title: Cardiomyogenic gene expression profiling of differentiating human embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types. Thus, they provide a model system for embryonic development to investigate the molecular processes of cell differentiation and lineage commitment. The development of the cardiac lineage is easily detected in mixed cultures by the appearance of spontaneously contracting areas of cells. We performed gene expression profiling of undifferentiated and differentiating hESCs and monitored 468 genes expressed during cardiac development and/or in cardiac tissue. Their transcription during early differentiation of hESCs through embryoid bodies (EBs) was investigated and compared with spontaneously differentiating hESCs maintained on feeders in culture without passaging (high-density (HD) protocol). We observed a larger variation in the gene expression between cells from a single cell line that were differentiated using two different protocols than in cells from different cell lines that were cultured according to the same protocol. Notably, the EB protocol resulted in more reproducible transcription profiles than the HD protocol. The results presented here provide new information about gene regulation during early differentiation of hESCs with emphasis on the cardiomyogenic program. In addition, we also identified regulatory elements that could prove critical for the development of the cardiomyocyte lineage.
authors.affiliation: School of Humanities and Informatics, University of Skövde, SE-541 28 Skövde, Sweden. jane.synnergren@his.se
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Synnergren
authors.forename: Sudeshna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Adak
authors.forename: Mikael C O
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Englund
authors.forename: Theresa L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Giesler
authors.forename: Karin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Noaksson
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lindahl
authors.forename: Patric
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Deirdre
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: Stewart
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abbot
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Olsson
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sartipy
mesh_terms: D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000235:genetics; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*