Generation, purification and transplantation of photoreceptors derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells.
BACKGROUND
Inherited and acquired retinal degenerations are frequent causes of visual impairment and photoreceptor cell replacement therapy may restore visual function to these individuals. To provide a source of new retinal neurons for cell based therapies, we developed methods to derive retinal progenitors from human ES cells.
In this report we have used a similar method to direct induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) from human fibroblasts to a retinal progenitor fate, competent to generate photoreceptors. We also found we could purify the photoreceptors derived from the iPS cells using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) after labeling photoreceptors with a lentivirus driving GFP from the IRBP cis-regulatory sequences. Moreover, we found that when we transplanted the FACS purified iPSC derived photoreceptors, they were able to integrate into a normal mouse retina and express photoreceptor markers.


CONCLUSIONS
This report provides evidence that enriched populations of human photoreceptors can be derived from iPS cells.
Lamba
Deepak A
DA
Department of Biological Structure, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America.
McUsic
Andrew
A
Hirata
Roli K
RK
Wang
Pei-Rong
PR
Russell
David
D
Reh
Thomas A
TA
D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020419:Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate / Q000378:metabolism*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation