Efficacious and accessible sources of natural killer (NK) cells would widen their use as immunotherapeutics, particularly for solid cancers. Here, we show that human somatic cells can be directly reprogrammed into NK cells with a CD56CD16 phenotype using pluripotency transcription factors and an optimized reprogramming medium. The directly reprogrammed NK cells have strong innate-adaptive immunomodulatory activity and are highly potent against a wide range of cancer cells, including difficult-to-treat solid cancers and cancer stem cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough comparative genome-wide transcriptomic analysis has provided insight into the biology of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs), the distinct alternative splicing (AS) signatures of iMSCs remain elusive. Here, we performed Illumina RNA sequencing analysis to characterize AS events in iMSCs compared with tissue-derived MSCs. A total of 4586 differentially expressed genes (|FC| > 2) were identified between iMSCs and umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (UCB-MSCs), including 2169 upregulated and 2417 downregulated genes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSialidosis, caused by a genetic deficiency of the lysosomal sialidase gene (), is a systemic disease involving various tissues and organs, including the nervous system. Understanding the neurological dysfunction and pathology associated with sialidosis remains a challenge, partially due to the lack of a human model system. In this study, we have generated two types of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with sialidosis-specific and mutations (sialidosis-iPSCs), and further differentiated them into neural precursor cells (iNPCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBehçet's disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory and multisystemic autoimmune disease of unknown etiology. Due to the lack of a specific test for BD, its diagnosis is very difficult and therapeutic options are limited. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology, which provides inaccessible disease-relevant cell types, opens a new era for disease treatment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAutoimmune diseases (AIDs), a heterogeneous group of immune-mediated disorders, are a major and growing health problem. Although AIDs are currently treated primarily with anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs, the use of stem cell transplantation in patients with AIDs is becoming increasingly common. However, stem cell transplantation therapy has limitations, including a shortage of available stem cells and immune rejection of cells from nonautologous sources.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGM1 gangliosidosis (GM1) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by mutations in the lysosomal β-galactosidase (β-gal) gene. Insufficient β-gal activity leads to abnormal accumulation of GM1 gangliosides in tissues, particularly in the central nervous system, resulting in progressive neurodegeneration. Here, we report an in vitro human GM1 model, based on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe extensive molecular characterization of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is required before they can be applied in the future for personalized medicine and drug discovery. Despite the efforts that have been made with kinome analyses, we still lack in-depth insights into the molecular signatures of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) that are related to pluripotency. Here, we present the first detailed and distinct repertoire of RTK characteristic for hPSC pluripotency by determining both the expression and phosphorylation profiles of RTKs in hESCs and hiPSCs using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction with degenerate primers that target conserved tyrosine kinase domains and phospho-RTK array, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCrosstalk between intracellular signaling pathways has been extensively studied to understand the pluripotency of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs), including human embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs); however, the contribution of NAD(+) -dependent pathways remains largely unknown. Here, we show that NAD(+) depletion by FK866 (a potent inhibitor of NAD(+) biosynthesis) was fatal in hPSCs, particularly when deriving pluripotent cells from somatic cells and maintaining pluripotency. NAD and its precursors (nicotinamide [NAM] and nicotinic acid) fully replenished the NAD(+) depletion by FK866 in hPSCs.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBooster of pluripotency: RSC133, a new synthetic derivative of indoleacrylic acid/indolepropionic acid, exhibits dual activity by inhibiting histone deacetylase and DNA methyltransferase. Furthermore it potently improves the reprogramming of human somatic cells into a pluripotent state and aids the growth and maintenance of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: This study was undertaken to generate and characterize human induced pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) from patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and to examine whether these cells can be developed into disease-relevant cell types for use in disease modeling and drug discovery.
Methods: Human synovial cells isolated from two 71-year-old women with advanced OA were characterized and reprogrammed into induced PSCs by ectopic expression of 4 transcription factors (Oct-4, SOX2, Klf4, and c-Myc). The pluripotency status of each induced PSC line was validated by comparison with human embryonic stem cells (ESCs).