Cheah Kevin, Chu Pingjin, Schmidt Greta, Scarlata Suzanne
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, United States.
Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025 May 13;13:1584858. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1584858. eCollection 2025.
The transition of a cell from a stem to a differentiated state involves an interrelated and complex series of events. These events include dynamic changes in cellular nucleic acid and protein content that are mediated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors which ultimately lead to differentiation into specific lineage. Quantifying the parameters associated with differentiation and their changes under different conditions would not only allow for a better understanding of this process but also would enable the development of approaches that control differentiation. Here, we describe processes associated with the differentiation of two types of cultured cells, neurons and fibroblasts, and the tools to follow changes in real time. Specifically, we discuss methods to the identify cell lineage, changes in morphology, shifts in specific mRNA and miRNA levels as well as the changes in protein localization, interactions and assemblies that accompany differentiation.
细胞从干细胞状态向分化状态的转变涉及一系列相互关联且复杂的事件。这些事件包括细胞核酸和蛋白质含量的动态变化，这些变化由内在和外在因素介导，最终导致细胞分化为特定谱系。量化与分化相关的参数及其在不同条件下的变化，不仅有助于更好地理解这一过程，还能推动控制分化方法的开发。在此，我们描述了与两种培养细胞（神经元和成纤维细胞）分化相关的过程，以及实时跟踪变化的工具。具体而言，我们讨论了识别细胞谱系、形态变化、特定mRNA和miRNA水平的变化，以及伴随分化的蛋白质定位、相互作用和组装变化的方法。
