Name: derivation and characterization of a transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cell line and conversion into defined clinical-grade conditions
Uploaded: 2014-11-26T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Derivation and Characterization of a Transgene-free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line and Conversion into Defined Clinical-grade Conditions at JoVE.com

We would like to thank Patrick C. Lee, Cyril Ramathal, and Saravanan Karumbayaram (SK) for their assistance in performing the iPSC derivation and characterization experiments; Aaron Cooper for performing the iPSC analysis experiments; Vittorio Sebastiano and Renee A. Reijo Pera for directing the initial reprogramming efforts; SK, William E. Lowry, Jerome A. Zack, and Donald B. Kohn for directing the establishment of the UCLA GMP facilities permitting the conversion and characterization of clinical-grade iPSCs; Gustavo Mostoslavsky for providing us with the STEMCCA polycistronic reprogramming vector. This work is based on a research collaboration with Fibrocell Science and the Clinical Investigations for Dermal Mesenchymally Obtained Derivatives (CIDMOD) Initiative to generate safe personalized cellular therapeutics. This work was supported by funding from the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, The Phelps Family Foundation, Fibrocell Science, Inc., and the UCLA CTSI Scholar&#8217;s Award to JAB.

NOTE: This method was used in the research reported in Awe et al.10.
1. Reprogramming Adult Human Dermal Fibroblasts with STEMCCA
<ol>
	<li>Thaw adult dermal human fibroblasts (HUFs), passage 4 or lower, in a 37 &#176;C water bath for 2 min, taking care not to submerge the top of the vial with water.</li>
	<li>Place the 1-ml slurry of human fibroblasts into a 15-ml conical vial and slowly place 4 ml of standard HUF media, pre-warmed to 37 &#176;C, in a drop-wise fashion, ...

<ol>
	<li>Sommer, C. A., Mostoslavsky, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+evolving+field+of+induced+pluripotency:+Recent+progress+and+future+challenges.">The evolving field of induced pluripotency: Recent progress and future challenges.</a> J Cell Physiol. 228, 267-275 (2013).</li><li>Lu, H. F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+defined+xeno-free+and+feeder-free+culture+system+for+the+derivation,+expansion+and+direct+differentiation+of+transgene-free+patient-specific+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells.">A defined xeno-free and feeder-free culture system for the derivation, expansion and direct differentiation of transgene-free patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells.</a> Biomaterials. 35, 2816-2826 (2014).</li><li>Karumbayaram, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=From+skin+biopsy+to+neurons+through+a+pluripotent+intermediate+under+Good+Manufacturing+Practice+protocols.">From skin biopsy to neurons through a pluripotent intermediate under Good Manufacturing Practice protocols.</a> Stem Cells Transl Med. 1, 36-43 (2012).</li><li>Mostoslavsky, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Concise+review:+the+magic+act+of+generating+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells:+many+rabbits+in+the+hat.">Concise review: the magic act of generating induced pluripotent stem cells: many rabbits in the hat.</a> Stem Cells. 30, 28-32 (2012).</li><li>Takahashi, K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Induction+of+pluripotent+stem+cells+from+adult+human+fibroblasts+by+defined+factors.">Induction of pluripotent stem cells from adult human fibroblasts by defined factors.</a> Cell. 131, 861-872 (2007).</li><li>Sommer, C. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Induced+pluripotent+stem+cell+generation+using+a+single+lentiviral+stem+cell+cassette.">Induced pluripotent stem cell generation using a single lentiviral stem cell cassette.</a> Stem Cells. 27, 543-549 (2009).</li><li>Somers, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Generation+of+transgene-free+lung+disease-specific+human+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells+using+a+single+excisable+lentiviral+stem+cell+cassette.">Generation of transgene-free lung disease-specific human induced pluripotent stem cells using a single excisable lentiviral stem cell cassette.</a> Stem Cells. 28, 1728-1740 (2010).</li><li>Sommer, C. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Excision+of+reprogramming+transgenes+improves+the+differentiation+potential+of+iPS+cells+generated+with+a+single+excisable+vector.">Excision of reprogramming transgenes improves the differentiation potential of iPS cells generated with a single excisable vector.</a> Stem Cells. 28, 64-74 (2010).</li><li>Papapetrou, E. P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genomic+safe+harbors+permit+high+beta-globin+transgene+expression+in+thalassemia+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells.">Genomic safe harbors permit high beta-globin transgene expression in thalassemia induced pluripotent stem cells.</a> Nat Biotechnol. 29, 73-78 (2011).</li><li>Awe, J. P., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Generation+and+characterization+of+transgene-free+human+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells+and+conversion+to+putative+clinical-grade+status.">Generation and characterization of transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cells and conversion to putative clinical-grade status.</a> Stem Cell Res Ther. 4, (2013).</li><li>. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Receives+FDA+Clearance+to+Begin+World's+First+Human+Clinical+Trial+of+Embryonic+Stem+Cell-Based+Therapy.">Receives FDA Clearance to Begin World's First Human Clinical Trial of Embryonic Stem Cell-Based Therapy.</a> Geron Corporation Press Release. , (2009).</li><li>Jozefczuk, J., Drews, K., Adjaye, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Preparation+of+mouse+embryonic+fibroblast+cells+suitable+for+culturing+human+embryonic+and+induced+pluripotent+stem+cells.">Preparation of mouse embryonic fibroblast cells suitable for culturing human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells.</a> J Vis Exp. 64, 3810-383791 (2012).</li><li>Mitani, K., Kubo, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Adenovirus+as+an+integrating+vector.">Adenovirus as an integrating vector.</a> Curr Gene Ther. 2, 135-144 (2002).</li><li>Patterson, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Defining+the+nature+of+human+pluripotent+stem+cell+progeny.">Defining the nature of human pluripotent stem cell progeny.</a> Cell Res. 22, 178-193 (2012).</li><li>Schroder, A. R., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=HIV-1+integration+in+the+human+genome+favors+active+genes+and+local+hotspots.">HIV-1 integration in the human genome favors active genes and local hotspots.</a> Cell. 110, 521-529 (2002).</li><li>Hockemeyer, D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Genetic+engineering+of+human+pluripotent+cells+using+TALE+nucleases.">Genetic engineering of human pluripotent cells using TALE nucleases.</a> Nat Biotechnol. 29, 731-734 (2011).</li></ol>

