title: Adaptation of human embryonic stem cells to feeder-free and matrix-free culture conditions directly on plastic surfaces.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that cultivation of undifferentiated human embryonic stem (hES) cells requires human fibroblasts (hF) or mouse embryonic fibroblast (mEF) feeders or a coating matrix such as laminin, fibronectin or Matrigel in combination with mEF or hF conditioned medium. We here demonstrate a successful feeder-free and matrix-free culture system in which undifferentiated hES cells can be cultured directly on plastic surfaces without any supportive coating, in a hF conditioned medium. The hES cells cultured directly on plastic surfaces grow as colonies with morphology very similar to cells cultured on Matrigel(TM). Two hES cell lines SA167 and AS034.1 were adapted to matrix-free growth (MFG) and have so far been cultured up to 43 passages and cryopreserved successfully. The lines maintained a normal karyotype and expressed the expected marker profile of undifferentiated hES cells for Oct-4, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, TRA-1-60, TRA-1-81 and SSEA-1. The hES cells formed teratomas in SCID mice and differentiated in vitro into derivates of all three germ layers. Thus, the MFG-adapted hES cells appear to retain pluripotency and to remain undifferentiated. The present culture system has a clear potential to be scaleable up to a manufacturing level and become the preferred culture system for various applications such as cell therapy and toxicity testing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Chemistry and Transfusion Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden. narmin.bigdeli@gu.se
authors.forename: Narmin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bigdeli
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andersson
authors.forename: Raimund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Strehl
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Emanuelsson
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kilmare
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hyllner
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindahl
mesh_terms: D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D006801:Humans; D010969:Plastics / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D010969:Plastics