Patient-specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Research Articles

Comparison of MYOCYTER and MUSCLEMOTION in the analysis of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocyte Contractility

Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) differentiated into cardiomyocytes (CMs) offer tremendous opportunities for cardiac disease modeling and advancements in precision medicine. There is a need for technologies that allow noninvasive and precise measurements of CM function, such as contractility, to increase throughput for drug screening and testing efforts. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) is a rare and complex congenital heart defect characterized by hypoplasia of the left ventricle, proximal aorta, as well as stenosis or atresia of the mitral and/or aortic valves. Previously it was demonstrated that iPSC-CMs from an HLHS patient with a genetic variant in the alpha myosin heavy chain ( MYH6 gene) exhibited an impaired cardiomyocyte phenotype (dysmorphic sarcomere structure, compensatory expression of MYH7, and altered contractility). Gene editing using CRISPR/Cas9 rescued the phenotype, demonstrating the utility of MYH6 iPSC-CMs as a useful disease model for HLHS. Critical parameters of CM function include contraction and relaxation, assessing systolic and diastolic dysfunction, respectively, in iPSC-CMs. The aim of this study is to compare features from two open-source macros for ImageJ: MYOCYTER and MUSCLEMOTION. MYOCYTER improves upon previous plugins available by allowing for users to select parameters. Both methods allow measurement of movement from high-speed movies. MYOCYTER enables the user to select an optimal threshold, size, and cell count to minimize disturbances such as cellular fragments, background noise, and floating bubbles, to maximize precision during analysis. MUSCLEMOTION allows rapid and easy measurement of movement from high- speed videos and can measure and compare relative or absolute parameters. This study will determine whether a systolic or diastolic dysfunction phenotype is observed under different magnification settings and evaluate the effect of dosing with pharmaceutical compounds. Finally, benefits and drawbacks of both macros will be investigated. Children's Research Institute. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Oxidative phosphorylation is a pivotal therapeutic target of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a non-physiological bone formation where soft tissue progenitor cells differentiate into chondrogenic cells. In fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP), a rare genetic disease characterized by progressive and systemic HO, the Activin A/mutated ACVR1/mTORC1 cascade induces HO in progenitors in muscle tissues. The relevant biological processes aberrantly regulated by activated mTORC1 remain unclear, however. RNA-sequencing analyses revealed the enrichment of genes involved in oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) during Activin A-induced chondrogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells derived from FOP patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells. Functional analyses showed a metabolic transition from glycolysis to OXPHOS during chondrogenesis, along with increased mitochondrial biogenesis. mTORC1 inhibition by rapamycin suppressed OXPHOS, whereas OXPHOS inhibitor IACS-010759 inhibited cartilage matrix formation in vitro, indicating that OXPHOS is principally involved in mTORC1-induced chondrogenesis. Furthermore, IACS-010759 inhibited the muscle injury-induced enrichment of fibro/adipogenic progenitor genes and HO in transgenic mice carrying the mutated human ACVR1. These data indicated that OXPHOS is a critical downstream mediator of mTORC1 signaling in chondrogenesis and therefore is a potential FOP therapeutic target.

Dysregulation of the circRNA_0087207/miR-548c-3p/PLSR1-TGFB2 axis in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy in vitro.

Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is mainly the degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) associated with high apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, which is accepted to be caused by the mutations in the subunits of complex I of the mitochondrial electron transport chain. The treatment is still infant while efforts of correcting genes or using antioxidants do not bring good and consistent results. Unaffected carrier carries LHON mutation but shows normal phenotype, suggesting that the disease's pathogenesis is complex, in which secondary factors exist and cooperate with the primary complex I dysfunction. Using LHON patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as the in vitro disease model, we previously demonstrated that circRNA_0087207 had the most significantly higher expression level in the LHON patient-iPSC-derived RGCs compared with the unaffected carrier-iPSC-derived RGCs. To elaborate the underlying pathologies regulated by circRNA_008720 mechanistically, bioinformatics analysis was conducted and elucidated that circRNA_0087207 could act as a sponge of miR-548c-3p and modulate PLSCR1/TGFB2 levels in ND4 mutation-carrying LHON patient-iPSC-derived RGCs. Using LHON iPSC-derived RGCs as the disease-based platform, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis on targeted mRNA of miR-548c-3p showed the connection with apoptosis, suggesting downregulation of miR548c-3p contributes to the apoptosis of LHON patient RGCs. We showed that the downregulation of miR548c-3p plays a critical role in modulating cellular dysfunction and the apoptotic program of RGCs in LHON.

Competing endogenous RNA network analysis of Turner syndrome patient-specific iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes reveals dysregulation of autosomal heart development genes by altered dosages of X-inactivation escaping non-coding RNAs

BackgroundA 45,X monosomy (Turner syndrome, TS) is the only chromosome haploinsufficiency compatible with life. Nevertheless, the surviving TS patients still suffer from increased morbidity and mortality, with around one-third of them subjecting to heart abnormalities. How loss of one X chromosome drive these conditions remains largely unknown.MethodsHere, we have generated cardiomyocytes (CMs) from wild-type and TS patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells and profiled the mRNA, lncRNA and circRNA expression in these cells.ResultsWe observed lower beating frequencies and higher mitochondrial DNA copies per nucleus in TS-CMs. Moreover, we have identified a global transcriptome dysregulation of both coding and non-coding RNAs in TS-CMs. The differentially expressed mRNAs were enriched of heart development genes. Further competing endogenous RNA network analysis revealed putative regulatory circuit of autosomal genes relevant with mitochondrial respiratory chain and heart development, such as COQ10A, RARB and WNT2, mediated by X-inactivation escaping lnc/circRNAs, such as lnc-KDM5C-4:1, hsa_circ_0090421 and hsa_circ_0090392. The aberrant expressions of these genes in TS-CMs were verified by qPCR. Further knockdown of lnc-KDM5C-4:1 in wild-type CMs exhibited significantly reduced beating frequencies.ConclusionsOur study has revealed a genomewide ripple effect of X chromosome halpoinsufficiency at post-transcriptional level and provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying heart abnormalities in TS patients.

Patient-specific iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes reveal aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in SCN5A-related Brugada syndrome

BackgroundMutations in the cardiac sodium channel gene SCN5A cause Brugada syndrome (BrS), an arrhythmic disorder that is a leading cause of sudden death and lacks effective treatment. An association between SCN5A and Wnt/β-catenin signaling has been recently established. However, the role of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in BrS and underlying mechanisms remains unknown.MethodsThree healthy control subjects and one BrS patient carrying a novel frameshift mutation (T1788fs) in the SCN5A gene were recruited in this study. Control and BrS patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were generated from skin fibroblasts using nonintegrated Sendai virus. All iPSCs were differentiated into cardiomyocytes using monolayer-based differentiation protocol. Action potentials and sodium currents were recorded from control and BrS iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC-CMs) by single-cell patch clamp.ResultsBrS iPSC-CMs exhibited increased burden of arrhythmias and abnormal action potential profile featured by slower depolarization, decreased action potential amplitude, and increased beating interval variation. Moreover, BrS iPSC-CMs showed cardiac sodium channel (Nav1.5) loss-of-function as compared to control iPSC-CMs. Interestingly, the electrophysiological abnormalities and Nav1.5 loss-of-function observed in BrS iPSC-CMs were accompanied by aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Notably, inhibition of Wnt/β-catenin significantly rescued Nav1.5 defects and arrhythmic phenotype in BrS iPSC-CMs. Mechanistically, SCN5A-encoded Nav1.5 interacts with β-catenin, and reduced expression of Nav1.5 leads to re-localization of β-catenin in BrS iPSC-CMs, which aberrantly activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling to suppress SCN5A transcription.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that aberrant activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling contributes to the pathogenesis of SCN5A-related BrS and point to Wnt/β-catenin as a potential therapeutic target.