We describe a methodology of deriving factor-free hiPSCs and making them clinically relevant by converting these cells into GMP-grade conditions for downstream cell differentiation in future human therapeutics. Although this protocol is broadly applicable to a variety of cell types, we chose to reprogram human dermal fibroblasts, due to the ease of extraction from the patient and their applicability to personalized human therapeutics. Once limitations are remedied as far as full differentiation into clinically relevant c...

Adult human cells have been shown to be capable of undergoing epigenetic remodeling and reprogramming, as a result of lentiviral-based expression of four key transcription factors4,5. An important advancement in the reprogramming field was the use of a single excisable lentiviral stem cell cassette (STEMCCA), which housed all four reprogramming transcription factors that allowed a precise stoichiometric ratio of protein expression6. Additionally, when transduced in specific multiplicity of infection ranges, STEMCCA can lead to predominantly single genomic integration events during the reprogramming process7. The introduction of an excisable version of STEMCCA, which utilizes Cre/loxP technology followed by excision of the reprogramming vector after derivation of the stem cell line, enabled factor-free human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) lines to be derived8. Additionally, in order to enhance therapeutic applications of hiPSCs, a novel, quick, and readily applicable methodology for good manufacturing practice (GMP)-grade cell line conversion, from xeno-containing to xeno-free conditions, needed to be implemented. Here, we discuss a relevant methodology that more precisely assesses integrated gene expression differences, specifically when integrated into an intron, and clinical-grade cell conversion into putative GMP conditions. 
Previous research has used only relatively insensitive microarray transcriptional analysis to analyze gene expression differences in integrated genes after STEMCCA transduction3,9. Here, we introduce the methodology of sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, to further examine integrated gene expression differences. Importantly, current safe-harbor criteria discard hiPSCs that have genes with viral integrations, thus limiting the applicability of these cells for downstream human cellular therapeutics9. We propose that the status quo may change with the use of fully characterized and transgene-free intronically reprogrammed hiPSCs. Additionally, we introduce a robust GMP-grade cell conversion protocol that can be readily applied to a variety of different cell types, which were originally derived under xeno-containing conditions10. This provides significant opportunities for the development of future cell reprogramming experiments, which require clinical-grade conditions to maintain human therapeutic relevance. 
These methodologies provide a foundation upon which current safe-harbor criteria may be expanded to include characterized STEMCCA reprogrammed hiPSC lines that maintain a normal gene expression profile after STEMCCA excision from the integrated intron. Also, full conversion into clinical-grade conditions, free from non-human animal antigens, will help to incorporate many more cell types, which have previously been reprogrammed and characterized only in xeno-containing conditions. These methodologies combined, are persuasive grounds for the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider expanding their limited approval from human embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based therapeutics to hiPSC-based therapeutics11. 
We recently detailed the derivation of a factor-free hiPSC line that was fully characterized and converted into putative clinical-grade conditions10. Here, we detail the protocol for hiPSC derivation by utilizing the STEMCCA lentivirus. These stem cells then undergo an excision process followed by gene expression characterization. Finally, the hiPSCs are converted over into GMP-grade conditions by a slow conversion methodology.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="521">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:140px;">Name</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Company</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Catalog Number</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Comments</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td colspan="4" height="21" style="height:21px;width:521px;">Media and reagents</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">DMEM/F12 (basal media)</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen (Carlsbad, CA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">11330057</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">Fetal bovine serum</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">16000044</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="106">
			<td height="106" style="height:106px;width:140px;">Minimum essential medium (MEM) non-essential amino acids (NEAA), 100x</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">11140050</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:140px;">Glutamax, 100x</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">35050-061</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">PenStrep, penicillin-streptomycin, 100x</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">15140-122</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Thaw at 4 &#176;C, aliquot and store at &#8722;20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Knockout serum replacement</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">10828028</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Thaw at 4 &#176;C, aliquot and store at &#8722;20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">Trypsin/EDTA, 0.5%</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">15400-054</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Dilute stock out to 0.05% in 1x PBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="127">
			<td height="127" style="height:127px;width:140px;">Basic fibroblast growth factor</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">GlobalStem (Rockville, MD, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">GSR-2001</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Reconstitute to 10 &#181;g/ml stock in 0.1% bovine serum albumin dissolved in 1x PBS and store at &#8722;80 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">&#946;-mercaptoethanol</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Millipore (Billerica, MA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">ES-007-E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="127">
			<td height="127" style="height:127px;width:140px;">Matrigel (basement membrane matrix)</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">BD Biosciences (San Jose, CA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">356231</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Dilute stock Matrigel vial with 10 ml of DMEM/F12 while on ice for a 1:2 dilution. Aliquot and store at &#8722;20 &#176;C</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">CELLstart (Synthetic Substrate)</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">A1014201</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Stemmolecule Y27632</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Stemgent (Cambridge, MA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">04-0012-02</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:140px;">Puromycin</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">A1113802</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">LightCycler 480 Probes Master</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Roche (Basel, Switzerland)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">4707494001</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">ProFreeze-CDM Medium/freezing medium</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Lonza (Basel, Switzerland)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">12-769E</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Dimethyl sulfoxide</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">D8418</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:140px;">PBS</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">14190-250</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">100 BP DNA Ladder</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">15628019</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">SYBR Safe DNA Gel Stain 10000x</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">S33102</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="89">
			<td height="89" style="height:89px;width:140px;">Agarose</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (Hercules, CA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">161-3101</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:140px;">Gelatin, from porcine skin</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">G1890-100G</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Make stock at 0.2% in PBS, autoclave and store at room temperature</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="127">
			<td height="127" style="height:127px;width:140px;">mTeSR1</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">StemCell Technologies (Vancouver, BC, Canada)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">5850</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Combine Supplement 5X with the basic medium, aliquot and store at 4 &#176;C for up to 2 weeks.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:140px;">Stemedia NutriStem XF/FF Culture Medium</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Stemgent</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">05-100-1A</td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Thaw at 4 &#176;C O/N, aliquot and store at 4 &#176;C for up to 2 weeks.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Primocin</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">InvivoGen (San Diego, CA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">ant-pm-1</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Accutase (Dissociation Reagent)</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">A1110501</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:140px;">Donkey anti-Chicken IgG AlexaFluor 488</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Jackson ImmunoResearch (West Grove, PA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">703-546-155</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">Polybrene/transfection agent</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Millipore</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">TR-1003-G</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td colspan="4" height="22" style="height:22px;width:521px;">Plasticware</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">12-well plates</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">VWR (West Chester, PA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">29442-038</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:140px;">6-well plates</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">VWR</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">29442-042</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">10-cm plates</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Z688819</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">18-gauge needle</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Fisher Scientific (Pittsburgh, PA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">148265D</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:140px;">21-gauge needle</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">14-829-10D</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td colspan="4" height="22" style="height:22px;width:521px;">Equipment</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">BD LSRII Flow Cytometer</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">KSystem by Nikon (Tokyo, Japan)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">BD FACSDiva Version 6.1.3 Software</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">BD Biosciences</td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td colspan="4" height="22" style="height:22px;width:521px;">Kits</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">PureLink Genomic DNA Mini Kit</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Invitrogen</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">K182000</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="85">
			<td height="85" style="height:85px;width:140px;">KAPA HiFi Hotstart ReadyMix PCR Kit</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">KAPA Biosystems (Wilmington, MA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">KK2601</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="43">
			<td height="43" style="height:43px;width:140px;">High Pure RNA Isolation Kit</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Roche</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">11828665001</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="66">
			<td height="66" style="height:66px;width:140px;">Transcriptor First Strand cDNA Synthesis Kit</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Roche</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">4379012001</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="54">
			<td height="54" style="height:54px;width:140px;">Sialix anti-Neu5Gc Basic Pack Kit</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">Sialix (Newton, MA, USA)</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Basic Pack</td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="54">
			<td height="54" style="height:54px;width:140px;">Media</td>
			<td style="width:111px;"></td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Combined media 1</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">StemCell Technologies and Stemgent</td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Consists of equal parts mTeSR1 and Nutristem</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="64">
			<td height="64" style="height:64px;width:140px;">Combined media 2</td>
			<td style="width:111px;">StemCell Technologies and Stemgent</td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Consists of equal parts TeSR2 and Nutristem</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="190">
			<td height="190" style="height:190px;width:140px;">HUF Media</td>
			<td style="width:111px;"></td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;">Dulbecco&#8217;s modified Eagle&#8217;s medium/F12 [DMEM/F12] supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum, 1x non-essential amino acids, 1x Glutamax, and 1x Primocin</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="253">
			<td height="253" style="height:253px;width:140px;">Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Media</td>
			<td style="width:111px;"></td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;">DMEM/F12 supplemented with 20% knockout serum replacement, 1x Glutamax, 1x non-essential amino acids, 1x Primocin, 1x &#946;-mercaptoethanol, and 10 ng/ml basic fibroblast growth factor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td colspan="2" height="22" style="height:22px;">DMEM/F12, Dulbecco&#8217;s modified Eagle&#8217;s medium/F12; PBS, phosphate-buffered saline.</td>
			<td style="width:136px;"></td>
			<td style="width:135px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

