title: Gene expression profiles of similarly derived human embryonic stem cell lines correlate with their distinct propensity to exit stemness and their different differentiation behavior in culture.
abstract: Four normal-karyotype human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines were generated using the same protocol and maintained under identical conditions. Despite these precautions, gene expression patterns were found to be dissimilar among the four lines. The observed differences were typical of each cell line, correlated with their distinct propensity to exit stemness, created heterogeneity among the cells during cell line maintenance, and correlated with their altered capacity as a source of differentiated cells. The capacity of some cell lines to give rise to more, and more mature, neurons within comparable time frames of directed differentiation reflected the distinct proportions of cells already predifferentiated at the onset. These findings demonstrate that the subsequent stages of neural differentiation were altered both in a quantitative and timely fashion. As a consequence, cell lines with apparent better and quicker ability to produce neurons were actually the less capable of reproducing proper differentiation. Previous data suggested that cell lines able to generate more neurons faster would be more suitable to clinical application. Our analysis of the differentiation process strongly suggests the opposite. The spontaneous tendency to predifferentiate of any particular hESC line should be known because it clearly impacts further experimental results.
authors.affiliation: 1 Clinic of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University of Basel , CH-4031, Basel, Switzerland .
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sterthaus
authors.forename: Anne-Catherine
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Feutz
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Flurina
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pletscher
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bruder
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Miny
authors.forename: Giandomenica
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lezzi
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Geyter
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: De Geyter
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction