title: Collagen scaffolds with or without the addition of RGD peptides support cardiomyogenesis after aggregation of mouse embryonic stem cells.
abstract: Embryonic stem (ES) cell-based cardiac muscle repair using tissue-engineered scaffolds is an attractive prospective treatment option for patients suffering from heart disease. In this study, our aim was to characterize mouse ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes growing on collagen I/III scaffolds, modified with the adhesion peptides arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD). Mouse ES-derived embryoid bodies (EBs) differentiated efficiently into beating cardiomyocytes on the collagen scaffolds. QPCR analysis and immunofluorescent staining showed that cardiomyocytes expressed cardiac muscle-related transcripts and proteins. Analysis of cardiomyocytes by electron microscopy identified muscle fiber bundles and Z bands, typical of ES-derived cardiomyocytes. No differences were detected between the collagen + RGD and collagen control scaffolds. ES cells that were not differentiated as EBs prior to seeding on the scaffold, did not differentiate into cardiomyocytes. These results indicate that a collagen I/III scaffold supports cardiac muscle development and function after EB formation, and that this scaffold appears suitable for future in vivo testing. The addition of the RGD domain to the collagen scaffold did not improve cardiomyocyte development or viability, indicating that RGD signaling to integrins was not a rate-limiting event for cardiomyogenesis from EBs seeded on a collagen scaffold.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON, Canada. dawson.jennifer@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dawson
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Schussler
authors.forename: Ashraf
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Madhoun
authors.forename: Claudine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Menard
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruel
authors.forename: Ilona S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Skerjanc
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002449:Cell Aggregation / Q000187:drug effects; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003094:Collagen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D058732:Embryoid Bodies / Q000166:cytology; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009842:Oligopeptides; C047981:arginyl-glycyl-aspartic acid; D003094:Collagen