Center for Studies in Physics and Biology, The Rockefeller University, USA; Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, USA.
Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University, USA.
Curr Opin Genet Dev. 2018 Oct;52:86-91. doi: 10.1016/j.gde.2018.06.006. Epub 2018 Jun 27.
Differentiation of embryonic stem cells in vitro is an important tool in dissecting and understanding the mechanisms that govern early embryologic development. In recent years, there has been considerable progress in creating organoids that model gastrulation, neurulation or organogenesis. However, one of the key challenges is reproducibility. Geometrically confining stem cell colonies considerably improves reproducibility and provides quantitative control over differentiation and tissue shape. Here, we review recent advances in controlling the two-dimensional or three-dimensional organization of cells and the effect on differentiation phenotypes. Improved methods of geometrical control will allow for an even more detailed understanding of the mechanisms underlying embryologic development and will eventually pave the way for the highly reproducible generation of specific tissue types.
胚胎干细胞的体外分化是解析和理解调控早期胚胎发育机制的重要工具。近年来，人们在创建类胚体以模拟原肠胚形成、神经胚形成或器官发生方面取得了相当大的进展。然而，其中一个关键挑战是可重复性。通过几何方式限制干细胞集落可以极大地提高可重复性，并对分化和组织形状进行定量控制。在这里，我们综述了近年来在控制细胞的二维或三维组织以及对分化表型的影响方面的进展。改进的几何控制方法将使我们能够更深入地了解胚胎发育背后的机制，并最终为高度可重复地生成特定组织类型铺平道路。
