Human umbilical cord-derived cells can often serve as feeder cells to maintain primate embryonic stem cells in a state capable of producing hematopoietic cells.
Clinical application of human embryonic stem (ES) cells will require the establishment of methods for their culture, either in the presence or absence of human-derived feeder cells. We have tested the ability of non-immortalized cultured cells derived from human umbilical cord (HUC cells) to support ES cell culture. A primate ES cell line that had been established and maintained with mouse embryonic fibroblasts was cultured on HUC cells for >3 months (HUC-maintained ES cells). These cells retained their expression of alkaline phosphatase, SSEA-4, Oct-3/4, and to a lesser extent Nanog, but did not express Rex-1. Nevertheless, HUC-maintained ES cells could produce ectoderm-, mesoderm- and endoderm-derived cells in teratomata that they formed in immunodeficient mice. We show that HUC-maintained ES cells could give rise to hematopoietic cells, although this ability of HUC cells varied among HUC cell populations derived from different neonates. HUC cells are promising as human material with which to maintain ES cells in a state that retains their ability to produce mature cells, including hematopoietic cells.
Hiroyama
Takashi
T
Cell Engineering Division, RIKEN BioResource Center, Koyadai 3-1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0074, Japan.
Sudo
Kazuhiro
K
Aoki
Naoko
N
Miharada
Kenichi
K
Danjo
Inaho
I
Fujioka
Tsuyoshi
T
Nagasawa
Toshiro
T
Nakamura
Yukio
Y
D000818:Animals; D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018920:Coculture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006028:Glycosphingolipids / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D008252:Macaca fascicularis / Q000196:embryology; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology; D055746:Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens; D013724:Teratoma / Q000473:pathology; D014470:Umbilical Cord / Q000166:cytology*
D015295:Antigens, Tumor-Associated, Carbohydrate; D006028:Glycosphingolipids; D055746:Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigens; C052924:stage-specific embryonic antigen-3; C066584:stage-specific embryonic antigen-4