title: Comparative analysis of the developmental competence of three human embryonic stem cell lines in vitro.
abstract: One of the goals of stem cell technology is to control the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), thereby generating large numbers of specific cell types for many applications including cell replacement therapy. Although individual hESC lines resemble each other in expressing pluripotency markers and telomerase activity, it is not clear whether they are equivalent in their developmental potential in vitro. We compared the developmental competence of three hESC lines (HSF6, Miz-hES4, and Miz-hES6). All three generated the three embryonic germ layers, extraembryonic tissues, and primordial germ cells during embryoid body (EB) formation. However, HSF6 and Miz-hES6 readily formed neuroectoderm, whereas Miz-hES4 differentiated preferentially into mesoderm and endoderm. Upon terminal differentiation, HSF6 and Miz-hES6 produced mainly neuronal cells whereas Miz-hES4 mainly formed mesendodermal derivatives, including endothelial cells, leukocyte progenitors, hepatocytes, and pancreatic cells. Our observations suggest that independently-derived hESCs may differ in their developmental potential.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, Division of Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Korea University, Seoul 136-713, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Byung-Kak
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jung-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: Suel-Kee
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jong-Hoon
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D019070:Cell Lineage; D004475:Ectoderm / Q000166:cytology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D004707:Endoderm / Q000166:cytology; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers