LIN28A enhances regenerative capacity of human somatic tissue stem cells via metabolic and mitochondrial reprogramming.

Developing methods to improve the regenerative capacity of somatic stem cells (SSCs) is a major challenge in regenerative medicine. Here, we propose the forced expression of LIN28A as a method to modulate cellular metabolism, which in turn enhances self-renewal, differentiation capacities, and engraftment after transplantation of various human SSCs. Mechanistically, in undifferentiated/proliferating SSCs, LIN28A induced metabolic reprogramming from oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) to glycolysis by activating PDK1-mediated glycolysis-TCA/OxPhos uncoupling. Mitochondria were also reprogrammed into healthy/fused mitochondria with improved functional capacity. The reprogramming allows SSCs to undergo cell proliferation more extensively with low levels of oxidative and mitochondrial stress. When the PDK1-mediated uncoupling was untethered upon differentiation, LIN28A-SSCs differentiated more efficiently with an increase of OxPhos by utilizing the reprogrammed mitochondria. This study provides mechanistic and practical approaches of utilizing LIN28A and metabolic reprogramming in order to improve SSCs utility in regenerative medicine.

Generation of human induced pluripotent stem cell line from Alzheimer's disease patient with PSEN2 N141I mutation using integration-free non-viral method.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line HUi001-A was reprogrammed from skin fibroblasts via non-integrating, virus free self-replicating RNA. Skin fibroblasts from an 81-year-old female Caucasian familial Alzheimer's disease patient of Volga German family carrying N141I mutation in the PSEN2 gene (familial AD4, clinical summary confirmed Alzheimer's disease) was obtained from the Coriell Institute (AG09908). Generated iPSCs were characterized and pluripotency was confirmed.

Establishment human induced pluripotent stem cell line from idiopathic non-familial Parkinson's disease patient using self-replicating RNA vector.

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line HUi002-A was reprogrammed from skin fibroblasts via non-integrating, virus free self-replicating RNA. Skin fibroblasts from a 53-year-old male Caucasian, non-familial Parkinson's disease patient, idiopathic (clinical summary confirmed Parkinson's disease) was obtained from the Coriell Institute (AG20442). Generated iPSCs were characterized and pluripotency was confirmed.