Harnessing the Therapeutic Potential of Stem Cells in the Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Comprehensive Review.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a prevalent and debilitating respiratory condition with limited treatment options. Stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising approach for COPD management due to its regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. This review article aims to comprehensively explore the therapeutic potential of stem cells in COPD management. The introduction provides background on COPD, highlighting its impact on health and the need for novel therapies. The different types of stem cells relevant to COPD, including embryonic stem cells, adult stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells, are described along with their properties and characteristics. The pathogenesis of COPD is discussed, emphasizing the key mechanisms involved in disease development and progression. Subsequently, the role of stem cells in tissue repair, regeneration, and immunomodulation is examined, highlighting their ability to address specific pathological processes in COPD. Mechanisms of action, such as paracrine signaling, immunomodulation, anti-inflammatory effects, and tissue regeneration, are explored. The interaction between stem cells and the host environment, which promotes lung repair, is also discussed. Challenges in stem cell therapy for COPD, including optimal cell sources, delivery methods, safety, and efficacy, are identified. Regulatory considerations and the importance of standardization are emphasized. Potential strategies for optimizing the therapeutic potential of stem cells in COPD management, such as combination therapies and preconditioning techniques, are outlined. Emerging trends and future directions are highlighted, including advanced cell engineering and patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells. In conclusion, stem cell therapy holds significant promise for COPD management, addressing the limitations of current treatments. Continued research and development are necessary to overcome challenges, optimize therapies, and realize stem cells' full potential in improving the lives of patients with COPD.

Allele-specific gene-editing approach for vision loss restoration in RHO-associated retinitis pigmentosa.

Mutant RHO is the most frequent genetic cause of autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP). Here, we developed an allele-specific gene-editing therapeutic drug to selectively target the human T17M RHO mutant allele while leaving the wild-type RHO allele intact for the first time. We identified a Staphylococcus aureus Cas9 (SaCas9) guide RNA that was highly active and specific to the human T17M RHO allele. In vitro experiments using HEK293T cells and patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) demonstrated active nuclease activity and high specificity. Subretinal delivery of a single adeno-associated virus serotype 2/8 packaging SaCas9 and single guide RNA (sgRNA) to the retinas of the RHO humanized mice showed that this therapeutic drug targeted the mutant allele selectively, thereby downregulating the mutant RHO mRNA expression. Administration of this therapeutic drug resulted in a long-term (up to 11 months after treatment) improvement of retinal function and preservation of photoreceptors in the heterozygous mutant humanized mice. Our study demonstrated a dose-dependent therapeutic effect in vivo. Unwanted off-target effects were not observed at the whole-genome sequencing level. Our study provides strong support for the further development of this effective therapeutic drug to treat RHO-T17M-associated adRP, also offers a generalizable framework for developing gene-editing medicine. Furthermore, our success in restoring the vision loss in the suffering RHO humanized mice verifies the feasibility of allele-specific CRISPR/Cas9-based medicines for other autosomal dominant inherited retinal dystrophies.

GGC repeat expansion in NOTCH2NLC induces dysfunction in ribosome biogenesis and translation.

GGC repeat expansion in the 5' untranslated region (UTR) of NOTCH2NLC is associated with a broad spectrum of neurological disorders, especially neuronal intranuclear inclusion disease (NIID). Studies have found that GGC repeat expansion in NOTCH2NLC induces the formation of polyglycine (polyG)-containing protein, which is involved in the formation of neuronal intranuclear inclusions. However, the mechanism of neurotoxicity induced by NOTCH2NLC GGC repeats is unclear. Here, we used NIID patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived 3D cerebral organoids (3DCOs) and cellular models to investigate the pathophysiological mechanisms of NOTCH2NLC GGC repeat expansion. IPSC-derived 3DCOs and cellular models showed the deposition of polyG-containing intranuclear inclusions. The NOTCH2NLC GGC repeats could induce the upregulation of autophagic flux, enhance integrated stress response and activate EIF2α phosphorylation. Bulk RNA sequencing for iPSC-derived neurons and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) for iPSC-derived 3DCOs revealed that NOTCH2NLC GGC repeats may be associated with dysfunctions in ribosome biogenesis and translation. Moreover, NOTCH2NLC GGC repeats could induce the NPM1 nucleoplasm translocation, increase nucleolar stress, impair ribosome biogenesis and induce ribosomal RNA sequestration, suggesting dysfunction of membraneless organelles in the NIID cellular model. Dysfunctions in ribosome biogenesis and phosphorylated EIF2α and the resulting increase in the formation of G3BP1-positive stress granules may together lead to whole-cell translational inhibition, which may eventually cause cell death. Interestingly, scRNA-seq revealed that NOTCH2NLC GGC repeats may be associated with a significantly decreased proportion of immature neurons while 3DCOs were developing. Together, our results underscore the value of patient-specific iPSC-derived 3DCOs in investigating the mechanisms of polyG diseases, especially those caused by repeats in human-specific genes.

Autologous iPSC-Derived Human Neuromuscular Junction to Model the Pathophysiology of Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a heterogeneous group of genetic neurodegenerative disorders, characterized by progressive lower limb spasticity and weakness resulting from retrograde axonal degeneration of motor neurons (MNs). Here, we generated in vitro human neuromuscular junctions (NMJs) from five HSP patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines, by means of microfluidic strategy, to model disease-relevant neuropathologic processes. The strength of our NMJ model lies in the generation of lower MNs and myotubes from autologous hiPSC origin, maintaining the genetic background of the HSP patient donors in both cell types and in the cellular organization due to the microfluidic devices. Three patients characterized by a mutation in the SPG3a gene, encoding the ATLASTIN GTPase 1 protein, and two patients with a mutation in the SPG4 gene, encoding the SPASTIN protein, were included in this study. Differentiation of the HSP-derived lines gave rise to lower MNs that could recapitulate pathological hallmarks, such as axonal swellings with accumulation of Acetyl-α-TUBULIN and reduction of SPASTIN levels. Furthermore, NMJs from HSP-derived lines were lower in number and in contact point complexity, denoting an impaired NMJ profile, also confirmed by some alterations in genes encoding for proteins associated with microtubules and responsible for axonal transport. Considering the complexity of HSP, these patient-derived neuronal and skeletal muscle cell co-cultures offer unique tools to study the pathologic mechanisms and explore novel treatment options for rescuing axonal defects and diverse cellular processes, including membrane trafficking, intracellular motility and protein degradation in HSP.

AAV-mediated gene-replacement therapy restores viability of BCD patient iPSC derived RPE cells and vision of Cyp4v3 knockout mice.

Bietti crystalline corneoretinal dystrophy (BCD) is an autosomal recessive retinal degenerative disease characterized by yellow-white crystal deposits in the posterior pole, degeneration of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), and sclerosis of the choroid. Mutations in the cytochrome P450 4V2 gene (CYP4V2) cause BCD, which is associated with lipid metabolic disruption. The use of gene-replacement therapy in BCD has been hampered by the lack of disease models. To advance CYP4V2 gene-replacement therapy, we generated BCD patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-RPE cells and Cyp4v3 knockout (KO) mice as disease models and AAV2/8-CAG-CYP4V2 as treatment vectors. We demonstrated that after adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated CYP4V2 gene-replacement therapy BCD-iPSC-RPE cells presented restored cell survival and reduced lipid droplets accumulation; restoration of vision in Cyp4v3 KO mice was revealed by elevated electroretinogram amplitude and ameliorated RPE degeneration. These results suggest that AAV-mediated gene-replacement therapy in BCD patients is a promising strategy.

Targeted-Deletion of a Tiny Sequence via Prime Editing to Restore SMN Expression.

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a devastating autosomal recessive motor neuron disease associated with mutations in the survival motor neuron 1 (SMN1) gene, the leading genetic cause of infant mortality. A nearly identical copy gene (SMN2) is retained in almost all patients with SMA. However, SMN2 fails to prevent disease development because of its alternative splicing, leading to a lack of exon 7 in the majority of SMN2 transcripts and yielding an unstable truncated protein. Several splicing regulatory elements, including intronic splicing silencer-N1 (ISS-N1) of SMN2 have been described. In this study, targeted-deletion of ISS-N1 was achieved using prime editing (PE) in SMA patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (SMA-iPSCs) with a high efficiency of 7/24. FL-SMN expression was restored in the targeted-deletion iPS clones and their derived motor neurons (iMNs). Notably, the apoptosis of the iMNs, caused by the loss of SMN protein that leads to the hyperactivity of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, was alleviated in targeted-deletion iPSCs derived-iMNs. Thus, this is the first study to demonstrate that the targeted-deletion of ISS-N1 via PE for restoring FL-SMN expression holds therapeutic promise for SMA.