derivation and characterization of a transgene-free human induced pluripotent stem cell line and conversion into defined clinical-grade conditions

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be generated with lentiviral-based reprogramming methodologies. However, traces of potentially oncogenic genes remaining in actively transcribed regions of the genome, limit their potential for use in human therapeutic applications1. Additionally, non-human antigens derived from stem cell reprogramming or differentiation into therapeutically relevant derivatives preclude these hiPSCs from being used in a human clinical context2. In this video, we present a procedure for reprogramming and analyzing factor-free hiPSCs free of exogenous transgenes. These hiPSCs then can be analyzed for gene expression abnormalities in the specific intron containing the lentivirus. This analysis may be conducted using sensitive quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which has an advantage over less sensitive techniques previously used to detect gene expression differences3. Full conversion into clinical-grade good manufacturing practice (GMP) conditions, allows human clinical relevance. Our protocol offers another methodology&#8212;provided that current safe-harbor criteria will expand and include factor-free characterized hiPSC-based derivatives for human therapeutic applications&#8212;for deriving GMP-grade hiPSCs, which should eliminate any immunogenicity risk due to non-human antigens. This protocol is broadly applicable to lentiviral reprogrammed cells of any type and provides a reproducible method for converting reprogrammed cells into GMP-grade conditions.

