Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Wynn Institute for vision research.
Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
Stem Cells Transl Med. 2017 Jun;6(6):1533-1546. doi: 10.1002/sctm.16-0399. Epub 2017 May 5.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of irreversible blindness in the Western world. Although, the majority of stem cell research to date has focused on production of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) and photoreceptor cells for the purpose of evaluating disease pathophysiology and cell replacement, there is strong evidence that the choroidal endothelial cells (CECs) that form the choriocapillaris vessels are the first to be lost in this disease. As such, to accurately evaluate disease pathophysiology and develop an effective treatment, production of patient-specific, stem cell-derived CECs will be required. In this study, we report for the first time a stepwise differentiation protocol suitable for generating human iPSC-derived CEC-like cells. RNA-seq analysis of the monkey CEC line, RF/6A, combined with two statistical screens allowed us to develop media comprised of various protein combinations. In both screens, connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) was identified as the key component required for driving CEC development. A second factor tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related weak inducer of apoptosis receptor was also found to promote iPSC to CEC differentiation by inducing endogenous CTGF secretion. CTGF-driven iPSC-derived CEC-like cells formed capillary tube-like vascular networks, and expressed the EC-specific markers CD31, ICAM1, PLVAP, vWF, and the CEC-restricted marker CA4. In combination with RPE and photoreceptor cells, patient-specific iPSC derived CEC-like cells will enable scientists to accurately evaluate AMD pathophysiology and develop effective cell replacement therapies. Stem Cells Translational Medicine 2017;6:1533-1546.
年龄相关性黄斑变性(AMD)是西方世界导致不可逆性失明的主要原因。尽管迄今为止大多数干细胞研究都集中在产生视网膜色素上皮(RPE)和光感受器细胞,以评估疾病的病理生理学和细胞替代,但有强有力的证据表明,脉络膜内皮细胞(CEC)是最早在这种疾病中丧失的。因此,为了准确评估疾病的病理生理学并开发有效的治疗方法,需要产生患者特异性的、干细胞衍生的 CEC。在这项研究中,我们首次报道了一个适合生成人 iPSC 衍生的 CEC 样细胞的逐步分化方案。对猴子 CEC 系 RF/6A 的 RNA-seq 分析,结合两个统计筛选,使我们能够开发包含各种蛋白质组合的培养基。在这两个筛选中,结缔组织生长因子(CTGF)被鉴定为驱动 CEC 发育所必需的关键成分。第二个因子肿瘤坏死因子(TNF)相关的弱凋亡受体诱导物也被发现通过诱导内源性 CTGF 分泌来促进 iPSC 向 CEC 分化。CTGF 驱动的 iPSC 衍生的 CEC 样细胞形成了类似于毛细血管的血管网络,并表达了 EC 特异性标记物 CD31、ICAM1、PLVAP、vWF 和 CEC 特异性标记物 CA4。与 RPE 和光感受器细胞结合,患者特异性 iPSC 衍生的 CEC 样细胞将使科学家能够准确评估 AMD 的病理生理学并开发有效的细胞替代治疗方法。《干细胞转化医学》2017 年;6:1533-1546。