title: Hepatic differentiation of porcine embryonic stem cells for translational research of hepatocyte transplantation.
abstract: Porcine embryonic stem cells (ES) are considered attractive preclinical research tools for human liver diseases. Although several studies previously reported generation of porcine ES, none of these studies has described hepatic differentiation from porcine ES. The aim of this study was to generate hepatocytes from porcine ES and analyze their characteristics. We optimized conditions for definitive endoderm induction and developed a 4-step hepatic differentiation protocol. A brief serum-free condition with activin A efficiently induced definitive endoderm differentiation from porcine ES. The porcine ES-derived hepatocyte-like cells highly expressed hepatic markers including albumin and α-fetoprotein, and displayed liver characteristics such as glycogen storage, lipid production, and low-density lipoprotein uptake. For the first time, we describe a highly efficient protocol for hepatic differentiation from porcine ES. Our findings provide valuable information for translational liver research using porcine models, including hepatic regeneration and transplant studies, drug screening, and toxicology.
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hussein
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ghim
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; College of Biomedical Science, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency, Anyang, Korea.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.affiliation: College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: G S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; College of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; College of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Stem Cell Institute, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea; College of Veterinary Medicine, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea. Electronic address: woohm@kangwon.ac.kr.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Woo
mesh_terms: D000418:Albumins / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000502:physiology* / Q000637:transplantation; D023421:Models, Animal; D013552:Swine; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000418:Albumins; D015415:Biomarkers; D000509:alpha-Fetoproteins