even syngeneic iPSC-derived cells can be immunogenic in syngeneic hosts by using a teratoma transplantation model (Nature 474:212-215, 2011). Recently two research groups differentiated the iPSCs into different germ layers or cells, transplanted those cells to the syngeneic hosts, and evaluated the immunogenicity of those cells. Both of the two studies support our conclusions that some certain but not all tissues derived from iPSCs can be immunogenic, although they claimed either "negligible" or "lack of" immunogenicity in iPSC derivatives (Nature 494:100-104, 2013; Cell Stem Cell 12:407-412, 2013). To test the immunogenicity of clinically valuable cells differentiated from human iPSCs are emergently required for translation of iPSC technology to clinics.