Inhibiting mitochondrial fission rescues degeneration in hereditary spastic paraplegia neurons.

Hereditary spastic paraplegias are characterized by lower limb spasticity resulting from degeneration of long corticospinal axons. SPG11 is one of the most common autosomal recessive hereditary spastic paraplegias, and the SPG11 protein spatacsin forms a complex with the SPG15 protein spastizin and heterotetrameric AP5 adaptor protein complex, which includes the SPG48 protein AP5Z1. Using the integration-free episomal method, we established SPG11 patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from patient fibroblasts. We differentiated SPG11 iPSCs, as well as SPG48 iPSCs previously established, into cortical projection neurons and examined protective effects by targeting mitochondrial dynamics using P110, a peptide that selectively inhibits mitochondrial fission GTPase Drp1. P110 treatment mitigates mitochondrial fragmentation, improves mitochondrial motility, and restores mitochondrial health and ATP levels in SPG11 and SPG48 neurons. Neurofilament aggregations are increased in SPG11 and SPG48 axons, and these are also suppressed by P110. Similarly, P110 mitigates neurofilament disruption in both SPG11 and SPG48 knockdown cortical projection neurons, confirming the contribution of hereditary spastic paraplegia gene deficiency to subsequent neurofilament and mitochondrial defects. Strikingly, neurofilament aggregations in SPG11 and SPG48 deficient neurons double stain with ubiquitin and autophagy related proteins, resembling the pathological hallmark observed in SPG11 autopsy brain sections. To confirm the cause-effect relationship between the SPG11 mutations and disease phenotypes, we knocked-in SPG11 disease mutations to human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and differentiated these stem cells into cortical projection neurons. Reduced ATP levels and accumulated neurofilament aggregations along axons are observed, and both are mitigated by P110. Furthermore, rescue experiment with expression of wild-type SPG11 in cortical projection neurons derived from both SPG11 patient iPSCs and SPG11 disease mutation knock-in hESCs leads to rescue of mitochondrial dysfunction and neurofilament aggregations in these SPG11 neurons. Finally, in SPG11 and SPG48 long-term cultures, increased release of phosphoNF-H, a biomarker for nerve degeneration, is significantly reduced by inhibiting mitochondrial fission pharmacologically using P110 and genetically using Drp1 shRNA. Taken together, our results demonstrate that impaired mitochondrial dynamics underlie both cytoskeletal disorganization and axonal degeneration in SPG11 and SPG48 neurons, highlighting the importance of targeting these pathologies therapeutically.

Ectopic Expression of FVIII in HPCs and MSCs Derived from hiPSCs with Site-Specific Integration of ITGA2B Promoter-Driven BDDF8 Gene in Hemophilia A.

Hemophilia A (HA) is caused by mutations in the coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) gene (F8). Gene therapy is a hopeful cure for HA; however, FVIII inhibitors formation hinders its clinical application. Given that platelets promote coagulation via locally releasing α-granule, FVIII ectopically expressed in platelets has been attempted, with promising results for HA treatment. The B-domain-deleted F8 (BDDF8), driven by a truncated ITGA2B promoter, was targeted at the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) locus of HA patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (HA-iPSCs). The F8-modified, human induced pluripotent stem cells (2bF8-iPSCs) were differentiated into induced hematopoietic progenitor cells (iHPCs), induced megakaryocytes (iMKs), and mesenchymal stem cells (iMSCs), and the FVIII expression was detected. The ITGA2B promoter-driven BDDF8 was site-specifically integrated into the rDNA locus of HA-iPSCs. The 2bF8-iPSCs were efficiently differentiated into 2bF8-iHPCs, 2bF8-iMKs, and 2bF8-iMSCs. FVIII was 10.31 ng/106 cells in lysates of 2bF8-iHPCs, compared to 1.56 ng/106 cells in HA-iHPCs, and FVIII was 3.64 ng/106 cells in 2bF8-iMSCs lysates, while 1.31 ng/106 cells in iMSCs with CMV-driven BDDF8. Our results demonstrated a high expression of FVIII in iHPCs and iMSCs derived from hiPSCs with site-specific integration of ITGA2B promoter-driven BDDF8, indicating potential clinical prospects of this platelet-targeted strategy for HA gene therapy.