We present a protocol for deriving clinical-grade factor-free hiPSCs by using the STEMCCA lentiviral-based reprogramming approach. Figure 1A shows a representative picture of three different pre-excised hiPSC lines, after reprogramming with the STEMCCA approach on a layer of MEFs. The primary advantage of the STEMCCA reprogramming approach lies in the consistent reprogramming success achieved by multiple scientists, in different research groups and locations. Figure 1B presents the post-...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Derivation and Characterization of a Transgene-free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line and Conversion into Defined Clinical-grade Conditions at JoVE.com

Derivation and Characterization of a Transgene-free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line and Conversion into Defined Clinical-grade Conditions

We describe a protocol for deriving lentiviral-based reprogrammed and characterized factor-free human induced pluripotent stem cells and conversion into putative clinical-grade conditions.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) can be generated with lentiviral-based reprogramming methodologies. However, traces of potentially oncogenic ...

derivation-characterization-transgene-free-human-induced-pluripotent

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Immunosurgery

The ability of human embryonic stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into all cell types of 
the body suggests that they hold great promise for both medical applications and as a research 
tool for addressing fundamental questions in development and disease. Here, we provide a 
concise, step-by-step protocol for the derivation of human embryonic stem cells from embryos 
by immunosurgical isolation of the inner cell mass. 


The ability of human embryonic stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into all cell types of 
the body suggests that they hold great promise for both medical applications and as a research 
tool for addressing fundamental questions in development and disease. Here, we provide a 
concise, step-by-step protocol for the derivation of human embryonic stem cells from embryos 
by immunosurgical isolation of the inner cell mass.

The ability of human embryonic stem cells to self-renew and differentiate into all cell types of 
the body suggests that they hold great promise for both ...

Isolation and Derivation of Mouse Embryonic Germinal Cells

The ability of embryonic germinal cells (EG) to differentiate into primordial germinal cells (PGCs) and later into gametes during early developmental stages is a perfect model to address our hypothesis about cancer and infertility. This protocol shows how to isolate primordial germinal cells from developing gonads in 10.5-11.5 days post coitum (dpc) mouse embryos.  Developing gonadal ridges from mouse embryos (C57BL6J) were dissociated by mechanical disruption with collagenase, then plated in a mouse embryo fibroblast feeder layer (MEF-CF1) that was previously mitotically inactivated with mitomycin C in the presence of knockout media and supplemented with Leukemia Inhibitor Factor (LIF), basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF), and Stem Cell Factor (SCF).  Using these optimized methods for PCG identification, isolation, and establishment of culture conditions permits long term cultures of EG cells for more than 40 days.  The embryonic germinal cell lines showed embryonic phenotype and expression of common used markers of the pluripotent state.  Isolation and derivation of germinal cells in culture provide a tool to understand their development in vitro and offer the opportunity to monitor cumulative damage at genetic and epigenetic levels after exposure to oxidative stress.

The ability of embryonic germinal cells to differentiate into primordial germinal cells during early development stages is a perfect model to address our hypothesis about cancer and infertility. This protocol shows how to isolate primordial germinal cells from developing gonads in 10.5-11.5 days post coitum mouse embryos.

The ability of embryonic germinal cells (EG) to differentiate into primordial germinal cells (PGCs) and later into gametes during early developmental ...

Differentiation of Embryonic Stem Cells into Oligodendrocyte Precursors

Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system. For regenerative cell therapy in demyelinating diseases, there is significant interest in deriving a pure population of lineage-committed oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) for transplantation. OPCs are characterized by the activity of the transcription factor Olig2 and surface expression of a proteoglycan NG2. Using the GFP-Olig2 (G-Olig2) mouse embryonic stem cell (mESC) reporter line, we optimized conditions for the differentiation of mESCs into GFP+Olig2+NG2+ OPCs. In our protocol, we first describe the generation of embryoid bodies (EBs) from mESCs. Second, we describe treatment of mESC-derived EBs with small molecules: (1) retinoic acid (RA) and (2) a sonic hedgehog (Shh) agonist purmorphamine (Pur) under defined culture conditions to direct EB differentiation into the oligodendroglial lineage. By this approach, OPCs can be obtained with high efficiency (&gt;80%) in a time period of 30 days. Cells derived from mESCs in this protocol are phenotypically similar to OPCs derived from primary tissue culture. The mESC-derived OPCs do not show the spiking property described for a subpopulation of brain OPCs in situ. To study this electrophysiological property, we describe the generation of spiking mESC-derived OPCs by ectopically expressing NaV1.2 subunit. The spiking and nonspiking cells obtained from this protocol will help advance functional studies on the two subpopulations of OPCs.

