Name: Efficient Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells to NKX6-1+ Pancreatic Progenitors (Video) | JoVE Journal
Uploaded: 2017-03-07T12:30:00.000+00:00
Duration: 9 min 23 s
Description: Learn a four-stage protocol to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into NKX6.1+ pancreatic progenitors. This method generates high yields of progenitor cells for studying pancreas development and diabetes research.

ai_agent_IP

ai_agent

maintenance

instantTrialDurationMinutes

isBiopharma

enableNewMyJoveSectionDesign

educationFeatures

seoMetaApi

ai_copilot_institution_blacklist

ai_chat_institution_blacklist

freeAccessWindow

ssoRoleCapture

scheduledMaintenanceBanner

joveLabsFeatures

disable_autoplay_for_bots

extended_trial_duration

5 minutes

This manuscript was supported by funding from the Toronto General and Western Foundation and the Banting &#38; Best Diabetes Centre-University Health Network Graduate Award.

1. Preparation of Solutions and Media
NOTE: Prepare all media for cell culture in a sterile environment. Media has to be made and used immediately. Reagent details are provided in the Materials Table.
<ol>
	<li>Differentiation Media
	<ol>
		<li>Prepare Day 0 Differentiation Media: RPMI Medium with 1% Glutamine, 2 &#181;M CHIR 99021, 100 ng/ml Activin A, 104 M MTG.</li>
		<li>Prepare Day 1-2 Differentiation Media: RPMI Medium with 1% Glutamine, 100 ng/ml Activin A, 104 M MTG, 5 ng/ml bFGF, 50 &#181;g/ml Ascorbic Acid.</li>
		<li>Prepare Day 3-5 Differentiation Media: RPMI Medium with 1% Glutamine, 1% B27, 104 M MTG, 0.75 &#181;M Dorsomorphin, 50 ng/ml FGF10.</li>
		<li>Prepare Day 6-7 Differentiation Media: DMEM with 1% Glutamine, 1% B27, 50 &#181;g/ml Ascorbic Acid, 50 ng/ml FGF10, 0.25 &#181;M SANT-1, 2 &#181;M Retinoic Acid, 50 ng/ml NOGGIN. 
		NOTE: Retinoic Acid should be added to the media last and media should be protected from light to prevent oxidative degradation15.</li>
		<li>Prepare Day 8-12 Differentiation Media: DMEM with 1% Glutamine, 1% B27, 50 &#181;g/ml Ascorbic Acid, 50 ng/ml NOGGIN, 100 ng/ml hEGF, 10 mM Nicotinamide.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Prepare FACS buffer: 10% FBS in PBS, minus calcium and magnesium.</li>
</ol>
2. HESC Differentiation
NOTE: HESC are thawed, passaged and expanded on irradiated mouse embryonic fibroblasts in the presence of a KOSR-based media supplemented with bFGF16. HESCs are ready for differentiation when the cells reach 80-95% confluency. At this time the colonies should be large with defined borders and a &#39;domelike&#39; structure (Figure 1A). All cell culture is performed in flat-bottom, tissue culture treated plates coated with 0.1% gelatin. Typically, the cells are grown in 6 or 12-well plates, in media volumes of 2 ml or 1 ml, respectively.
<ol>
	<li>On day 0, begin differentiation by replacing the KOSR-based media with Day 0 Differentiation Media.</li>
	<li>On days 1 and 2, gently shake the plate to remove any dead cells from the monolayer before aspirating. Replace with Day 1-2 Differentiation Media.</li>
	<li>On day 3, harvest cells for flow cytometry. If the cells express more than 90% CXCR4+/CD117+, proceed to step 2.4.</li>
	<li>On days 3 and 5, gently shake the plate to remove any dead cells from the monolayer prior to aspirating. Replace with Day 3-5 Differentiation Media.</li>
