FGF signal is not required for hepatoblast differentiation of human iPS cells.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells are expected to be utilized in pharmaceutical research and regenerative medicine. In general, human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are differentiated into hepatocyte-like cells through definitive endoderm cells and hepatoblast-like cells using various growth factors that are essential for liver development. Although recombinant bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are widely used in the hepatoblast differentiation, hepatoblast differentiation process has not been fully modified.

Nanaomycin A Treatment Promotes Hepatoblast Differentiation from Human iPS Cells.

Human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells (HLCs) are expected to be utilized in pharmaceutical research, including drug screening. However, the hepatocyte functions of the HLCs are still lower than those of human hepatocytes. Therefore, we attempted to improve the hepatocyte differentiation method by modulating the DNA epigenetic status.