We describe a small molecule-based protocol for differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells into oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs). This protocol generates Olig2+NG2+ OPCs with high efficiency by 30 days of differentiation. We also describe a method to generate "spiking" OPCs that can fire action potentials.

Oligodendrocytes are the myelinating cells of the central nervous system. For regenerative cell therapy in demyelinating diseases, there is significant ...

Transfecting and Nucleofecting Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Genetic modification is continuing to be an essential tool in studying stem cell biology and in setting forth potential clinical applications of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs)1. While improvements in several gene delivery methods have been described2-9, transfection remains a capricious process for HESCs, and has not yet been reported in human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this video, we demonstrate how our lab routinely transfects and nucleofects human iPSCs using plasmid with an enhanced green fluorescence protein (eGFP) reporter. Human iPSCs are adapted and maintained as feeder-free cultures to eliminate the possibility of feeder cell transfection and to allow efficient selection of stable transgenic iPSC clones following transfection. For nucleofection, human iPSCs are pre-treated with ROCK inhibitor11, trypsinized into small clumps of cells, nucleofected and replated on feeders in feeder cell-conditioned medium to enhance cell recovery. Transgene-expressing human iPSCs can be obtained after 6 hours. Antibiotic selection is applied after 24 hours and stable transgenic lines appear within 1 week. Our protocol is robust and reproducible for human iPSC lines without altering pluripotency of these cells.

Despite recent advancements in genetic modification, transfection of human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) remains a capricious process. To our knowledge, systematic and efficient methods to transfect human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have not been reported. Here, we describe robust protocols to efficiently transfect and nucleofect human iPSCs.

Genetic modification is continuing to be an essential tool in studying stem cell biology and in setting forth potential clinical applications of human ...

Efficient Derivation of Human Cardiac Precursors and Cardiomyocytes from Pluripotent Human Embryonic Stem Cells with Small Molecule Induction

To date, the lack of a suitable human cardiac cell source has been the major setback in regenerating the human myocardium, either by cell-based transplantation or by cardiac tissue engineering1-3. Cardiomyocytes become terminally-differentiated soon after birth and lose their ability to proliferate. There is no evidence that stem/progenitor cells derived from other sources, such as the bone marrow or the cord blood, are able to give rise to the contractile heart muscle cells following transplantation into the heart1-3. The need to regenerate or repair the damaged heart muscle has not been met by adult stem cell therapy, either endogenous or via cell delivery1-3. The genetically stable human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have unlimited expansion ability and unrestricted plasticity, proffering a pluripotent reservoir for in vitro derivation of large supplies of human somatic cells that are restricted to the lineage in need of repair and regeneration4,5. Due to the prevalence of cardiovascular disease worldwide and acute shortage of donor organs, there is intense interest in developing hESC-based therapies as an alternative approach. However, how to channel the wide differentiation potential of pluripotent hESCs efficiently and predictably to a desired phenotype has been a major challenge for both developmental study and clinical translation. Conventional approaches rely on multi-lineage inclination of pluripotent cells through spontaneous germ layer differentiation, resulting in inefficient and uncontrollable lineage-commitment that is often followed by phenotypic heterogeneity and instability, hence, a high risk of tumorigenicity6-8 (see a schematic in Fig. 1A). In addition, undefined foreign/animal biological supplements and/or feeders that have typically been used for the isolation, expansion, and differentiation of hESCs may make direct use of such cell-specialized grafts in patients problematic9-11. To overcome these obstacles, we have resolved the elements of a defined culture system necessary and sufficient for sustaining the epiblast pluripotence of hESCs, serving as a platform for de novo derivation of clinically-suitable hESCs and effectively directing such hESCs uniformly towards clinically-relevant lineages by small molecules12 (see a schematic in Fig. 1B). After screening a variety of small molecules and growth factors, we found that such defined conditions rendered nicotinamide (NAM) sufficient to induce the specification of cardiomesoderm direct from pluripotent hESCs that further progressed to cardioblasts that generated human beating cardiomyocytes with high efficiency (Fig. 2). We defined conditions for induction of cardioblasts direct from pluripotent hESCs without an intervening multi-lineage embryoid body stage, enabling well-controlled efficient derivation of a large supply of human cardiac cells across the spectrum of developmental stages for cell-based therapeutics.