	<li>On days 6 and 7, replace with Day 6-7 Differentiation Media.</li>
	<li>On days 8, 10 and 12, replace with Day 8-12 Differentiation Media.</li>
	<li>On day 13, harvest cells for flow cytometry to determine PDX1 and NKX6-1 expression.</li>
</ol>
3. Harvesting Cells for Flow Cytometry Analysis
<ol>
	<li>Dissociate cells with 1x commercial trypsin solution according to manufacturer&#39;s protocol and incubate at 37 &#176;C for 3 min.</li>
	<li>Remove commercial trypsin solution and resuspend single cells in 1,000 &#181;l FACS Buffer with 30 &#181;l DNase I.</li>
	<li>Filter cells using a 35 &#181;m nylon mesh cell strainer and transfer to a microcentrifuge tube.</li>
	<li>Centrifuge cells at 455 x g for 5 min. Prepare cells for either live or fixed staining.</li>
</ol>
4. Staining for Flow Cytometry
<ol>
	<li>Flow preparation for live staining on day 3
	<ol>
		<li>Resuspend cells in 1,000 &#181;l FACS Buffer. Transfer 200 &#181;l (approximately 1-3 x 105 cells) into two wells of a 96-well plate (for both unstained and stained samples).</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.</li>
		<li>Stain with primary-conjugated antibodies, CXCR4:APC and CD117:PE (see Materials Table) for 30 min at room temperature protected from light.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.</li>
		<li>Resuspend samples in 100 &#181;l FACS Buffer.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.</li>
		<li>Resuspend each sample and transfer in a total volume of 300-500 &#181;l FACS Buffer to 1 ml micro test tubes or 5 ml round-bottom tubes.</li>
		<li>Run samples on the flow cytometer17. If samples cannot be run immediately, store at 4 &#176;C protected from light.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Flow preparation for fixed staining on day 13
	<ol>
		<li>Resuspend the cell pellet in commercial fixation/permeabilization solution for 24 hr at 4 &#176;C.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the sample at 455 x g for 5 min. Resuspend in 400 &#181;l Perm/Wash solution.</li>
		<li>Transfer 200 &#181;l of the sample (approximately 0.5-1 x 106 cells) to two wells of a 96-well plate (for IgG control and PDX1/NKX6-1 staining). Centrifuge at 931 x g for 2 min.</li>
		<li>Resuspend the cell pellets in 100 &#181;l Perm/Wash solution containing anti-PDX1 and anti-NKX6-1 primary or isotype control antibodies (see Materials Table). Incubate overnight at 4 &#176;C.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate. Resuspend samples in 100 &#181;l Perm/Wash solution.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.</li>
		<li>Resuspend the samples in 100 &#181;l Perm/Wash containing secondary antibodies at room temperature for 1 hr protected from light.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.</li>
		<li>Resuspend samples in 100 &#181;l Perm/Wash Solution.</li>
		<li>Centrifuge the plate at 931 x g for 2 min. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.</li>
		<li>Repeat step 4.2.9 and 4.2.10.</li>
		<li>Resuspend each sample and transfer in a total volume of 300-500 &#181;l FACS Buffer to 1 ml micro test tubes or 5 ml round-bottom tubes.</li>
		<li>Run samples on the flow cytometer17. If samples cannot be run immediately, store at 4 &#176;C protected from light.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

<ol><li>Canadian Diabetes Association. , Available from:
 <a target="_blank" href="http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/types-of-diabetes">http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/types-of-diabetes</a> (2016).</li>
<li>Cogger, K., Nostro, M. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Recent+advances+in+cell+replacement+therapies+for+the+treatment+of+type+1+diabetes%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Endocrinology%22%5BJournal%5D)">Recent advances in cell replacement therapies for the treatment of type 1 diabetes.</a> Endocrinology. 156 (1), 8-15 (2015).</li>
<li>Nostro, M. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Efficient+generation+of+NKX6-1%2B+pancreatic+progenitors+from+multiple+human+pluripotent+stem+cell+lines%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Stem+Cell+Reports%22%5BJournal%5D)">Efficient generation of NKX6-1+ pancreatic progenitors from multiple human pluripotent stem cell lines.</a> Stem Cell Reports. 4 (4), 591-604 (2015).</li>
<li>Pagliuca, F. W., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Generation+of+Functional+Human+Pancreatic+beta+Cells+In+Vitro%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Cell%22%5BJournal%5D)">Generation of Functional Human Pancreatic beta Cells In Vitro.</a> Cell. 159 (2), 428-439 (2014).</li>
<li>Rezania, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Reversal+of+diabetes+with+insulin-producing+cells+derived+in+vitro+from+human+pluripotent+stem+cells%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Nat+Biotechnol%22%5BJournal%5D)">Reversal of diabetes with insulin-producing cells derived in vitro from human pluripotent stem cells.</a> Nat Biotechnol. , (2014).</li>
<li>Kroon, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Pancreatic+endoderm+derived+from+human+embryonic+stem+cells+generates+glucose-responsive+insulin-secreting+cells+in+vivo%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Nat+Biotechnol%22%5BJournal%5D)">Pancreatic endoderm derived from human embryonic stem cells generates glucose-responsive insulin-secreting cells in vivo.</a> Nat Biotechnol. 26 (4), 443-452 (2008).</li>
<li>Rezania, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Maturation+of+human+embryonic+stem+cell-derived+pancreatic+progenitors+into+functional+islets+capable+of+treating+pre-existing+diabetes+in+mice%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Diabetes%22%5BJournal%5D)">Maturation of human embryonic stem cell-derived pancreatic progenitors into functional islets capable of treating pre-existing diabetes in mice.</a> Diabetes. 61 (8), 2016-2029 (2012).</li>
<li>D'Amour, K. A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Efficient+differentiation+of+human+embryonic+stem+cells+to+definitive+endoderm%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Nat+Biotechnol%22%5BJournal%5D)">Efficient differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to definitive endoderm.</a> Nat Biotechnol. 23 (12), 1534-1541 (2005).</li>
<li>Gouon-Evans, V., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((BMP-4+is+required+for+hepatic+specification+of+mouse+embryonic+stem+cell-derived+definitive+endoderm%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Nat+Biotechnol%22%5BJournal%5D)">BMP-4 is required for hepatic specification of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived definitive endoderm.</a> Nat Biotechnol. 24 (11), 1402-1411 (2006).</li>
<li>Jonsson, J., Carlsson, L., Edlund, T., Edlund, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Insulin-promoter-factor+1+is+required+for+pancreas+development+in+mice%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Nature%22%5BJournal%5D)">Insulin-promoter-factor 1 is required for pancreas development in mice.</a> Nature. 371 (6498), 606-609 (1994).</li>
<li>Pan, F. C., Wright, C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Pancreas+organogenesis%3A+from+bud+to+plexus+to+gland%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Dev+Dyn%22%5BJournal%5D)">Pancreas organogenesis: from bud to plexus to gland.</a> Dev Dyn. 240 (3), 530-565 (2011).</li>
<li>Schaffer, A. E., Freude, K. K., Nelson, S. B., Sander, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Nkx6+transcription+factors+and+Ptf1a+function+as+antagonistic+lineage+determinants+in+multipotent+pancreatic+progenitors%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Dev+Cell%22%5BJournal%5D)">Nkx6 transcription factors and Ptf1a function as antagonistic lineage determinants in multipotent pancreatic progenitors.</a> Dev Cell. 18 (6), 1022-1029 (2010).</li>
<li>Zhou, Q., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((A+multipotent+progenitor+domain+guides+pancreatic+organogenesis%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Dev+Cell%22%5BJournal%5D)">A multipotent progenitor domain guides pancreatic organogenesis.</a> Dev Cell. 13 (1), 103-114 (2007).</li>
<li>Sander, M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Homeobox+gene+Nkx6.1+lies+downstream+of+Nkx2.2+in+the+major+pathway+of+beta-cell+formation+in+the+pancreas%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Development%22%5BJournal%5D)">Homeobox gene Nkx6.1 lies downstream of Nkx2.2 in the major pathway of beta-cell formation in the pancreas.</a> Development. 127 (24), 5533-5540 (2000).</li>
<li>Sharow, K. A., Temkin, B., Asson-Batres, M. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Retinoic+acid+stability+in+stem+cell+cultures%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Int+J+Dev+Biol%22%5BJournal%5D)">Retinoic acid stability in stem cell cultures.</a> Int J Dev Biol. 56 (4), 273-278 (2012).</li>
<li>Korytnikov, R., Nostro, M. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Generation+of+polyhormonal+and+multipotent+pancreatic+progenitor+lineages+from+human+pluripotent+stem+cells%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Methods%22%5BJournal%5D)">Generation of polyhormonal and multipotent pancreatic progenitor lineages from human pluripotent stem cells.</a> Methods. , 56-64 (2016).</li>
<li>Baumgarth, N., Roederer, M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((A+practical+approach+to+multicolor+flow+cytometry+for+immunophenotyping%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22J+Immunol+Methods%22%5BJournal%5D)">A practical approach to multicolor flow cytometry for immunophenotyping.</a> J Immunol Methods. 243 (1-2), 77-97 (2000).</li>
<li>Nostro, M. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((Stage-specific+signaling+through+TGFbeta+family+members+and+WNT+regulates+patterning+and+pancreatic+specification+of+human+pluripotent+stem+cells%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22Development%22%5BJournal%5D)">Stage-specific signaling through TGFbeta family members and WNT regulates patterning and pancreatic specification of human pluripotent stem cells.</a> Development. 138 (5), 861-871 (2011).</li>
<li>Schulz, T. C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=((A+scalable+system+for+production+of+functional+pancreatic+progenitors+from+human+embryonic+stem+cells%5BTitle%5D)+AND+%22PLoS+One%22%5BJournal%5D)">A scalable system for production of functional pancreatic progenitors from human embryonic stem cells.</a> PLoS One. 7 (5), e37004(2012).</li>
</ol>

The authors have nothing to disclose.

Successfully generating NKX6-1+ pancreatic progenitors from hPSCs in vitro relies on the use of high quality cultures of hPSCs and directed differentiation involving the precise regulation of specific signaling pathways that govern key developmental stages during pancreatic development. Although this protocol can be used to induce robust expression of NKX6-1 across a variety of hPSC lines as previously shown3, to ensure efficient NKX6-1 generation the following considerations s...

The prevalence of diabetes is increasing and according to the Canadian Diabetes Association, it is estimated that over 11 million individuals in Canada are diabetic or prediabetic, with 5-10% of these individuals having type 1 diabetes (T1D)1. T1D is an autoimmune disease that is caused by the destruction of the insulin producing &#946; cells that are located within the Islets of Langerhans. Currently, individuals living with T1D require exogenous sources of insulin2. Despite advances in insulin therapy, T1D patients continue to have a difficult time regulating their blood glucose levels and continue to suffer both hypo- and hyperglycemia. A promising form of treatment to restore normoglycemia in T1D is the use of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), which could be used to generate an unlimited supply of insulin producing &#946; cells both in vivo and in vitro3,4,5,6,7. Differentiating hESCs to &#946;-like cells could make it possible to study diabetes in vitro, allowing for the identification of new therapeutic targets for type 2 diabetes and provide cells for transplantation into T1D patients.
The most successful attempt at generating insulin producing cells from hESCs in vitro is to recapitulate the embryonic events that occur during pancreatic development4,5. This involves the manipulation of distinct signaling pathways to accurately model key stages of the developing pancreas. Pancreatic development begins with the induction of the definitive endoderm, which is characterized by the expression of CXCR4 and CD117 (c-KIT)8,9. Precise regulation of definitive endoderm organization is required for the formation of the gut tube, which then undergoes anterior-to-posterior and ventral-dorsal patterning. The dorsal and ventral pancreatic buds emerge from the region of the posterior foregut that expresses the pancreatic and duodenal homeobox gene (Pdx1), which is necessary for pancreatic development10. The dorsal and ventral buds fuse to form the pancreas, which then undergoes extensive epithelial remodeling and expansion11. Commitment to the endocrine and exocrine lineage is accompanied by the generation of multipotent progenitor cells (MPCs) that express, among others, the transcription factors Pdx1, Nkx6.1 and Ptf1a12,13. MPCs that will become endocrine and ductal cells continue to express Nkx6-1 while decreasing Ptf1a expression. Contrary to this, exocrine lineage cells will lose expression of Nkx6-1 and maintain Ptf1a expression12.
The transcription factor Nkx6-1 has a key role in pancreatic development, particularly during the differentiation of endocrine progenitor cells to &#946; cells. As previously described, deletion of Nkx6-1 results in impaired formation of &#946; cells during pancreatic development14. Therefore, generating insulin-producing &#946; cells both in vitro and in vivo requires the efficient induction of Nkx6-1.
We recently developed a protocol to efficiently generate PDX1+/NKX6-1+ pancreatic progenitors from hPSCs. These hPSC-derived pancreatic progenitors generate mature &#946; cells upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice3. The differentiation protocol can be divided into 4 stages characteristic of: 1) definitive endoderm induction, 2) posterior foregut patterning, 3) pancreatic specification and 4) NKX6-1 induction. Here we provide a detailed description of each step of the directed differentiation.

<table><tbody><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Media and cytokines&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>1-Thioglycerol (MTG)</td><td>Sigma</td><td>M6145</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Activin A</td><td>R&amp;amp;D</td><td>338-AC/CF&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Ascorbic Acid</td><td>Sigma</td><td>A4544</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>B-27 Supplement</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>12587-010&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>BD Cytofix/Cytoperm Buffer</td><td>BD Bioscience</td><td>554722</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>BD Perm/Wash buffer, 1x</td><td>BD Bioscience</td><td>554723</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>bFGF</td><td>R&amp;amp;D</td><td>233-FB</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CHIR990210</td><td>Tocris</td><td>4423a</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dulbecco&amp;rsquo;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM)</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>11995</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>DNase I</td><td>VWR</td><td>80510-412&amp;nbsp;</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Dorsomorphin</td><td>Sigma</td><td>P5499</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>EGF</td><td>R&amp;amp;D</td><td>236-EG</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fetal Bovine Serum (FBS)</td><td>Wisent</td><td>88150</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>FGF10</td><td>R&amp;amp;D</td><td>345-FG</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Gelatin from porcine skin</td><td>Sigma</td><td>G1890</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Glutamine</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>25030</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Nicotinamide</td><td>Sigma</td><td>NO636</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>NOGGIN</td><td>R&amp;amp;D</td><td>3344-NG</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Penicillin/Streptomycin</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>15070-063</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Retinoic acid</td><td>Sigma</td><td>R2625</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>RPMI Medium 1640</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>11875</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>SANT-1</td><td>Tocris</td><td>1974</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>TrypLE Express Enzyme (1x), phenol red</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>12605-010</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Name&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Company&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Catalogue Number&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td>&lt;strong&gt;Comments&lt;/strong&gt;</td></tr><tr><td>&lt;strong&gt;Antibodies for flow cytometry (working dilutions)&lt;/strong&gt;</td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CD117 PE (1:100)</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>CD11705</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>CXCR4 APC (1:50)</td><td>BD&amp;nbsp; Bioscience</td><td>551966</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Donkey Anti-Mouse IgG (H+L), Alexa Fluor 647 conjugate (1:400)</td><td>Life Technologies</td><td>A-31571</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Donkey Anti-Goat IgG (H+L), Alexa Fluor 488 (1:400)&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories Inc.</td><td>705-546-147</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Isotype Control Mouse IgG&amp;nbsp;</td><td>Jackson ImmunoResearch Laboratories Inc.&amp;nbsp;</td><td>015-000-003</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Isotype Control Goat IgG</td><td>R&amp;amp;D&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;</td><td>AB-108-C</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>NKX6-1 (1:2,000)</td><td>DSHB</td><td>F55A10</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>PDX1 (1:100)</td><td>R&amp;amp;D</td><td>AF2419</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

efficient differentiation of pluripotent stem cells to nkx6-1+ pancreatic progenitors

Efficient Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells to NKX6-1+ Pancreatic Progenitors

Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to self renew and differentiate to multiple lineages, making them an attractive source for the generation of pancreatic progenitor cells that can be used for the study of and future treatment of diabetes. This article outlines a four-stage differentiation protocol designed to generate pancreatic progenitor cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). This protocol can be applied to a number of human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines. The approach taken to generate pancreatic progenitor cells is to differentiate hESCs to accurately model key stages of pancreatic development. This begins with the induction of the definitive endoderm, which is achieved by culturing the cells in the presence of Activin A, basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (bFGF) and CHIR990210. Further differentiation and patterning with Fibroblast Growth Factor 10 (FGF10) and Dorsomorphin generates cells resembling the posterior foregut. The addition of Retinoic Acid, NOGGIN, SANT-1 and FGF10 differentiates posterior foregut cells into cells characteristic of pancreatic endoderm. Finally, the combination of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), Nicotinamide and NOGGIN leads to the efficient generation of PDX1+/NKX6-1+ cells. Flow cytometry is performed to confirm the expression of specific markers at key stages of pancreatic development. The PDX1+/NKX6-1+ pancreatic progenitors at the end of stage 4 are capable of generating mature &#946; cells upon transplantation into immunodeficient mice and can be further differentiated to generate insulin-producing cells in vitro. Thus, the efficient generation of PDX1+/NKX6-1+ pancreatic progenitors, as demonstrated in this protocol, is of great importance as it provides a platform to study human pancreatic development in vitro and provides a source of cells with the potential of differentiating to &#946; cells that could eventually be used for the treatment of diabetes.

Efficient generation of pancreatic progenitors relies on the proper growth and maintenance of undifferentiated cells followed by the precise addition of specific signaling molecules during the differentiation protocol, as illustrated in the schematic in Figure 1A. On day 0, undifferentiated cells should be 80-95% confluent and colonies should have defined edges (Figure 1A). During Stage 1, the media will likely appear cloudy since cell death is quite comm...

Here we describe a 4-stage protocol to differentiate human embryonic stem cells to NKX6-1+ pancreatic progenitors in vitro. This protocol can be applied to a variety of human pluripotent stem cell lines.

Pluripotent stem cells have the ability to self renew and differentiate to multiple lineages, making them an attractive source for the generation of ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to efficiently generate NKX6.1 expressing pancreatic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells in vitro by differentiating the cells through four key stages of pancreatic development. By differentiating human pluripotent stem cells through four key stages of pancreatic devleopment, this protocol provides a model to study human pancreas development in vitro. The main advantage of this technique over existing protocols is that we are able to generate high percentages of NKX6.1 positive pancreatic progenitor cells using a variety of human pluripotent stem cell lines.Given that pancreatic progenitors have the potential to generate insulin producing beta like cells, this technique will give us the opportunity to develop cells for diabetes treatment, for drug discovery and for disease modeling. On day zero, begin differentiation by replacing the KnockOut serum replacement media with day zero differentiation media. Then one days one and two, gently shake the plate to remove any dead cells from the monolayer before aspirating the media.Afterward, replace it with day one to two differentiation media. On day three, harvest the cells for flow cytometry. If the cells express more than 90%of CXCR4 and CD117, the efficiency has been reached.Then gently shake the plate to remove any dead cells from the monolayer prior to aspiration and replace it with day three to five differentiation media. It is important to ensure efficient induction of the definitive under derm by day three by flow cytometry. If the percentage of cells expressing both CXCR4 and CD117 is lower than 90%differentiation to pancreatic progenitors will likely be compromised.On days six and seven, replace the medium with day six to seven differentiation media. On days eight, 10 and 12, replace the medium with day eight to 12 differentiation media. Then on day 13, harvest the cells for flow cytometry to determine PDX1 and NKX6.1 expression.To harvest the cells for flow cytometry analysis, disassociate the cells with commercial Trypsin solution according to the manufacturer's protocol and incubate the cells at 37 degrees Celsius for three minutes. After three minutes, remove the Trypsin solution and re-suspend the single cells in 1, 000 microliters of fax buffer with 30 microliters of DNA One. Then filter the cells using a 35 micrometer nylon mesh cell strainer and transfer them to a micro centrifuge tube.Centrifuge the cells at 455 times g for five minutes before preparing the cells for live or fixed staining. Now re-suspend the cells in 1, 000 microliters of fax buffer. Transfer 200 microliters into two wells of a 96 well plate for both unstained and stained samples.Afterward, centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes, afterward remove the supernatant by inverting the plate, stain the cells with primary conjugated antibody in a final volume of 100 microliters for 30 minutes at room temperature and protect them from light. Subsequently, centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes, after two minutes remove the supernatant by inverting the plate. Following that, re-suspend the samples in 100 microliters of fax buffer.Then centrifuge the plate 931 times g for two minutes. And remove the supernatant by inverting the plate. Next re-suspend the samples in 300 to 500 microliters of fax buffer, transfer them to the one milliliter micro test tubes or the five milliliter round bottom tubes and run the samples on flow cytometor.If the samples cannot be run immediately, store them at four degrees Celsius and protect it from light. In this procedure, re-suspend the cell pellet in commercial fixation and permeable Isation solution for 24 hours at four degrees Celsius. After 24 hours, centrifuge the sample at 455 times g for five minutes, then re-suspend it in 400 microliters of commercial perm wash solution.Next, transfer 200 microliters of the sample in two wells of a 96 well plate for IGG control and PDX1, NKX6.1 staining, centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes. Then re-suspend the cell pellets in 100 microliters of commercial perm wash solution containing anti-PDX1 and anti-NKX61 primary or isotope control antibodies. Incubate them overnight at four degrees Celsius.The next day, centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes, remove the supernatant by inverting the plate and re-suspend the samples in 100 microliters of the commercial perm wash solution. Next, centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes. Remove the supernatant by inverting the plate.Then re-suspend the samples in 100 microliters of perm wash solution containing secondary antibody at room temperature for one hour and protect it from light. After an house, centrifuge the plate 931 times g for two minutes, then remove the supernatant by inverting the plate, following that, re-suspend the samples in 100 microliters of commercial perm wash solution, centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes, remove the supernatant by inverting the plate. Then, re-suspend the sample in 100 microliters of commercial perm wash solution and centrifuge the plate at 931 times g for two minutes again before removing the supernatant.Next, re-suspend the samples in 300 to 500 microliters of fax buffer and transfer them into the separate one milliliter test tubes or five milliliter round bottom tubes for running flow cytometry. Shown here is a sematic of the induction of pancreatic progenitor from human embryonic stem cells which indicates day of differentiation, develop mental stage, base media and the cytokines added at every stage. And here are the phase contrast images at the key stages of pancreatic differentiation.H1 cells were differentiated according to the four stage differentiation protocol depicted. With undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells at day zero, definitive endo derm at stage one, posterior four gut at stage two, pancreatic endo derm at stage three and NKX6.1 positive endo derm pancreatic progenitors at stage four. This figure shows the day three representative flow cytometry plots for CXCR4 PE and CD117 APC antibody staining.Here is the unstained sample and here is the stained sample. And this figure shows day 13 representative flow cytometry plots for stage four derived pancreatic progenitor cells expressing NKX61 and PDX1. This is the IGG control and this is the stained sample.Once mastered, this technique can be done in 13 days. However this may vary depending on the cell line used. While attempting this procedure, it is important to test all agents due to batch to batch variability.After following the procedure, the NKX6.1 positive pancreatic progenitor cells can be further differentiated to insulin producing beta like cells using other published protocols. This provides a platform for studying beta cell maturation and development in vitro. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to efficiently differentiate human pluripotent stem cells to pancreatic progenitors by taking the cells through four key stages of development.

efficient-differentiation-pluripotent-stem-cells-to-nkx6-1-pancreatic

Research

JoVE Journal

Developmental Biology

This video demonstrates the generation of neural progenitor cells from non-transgenic and transgenic human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs). hPSCs are differentiated into neural progenitor cells using a neuronal differentiation medium. While differentiation is induced in non-transgenic cells using small molecules, the transgenic hPSCs are differentiated by adding an antibiotic that induces the promoter for a neuronal differentiation-specific transcription factor.

