Derivation of multipotent mesenchymal precursors from human embryonic stem cells.
BACKGROUND
Human embryonic stem cells provide access to the earliest stages of human development and may serve as a source of specialized cells for regenerative medicine. Thus, it becomes crucial to develop protocols for the directed differentiation of embryonic stem cells into tissue-restricted precursors.


RESULTS
Here, we present culture conditions for the derivation of unlimited numbers of pure mesenchymal precursors from human embryonic stem cells and demonstrate multilineage differentiation into fat, cartilage, bone, and skeletal muscle cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings will help to elucidate the mechanism of mesoderm specification during embryonic stem cell differentiation and provide a platform to efficiently generate specialized human mesenchymal cell types for future clinical applications.
Division of Neurosurgery and Developmental Biology Program, Sloan-Kettering Institute, New York, New York, USA.
Tiziano
T
Barberi
Lucy M
LM
Willis
Nicholas D
ND
Socci
Lorenz
L
Studer
D017667:Adipocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D053674:Aggrecans / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D017570:MyoD Protein / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D017154:Stromal Cells
D053674:Aggrecans; D017570:MyoD Protein; C057363:MyoD1 myogenic differentiation protein; D047495:PPAR gamma; D012333:RNA, Messenger