Modeling of lung phenotype of Hermansky\u2013Pudlak syndrome type I using patient-specific iPSCs

BackgroundSomatic cells differentiated from patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) could be a useful tool in human cell-based disease research. Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by oculocutaneous albinism and a platelet dysfunction. HPS patients often suffer from lethal HPS associated interstitial pneumonia (HPSIP). Lung transplantation has been the only treatment for HPSIP. Lysosome-related organelles are impaired in HPS, thereby disrupting alveolar type 2 (AT2) cells with lamellar bodies. HPSIP lungs are characterized by enlarged lamellar bodies. Despite species differences between human and mouse in HPSIP, most studies have been conducted in mice since culturing human AT2 cells is difficult.MethodsWe generated patient-specific iPSCs from patient-derived fibroblasts with the most common bi-allelic variant, c.1472_1487dup16, in HPS1 for modeling severe phenotypes of HPSIP. We then corrected the variant of patient-specific iPSCs using CRISPR-based microhomology-mediated end joining to obtain isogenic controls. The iPSCs were then differentiated into lung epithelial cells using two different lung organoid models, lung bud organoids (LBOs) and alveolar organoids (AOs), and explored the phenotypes contributing to the pathogenesis of HPSIP using transcriptomic and proteomic analyses.ResultsThe LBOs derived from patient-specific iPSCs successfully recapitulated the abnormalities in morphology and size. Proteomic analysis of AOs involving iPSC-derived AT2 cells and primary lung fibroblasts revealed mitochondrial dysfunction in HPS1 patient-specific alveolar epithelial cells. Further, giant lamellar bodies were recapitulated in patient-specific AT2 cells.ConclusionsThe HPS1 patient-specific iPSCs and their gene-corrected counterparts generated in this study could be a new research tool for understanding the pathogenesis of HPSIP caused by HPS1 deficiency in humans.

Abstract 109: The Effect Of Cell Sex On Cardiogenic Differentiation Of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells And Their Maturation Processes

Introduction: Patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) are increasingly used for in vitro disease modeling and drug screening, as well in vivo regenerative therapies. The cardiac differentiation efficacy of hiPSCs, together with the maturation level of generated CMs, are critical factors in achieving the required numbers of functional patient-specific cardiac muscle cells for clinical applications. Although extensive studies have improved the efficacy of differentiation and maturation processes, the role of cell sex in these processes has not been fully investigated. Hypothesis: Cell sex affects i) the cardiogenic differentiation efficacy of hiPSCs; and ii) maturation processes of hiPSC-CMs. Methods and Results: We have successfully and reproducibly fabricated patterned substrates recapitulating the 3D shape of mature CMs, using photolithography approaches, and demonstrated that the substrate could i) accelerate the differentiation of hiPSCs to CMs, and ii) facilitate maturation and functionality of immature hiPSC-CMs. Male and female hiPSCs, derived from human amniotic mesenchymal stem cells of male and female fetuses, were cultured onto flat (control) vs. patterned substrates. A total of 400 differentiation assays were conducted, 200 per each cell sex, on the flat ( n = 100) and patterned ( n = 100) substrates. A chemically defined approach was used to differentiate the cells toward CMs. On the flat (conventional) substrates, 59% of batches of male and 87% of batches of female hiPSCs differentiated into beating CMs (> 80%). On the patterned substrates, these numbers changed to 83% and 94% of successful differentiations for male and female hiPSCs, respectively. These results indicate the significant effect of substrate-mediated topographical cues on the cardiac differentiation yield of stem cells and the batch-to-batch variation. On both substrate types, female cells demonstrated significantly higher success rates of cardiac differentiation compared to the male cells. In addition, the CMs produced on the patterned substrates demonstrated higher purity than those created on the flat substrates both for male and female cells. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to probe the male and female cell differences in expression of genes related to cardiac maturity, contractility, and Ca 2+ transport (TNNT2, MYH6, MYH7, and CACNA1c) and the outcomes revealed substantially greater expression levels of the maturation genes in differentiated female CMs cultured on the patterned substrates compared to the male cells. Conclusions: These results indicate that male and female hiPSCs and hiPSC-CMs respond differently to the identical substrates in terms of their differentiation and maturation efficacies.

Generation of pulmonary arterial hypertension patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cell lines from three unrelated patients with a heterozygous missense mutation in exon 12, a heterozygous in-frame deletion in exon 3 and a missense mutation in exon 11 of the BMPR2 gene

Loss-of-function mutations in the bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2) gene are common in heritable or idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and can result in functional impairment of both endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Here, we report 3 PAH patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) lines from 3 unrelated patients harbouring different mutations in the BMPR2 gene: a heterozygous missense mutation in exon 12, a heterozygous frame shift deletion in exon 3, and a heterozygous missense mutation in exon 11. These cell lines will serve as a valuable resource to model PAH in vitro.

Cohesin-protein Shugoshin-1 controls cardiac automaticity via HCN4 pacemaker channel

Endogenous cardiac pacemaker function regulates the rate and rhythm of cardiac contraction. The mutation p.Lys23Glu in the cohesin protein Shugoshin-1 causes severe heart arrhythmias due to sinoatrial node dysfunction and a debilitating gastrointestinal motility disorder, collectively termed the Chronic Atrial and Intestinal Dysrhythmia Syndrome, linking Shugoshin-1 and pacemaker activity. Hyperpolarization-activated, cyclic nucleotide-gated cation channel 4 (HCN4) is the predominant pacemaker ion-channel in the adult heart and carries the majority of the “funny” current, which strongly contributes to diastolic depolarization in pacemaker cells. Here, we study the mechanism by which Shugoshin-1 affects cardiac pacing activity with two cell models: neonatal rat ventricular myocytes and Chronic Atrial and Intestinal Dysrhythmia Syndrome patient-specific human induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes. We find that Shugoshin-1 interacts directly with HCN4 to promote and stabilize cardiac pacing. This interaction enhances funny-current by optimizing HCN4 cell-surface expression and function. The clinical p.Lys23Glu mutation leads to an impairment in the interaction between Shugoshin-1 and HCN4, along with depressed funny-current and dysrhythmic activity in induced pluripotent stem cell derived cardiomyocytes derived from Chronic Atrial and Intestinal Dysrhythmia Syndrome patients. Our work reveals a critical non-canonical, cohesin-independent role for Shugoshin-1 in maintaining cardiac automaticity and identifies potential therapeutic avenues for cardiac pacemaking disorders, in particular Chronic Atrial and Intestinal Dysrhythmia Syndrome.

Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Objective:Patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have potential in human disease modeling and regenerative medicine. The in vitro phenotype of disease-specific iPSC-derived cells can be used to bridge the knowledge gap between clinical phenotype and molecular or cellular pathophysiology and to understand the pathology of diseases, along with further applications, such as creating new strategies for drug screening or developing novel therapeutic agents. The aim of our study was to generate iPSCs from multiple myeloma (MM) patients.Materials and Methods:Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from MM patients were induced for pluripotency via the Sendai virus. Fibroblasts were used as a control. Microscopic analysis was performed daily. For colony selection, live staining was done using alkaline phosphatase staining. Reprogramming experiments were confirmed by flow cytometry, immunofluorescence (IF) staining, and gene expression analyses. To confirm the spontaneous differentiation potential, an in vitro embryonic body (EB) formation assay was performed.Results:Fibroblasts and MSCs obtained from MM patients were reprogrammed using the Sendai virus, which contains reprogramming vectors with the four Yamanaka factors, Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. Microscopic analysis revealed that the generated iPSCs possessed classical embryonic stem cell-like morphological characteristics. Reprogramming experiments further showed that both cell lines can be reprogrammed up to the pluripotent stage, which was confirmed by flow cytometry, IF staining, and gene expression analyses. Spontaneous differentiation potential was confirmed by in vitro EB formation assays.Conclusion:iPSCs have been successfully obtained from MM patients for the first time. These cells could clarify the molecular mechanisms behind this disease.

Restoration of FVIII Function and Phenotypic Rescue in Hemophilia A Mice by Transplantation of MSCs Derived From F8-Modified iPSCs.

Hemophilia A (HA), an X-linked recessive congenital bleeding disorder, affects 80%–85% of patients with hemophilia. Nearly half of severe cases of hemophilia are caused by a 0.6-Mb genomic inversion (Inv22) that disrupts F8. Although viral-based gene therapy has shown therapeutic effects for hemophilia B (HB), this promising approach is not applicable for HA at the present stage; this limitation is mainly due to the large size of F8 cDNA, which far exceeds the adeno-associated virus (AAV) packaging capacity. We previously reported an in situ genetic correction of Inv22 in HA patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (HA-iPSCs) by using TALENs. We also investigated an alternative strategy for targeted gene addition, in which cDNA of the B-domain deleted F8 (BDDF8) was targeted at the rDNA locus of HA-iPSCs using TALENickases to restore FVIII function. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have low immunogenicity and can secrete FVIII under physiological conditions; in this study, MSCs were differentiated from F8-corrected iPSCs, BDDF8-iPSCs, and HA-iPSCs. Differentiated MSCs were characterized, and FVIII expression efficacy in MSCs was verified in vitro. The three types of MSCs were introduced into HA mice via intravenous injection. Long-term engraftment with restoration of FVIII function and phenotypic rescue was observed in HA mice transplanted with F8-corrected iMSCs and BDDF8-iMSCs. Our findings suggest that ex vivo gene therapy using iMSCs derived from F8-modified iPSCs can be feasible, effective, and promising for the clinical translation of therapeutic gene editing of HA and other genetic birth defects, particularly those that involve large sequence variants.

Oxidative Stress and Alterations in the Antioxidative Defense System in Neuronal Cells Derived from NPC1 Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells.

Oxidative stress (OS) represents a state of an imbalanced amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and/or a hampered efficacy of the antioxidative defense system. Cells of the central nervous system are particularly sensitive to OS, as they have a massive need of oxygen to maintain proper function. Consequently, OS represents a common pathophysiological hallmark of neurodegenerative diseases and is discussed to contribute to the neurodegeneration observed amongst others in Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. In this context, accumulating evidence suggests that OS is involved in the pathophysiology of Niemann-Pick type C1 disease (NPC1). NPC1, a rare hereditary neurodegenerative disease, belongs to the family of lysosomal storage disorders. A major hallmark of the disease is the accumulation of cholesterol and other glycosphingolipids in lysosomes. Several studies describe OS both in murine in vivo and in vitro NPC1 models. However, studies based on human cells are limited to NPC1 patient-derived fibroblasts. Thus, we analyzed OS in a human neuronal model based on NPC1 patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Higher ROS levels, as determined by DCF (dichlorodihydrofluorescein) fluorescence, indicated oxidative stress in all NPC1-deficient cell lines. This finding was further supported by reduced superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The analysis of mRNA and protein levels of SOD1 and SOD2 did not reveal any difference between control cells and NPC1-deficient cells. Interestingly, we observed a striking decrease in catalase mRNA and protein levels in all NPC1-deficient cell lines. As catalase is a key enzyme of the cellular antioxidative defense system, we concluded that the lack of catalase contributes to the elevated ROS levels observed in NPC1-deficient cells. Thus, a restitution of a physiological catalase level may pose an intervention strategy to rescue NPC1-deficient cells from the repercussions of oxidative stress contributing to the neurodegeneration observed in NPC1.