We have established a protocol for induction of cardioblasts direct from pluripotent human embryonic stem cells maintained under defined conditions with small molecules, which enables derivation of a large supply of human cardiac progenitors and functional cardiomyocytes for cardiovascular repair.

To date, the lack of a suitable human cardiac cell source has been the major setback in regenerating the human myocardium, either by cell-based ...

Selecting and Isolating Colonies of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Reprogrammed from Adult Fibroblasts

Herein we present a protocol of reprogramming human adult fibroblasts into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) using retroviral vectors encoding Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-myc (OSKM) in the presence of sodium butyrate 1-3. We used this method to reprogram late passage (&gt;p10) human adult fibroblasts derived from Friedreich's ataxia patient (GM03665, Coriell Repository). The reprogramming approach includes highly efficient transduction protocol using repetitive centrifugation of fibroblasts in the presence of virus-containing media. The reprogrammed hiPSC colonies were identified using live immunostaining for Tra-1-81, a surface marker of pluripotent cells, separated from non-reprogrammed fibroblasts and manually passaged 4,5. These hiPSC were then transferred to Matrigel plates and grown in feeder-free conditions, directly from the reprogramming plate. Starting from the first passage, hiPSC colonies demonstrate characteristic hES-like morphology. Using this protocol more than 70% of selected colonies can be successfully expanded and established into cell lines. The established hiPSC lines displayed characteristic pluripotency markers including surface markers TRA-1-60 and SSEA-4, as well as nuclear markers Oct3/4, Sox2 and Nanog. 
The protocol presented here has been established and tested using adult fibroblasts obtained from Friedreich's ataxia patients and control individuals 6, human newborn fibroblasts, as well as human keratinocytes.

We present a protocol for efficient reprogramming of human somatic cells into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) using retroviral vectors encoding Oct3/4, Sox2, Klf4 and c-myc (OSKM) and identification of correctly reprogrammed hiPSC by live staining with Tra-1-81 antibody.

Herein we present a protocol of reprogramming human adult fibroblasts into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) using retroviral vectors encoding ...

Reprogramming Human Somatic Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) Using Retroviral Vector with GFP

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent and an invaluable cellular sources for in vitro disease modeling and regenerative medicine1. It has been previously shown that human somatic cells can be reprogrammed to pluripotency by ectopic expression of four transcription factors (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Myc) and become induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs)2-4 . Like hESCs, human iPSCs are pluripotent and a potential source for autologous cells. Here we describe the protocol to reprogram human fibroblast cells with the four reprogramming factors cloned into GFP-containing retroviral backbone4. Using the following protocol, we generate human iPSCs in 3-4 weeks under human ESC culture condition. Human iPSC colonies closely resemble hESCs in morphology and display the loss of GFP fluorescence as a result of retroviral transgene silencing. iPSC colonies isolated mechanically under a fluorescence microscope behave in a similar fashion as hESCs. In these cells, we detect the expression of multiple pluripotency genes and surface markers.

Reprogramming Human Somatic Cells into Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells iPSCs Using Retroviral Vector with GFP

A method to generate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via retrovirus-mediated ectopic expression of OCT4, SOX2, KLF4 and MYC is described. A practical way to identify human iPSC colonies based on GFP expression is also discussed.

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are pluripotent and an invaluable cellular sources for in vitro disease modeling and regenerative medicine1. It has ...

