title: A comprehensive gene expression analysis at sequential stages of in vitro cardiac differentiation from isolated MESP1-expressing-mesoderm progenitors.
abstract: In vitro cardiac differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) closely recapitulates in vivo embryonic heart development, and therefore, provides an excellent model to study human cardiac development. We recently generated the dual cardiac fluorescent reporter MESP1(mCherry/w)NKX2-5(eGFP/w) line in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), allowing the visualization of pre-cardiac MESP1+ mesoderm and their further commitment towards the cardiac lineage, marked by activation of the cardiac transcription factor NKX2-5. Here, we performed a comprehensive whole genome based transcriptome analysis of MESP1-mCherry derived cardiac-committed cells. In addition to previously described cardiac-inducing signalling pathways, we identified novel transcriptional and signalling networks indicated by transient activation and interactive network analysis. Furthermore, we found a highly dynamic regulation of extracellular matrix components, suggesting the importance to create a versatile niche, adjusting to various stages of cardiac differentiation. Finally, we identified cell surface markers for cardiac progenitors, such as the Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptor 4 (LGR4), belonging to the same subfamily of LGR5, and LGR6, established tissue/cancer stem cells markers. We provide a comprehensive gene expression analysis of cardiac derivatives from pre-cardiac MESP1-progenitors that will contribute to a better understanding of the key regulators, pathways and markers involved in human cardiac differentiation and development.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Sabine C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: den Hartogh
authors.affiliation: Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wolstencroft
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Christine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Mummery
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.|Department of Applied Stem cell Technologies. MIRA Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine. University of Twente, P.O.Box 217, Enschede, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Passier
mesh_terms: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015415:Biomarkers; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D019295:Computational Biology / Q000379:methods; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D063990:Gene Ontology; D053263:Gene Regulatory Networks; D006321:Heart / Q000196:embryology*; D006801:Humans; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology*; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D059467:Transcriptome
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015415:Biomarkers; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins; C000589015:MESP1 protein, human