Differentiating Non-Transgenic and Transgenic Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Neural Progenitor Cells

Here, we describe a method for the purification of differentiated human embryonic stem cells that are committed towards the definitive endoderm for the improvement of downstream applications and further differentiations.

A Quick and Efficient Method for the Purification of Endoderm Cells Generated from Human Embryonic Stem Cells

Protocols to generate hPSC mutant lines using the iCRISPR platform and to differentiate hPSCs into glucose-responsive β-like cells are described. Combining genome editing technology with hPSC-directed differentiation provides a powerful platform for the systematic analysis of the role of lineage determinants in human development and disease progression.

Genome Editing and Directed Differentiation of hPSCs for Interrogating Lineage Determinants in Human Pancreatic Development

This protocol describes a method for generating cortical interneuron progenitors and post-mitotic interneuron precursors from mouse embryonic stem cells using a modified embryoid body-to-monolayer method. These progenitors/precursors can be used in vitro or fluorescently sorted and transplanted into neonatal neocortex for studying fate determination, or used in therapeutic applications.

Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Cortical Interneuron Precursors

Here, we present a detailed protocol to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) into pancreas/duodenum homeobox protein 1+ (PDX1+) cells for the generation of pancreatic lineages based on the non-colony type monolayer growth of dissociated single cells. This method is suitable for producing homogenous hPSC-derived cells, genetic manipulation and screening.

Efficient Generation of Pancreas/Duodenum Homeobox Protein 1+ Posterior Foregut/Pancreatic Progenitors from hPSCs in Adhesion Cultures

This protocol details a monolayer, serum-free method to efficiently generate hepatocyte-like cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in 18 days. This entails six steps as hPSCs sequentially differentiate into intermediate cell-types such as the primitive streak, definitive endoderm, posterior foregut and liver bud progenitors before forming hepatocyte-like cells.

Efficient Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Liver Cells

In this protocol, we describe a stable, highly efficient differentiation strategy for the generation of postganglionic sympathetic neurons from human pluripotent stem cells. This model will make neurons available for the use of studies of multiple autonomic disorders.

Efficient Differentiation of Postganglionic Sympathetic Neurons using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells under Feeder-free and Chemically Defined Culture Conditions

The goal of this article is to provide a standardized approach to induce human hepatic progenitor differentiation from pluripotent stem cells. The development of this procedure with ready-to-use media formulations offer the user a facile system to generate human liver cells for biomedical research and translation.

Hepatic Progenitor Specification from Pluripotent Stem Cells using a Defined Differentiation System

The present protocol describes an enhanced method to increase the co-expression of PDX1 and NKX6.1 transcription factors in pancreatic progenitors derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) in planar monolayers. This is achieved by replenishing the fresh matrix, manipulating cell density, and dissociating the endodermal cells.

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Into Pancreatic Beta-Cell Precursors in a 2D Culture System

The differentiation of stem cells into islet cells provides an alternative solution to conventional diabetes treatment and disease modeling. We describe a detailed stem cell culture protocol that combines a commercial differentiation kit with a previously validated method to aid in producing insulin-secreting, stem cell-derived islets in a dish.

Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Insulin-Producing Islet Clusters

This article presents a protocol for directed differentiation and functional analysis of β-cell like cells. We describe optimal culture conditions and passages for human pluripotent stem cells before generating insulin-producing pancreatic cells. The six-stage differentiation progresses from definitive endoderm formation to functional β-cell like cells secreting insulin in response to glucose.

Optimized Protocol for Generating Functional Pancreatic Insulin-secreting Cells from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Learn a four-stage protocol to differentiate human pluripotent stem cells into NKX6.1+ pancreatic progenitors. This method generates high yields of progenitor cells for studying pancreas development and diabetes research.

Efficient Differentiation of Pluripotent Stem Cells to NKX6-1⁺ Pancreatic Progenitors

Explore More Videos