title: Differentiation of mouse induced pluripotent stem cells into corneal epithelial-like cells.
abstract: Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into a pluripotent ES-cell-like state (termed induced pluripotent stem cells, iPS) by transcription factors, which have enormous therapeutic potential for regenerative medicine. We have investigated whether iPS can directly differentiate into corneal epithelium-like cells. Mouse iPS cells were co-cultured with corneal limbal stroma. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and scanning electron microscopy analysis were used to detect differentiated iPS. Undifferentiated iPS cells expressed ES cells related genes. Co-culture with corneal limbal stroma, in the presence of additional factors bFGF, EGF and NGF, activated keratin expression 12 (K12, a marker of corneal epithelial cells) and downregulated Nanog. These data suggest that mouse iPS cells can differentiate into corneal epithelial-like cells by replication of a corneal epithelial stem cell niche.
authors: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 54 Xian Lie Nan Road, Guangzhou 510060, China.
authors: Dan
authors: D
authors: Yu
authors: Mengfei
authors: M
authors: Chen
authors: Xuerong
authors: X
authors: Sun
authors: Jian
authors: J
authors: Ge
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D057026:Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014157:Transcription Factors