Generation of Human Cardiomyocytes: A Differentiation Protocol from Feeder-free Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

In order to investigate the events driving heart development and to determine the molecular mechanisms leading to myocardial diseases in humans, it is essential first to generate functional human cardiomyocytes (CMs). The use of these cells in drug discovery and toxicology studies would also be highly beneficial, allowing new pharmacological molecules for the treatment of cardiac disorders to be validated pre-clinically on cells of human origin. Of the possible sources of CMs, induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are among the most promising, as they can be derived directly from readily accessible patient tissue and possess an intrinsic capacity to give rise to all cell types of the body 1. Several methods have been proposed for differentiating iPS cells into CMs, ranging from the classical embryoid bodies (EBs) aggregation approach to chemically defined protocols 2,3. In this article we propose an EBs-based protocol and show how this method can be employed to efficiently generate functional CM-like cells from feeder-free iPS cells.

Pluripotent stem cells, either embryonic or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, constitute a valuable source of human differentiated cells, including cardiomyocytes. Here, we will focus on cardiac induction of iPS cells, showing how to use them to obtain functional human cardiomyocytes through an embryoid bodies-based protocol.

In order to investigate the events driving heart development and to determine the molecular mechanisms leading to myocardial diseases in humans, it is ...

Efficient Generation Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells from Human Somatic Cells with Sendai-virus

A few years ago, the establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ushered in a new era in biomedicine. Potential uses of human iPSCs include modeling pathogenesis of human genetic diseases, autologous cell therapy after gene correction, and personalized drug screening by providing a source of patient-specific and symptom relevant cells. However, there are several hurdles to overcome, such as eliminating the remaining reprogramming factor transgene expression after human iPSCs production. More importantly, residual transgene expression in undifferentiated human iPSCs could hamper proper differentiations and misguide the interpretation of disease-relevant in vitro phenotypes. With this reason, integration-free and/or transgene-free human iPSCs have been developed using several methods, such as adenovirus, the piggyBac system, minicircle vector, episomal vectors, direct protein delivery and synthesized mRNA. However, efficiency of reprogramming using integration-free methods is quite low in most cases.
Here, we present a method to isolate human iPSCs by using Sendai-virus (RNA virus) based reprogramming system. This reprogramming method shows consistent results and high efficiency in cost-effective manner.

Here, we present our established method to reprogram human somatic cells into transgene-free human iPSCs with Sendai virus, which shows consistent outcome and enhanced efficiency.

A few years ago, the establishment of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) ushered in a new era in biomedicine. Potential uses of human iPSCs ...

High Efficiency Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Cardiomyocytes and Characterization by Flow Cytometry

There is an urgent need to develop approaches for repairing the damaged heart, discovering new therapeutic drugs that do not have toxic effects on the heart, and improving strategies to accurately model heart disease. The potential of exploiting human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology to generate cardiac muscle &#8220;in a dish&#8221; for these applications continues to generate high enthusiasm. In recent years, the ability to efficiently generate cardiomyogenic cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has greatly improved, offering us new opportunities to model very early stages of human cardiac development not otherwise accessible. In contrast to many previous methods, the cardiomyocyte differentiation protocol described here does not require cell aggregation or the addition of Activin A or BMP4 and robustly generates cultures of cells that are highly positive for cardiac troponin I and T (TNNI3, TNNT2), iroquois-class homeodomain protein IRX-4 (IRX4), myosin regulatory light chain 2, ventricular/cardiac muscle isoform (MLC2v) and myosin regulatory light chain 2, atrial isoform (MLC2a) by day 10 across all human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and hiPSC lines tested to date. Cells can be passaged and maintained for more than 90 days in culture. The strategy is technically simple to implement and cost-effective. Characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent cells often includes the analysis of reference markers, both at the mRNA and protein level. For protein analysis, flow cytometry is a powerful analytical tool for assessing quality of cells in culture and determining subpopulation homogeneity. However, technical variation in sample preparation can significantly affect quality of flow cytometry data. Thus, standardization of staining protocols should facilitate comparisons among various differentiation strategies. Accordingly, optimized staining protocols for the analysis of IRX4, MLC2v, MLC2a, TNNI3, and TNNT2 by flow cytometry are described.

The article describes the detailed methodology to efficiently differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes by selectively modulating the Wnt pathway, followed by flow cytometry analysis of reference markers to assess homogeneity and identity of the population.

There is an urgent need to develop approaches for repairing the damaged heart, discovering new therapeutic drugs that do not have toxic effects on the ...