enrichment-purging-human-embryonic-stem-cells-detection-cell-surface

Enrichment and Purging of Human Embryonic Stem Cells by Detection of Cell Surface Antigens Using the Monoclonal Antibodies TG30 and GCTM-2

Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) can self-renew indefinitely in vitro, and with the appropriate cues can be induced to differentiate into potentially all ...

CSIRO

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum are the two prevalent human malaria species. A Colombian P. vivax wild strain has been adapted in Aotus nancymaae monkeys for use in further biological and immunological studies. We present data validating a real-time PCR assay quantifying P. vivax parasitemia, using the small subunit ribosomal RNA genes as an amplification target. P. vivax species-specific primers were designed on the 18S ribosomal gene V8 region, for amplifying both asexual and sporozoite ssrRNA genes. The assay detects amplification products bound to fluorescent SYBR-Green I dye using Perkin-Elmer GeneAmp-5700-SDS. Linear range standard curves from 6 DNA concentration logs (+0.99 correlation coefficients) were obtained. Standard curves were constructed using a plasmid containing target gene for real-time PCR amplification. This P. vivax specific assay is very sensitive, having a three parasite detection limit, and is reproducible and accurate. It involves a "closed-tube" PCR, avoids time-consuming post-PCR manipulation, and decreases potential PCR contamination.

Plasmodium vivax: parasitemia determination by real-time quantitative PCR in Aotus monkeys.

In mammals, Sry (sex-determining region Y gene) is the master regulator of male sex determination. The discovery of Sry in 1990 was expected to provide the key to unravelling the network of gene regulation underlying testis development. Intriguingly, no target gene of SRY protein has yet been discovered, and the mechanisms by which it mediates its developmental functions are still elusive. What is clear is that instead of the robust gene one might expect as the pillar of male sexual development, Sry function hangs by a thin thread, a situation that has profound biological, medical and evolutionary implications.

Sry and the hesitant beginnings of male development.

SRY (sex-determining region Y), the master regulator of male development in mammals, has been studied extensively for more than 17 years, but how the SRY protein triggers the chain of events leading to testis development remains unclear. SRY probably requires a partner protein to elicit its molecular function. KRAB-O, a novel protein containing a KRAB (Krüppel-associated box) domain only, was suggested recently as a candidate SRY partner. In order to investigate the possible role of KRAB-O in sex determination, we studied its expression and conducted functional assays of the SRY-KRAB interaction.

Functional analysis of the SRY-KRAB interaction in mouse sex determination.

Male development in mammals is normally initiated by the Y-linked gene Sry, which activates expression of Sox9, leading to a cascade of gene activity required for testis formation. Although defects in this genetic cascade lead to human disorders of sex development (DSD), only a dozen DSD genes have been identified, and causes of 46,XX DSD (XX maleness) other than SRY translocation are almost completely unknown. Here, we show that transgenic expression of Sox10, a close relative of Sox9, in gonads of XX mice resulted in development of testes and male physiology. The degree of sex reversal correlated with levels of Sox10 expression in different transgenic lines. Sox10 was expressed at low levels in primordial gonads of both sexes during normal mouse development, becoming male-specific during testis differentiation. SOX10 protein was able to activate transcriptional targets of SOX9, explaining at a mechanistic level its ability to direct male development. Because over-expression of SOX10 alone is able to mimic the XX DSD phenotypes associated with duplication of human chromosome 22q13, and given that human SOX10 maps to 22q13.1, our results functionally implicate SOX10 in the etiology of these DSDs.

Sox10 gain-of-function causes XX sex reversal in mice: implications for human 22q-linked disorders of sex development.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) have the potential to generate healthy cells and tissues for the study and medical treatment of a large number of diseases. The utility of putative hiPSC-based therapies is constrained by a lack of robust quality-control assays that address the stability of the cells or their capacity to form teratomas after differentiation. Here we report that virally derived hiPSC, but not human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or hiPSC derived using episomal nonintegrating vectors, exhibit a propensity to revert to a pluripotent phenotype following differentiation. This instability was revealed using our published method to identify pluripotent cells undergoing very early-stage differentiation in standard hESC cultures, by fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) based on expression of the cell surface markers TG30 (CD9) and GCTM-2. Differentiated cells cultured post-FACS fractionation from virally derived hiPSC lines reacquired immunoreactivity to TG30 (CD9) and GCTM-2, formed stem cell-like colonies, and re-expressed canonical pluripotency markers. Furthermore, differentiated cells from pluripotency-reverting hiPSC lines generated teratomas in immunocompromised mice, raising concerns about their safety in downstream applications. In contrast, differentiated cell populations from hESC and episomally derived hiPSC did not show any of these abnormalities. Our assays may be used to identify "unsafe" hiPSC cell lines and this information should be considered when selecting hiPSC lines for clinical use and indicate that experiments using these "unsafe" hiPSC lines should be interpreted carefully.

Article	Year
Plasmodium vivax: parasitemia determination by real-time quantitative PCR in Aotus monkeys. Experimental parasitology\| PubMed ID: 12054703	2002
Sry and the hesitant beginnings of male development. Developmental biology\| PubMed ID: 16996051	2007
Functional analysis of the SRY-KRAB interaction in mouse sex determination. Biology of the cell / under the auspices of the European Cell Biology Organization\| PubMed ID: 18588511	2009
Sox10 gain-of-function causes XX sex reversal in mice: implications for human 22q-linked disorders of sex development. Human molecular genetics\| PubMed ID: 19933217	2010
Identification of unsafe human induced pluripotent stem cell lines using a robust surrogate assay for pluripotency. Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio)\| PubMed ID: 23728894	2013

Juan Carlos Polanco

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