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Identification of molecules derived from human fibroblast feeder cells that support the proliferation of human embryonic stem cells

Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters volume 16, pages 79–88 (2011)Cite this article

Abstract

The majority of human embryonic stem cell lines depend on a feeder cell layer for continuous growth in vitro, so that they can remain in an undifferentiated state. Limited knowledge is available concerning the molecular mechanisms that underlie the capacity of feeder cells to support both the proliferation and pluripotency of these cells. Importantly, feeder cells generally lose their capacity to support human embryonic stem cell proliferation in vitro following long-term culture. In this study, we performed large-scale gene expression profiles of human foreskin fibroblasts during early, intermediate and late passages using a custom DNA microarray platform (NeuroStem 2.0 Chip). The microarray data was validated using RT-PCR and virtual SAGE analysis. Our comparative gene expression study identified a limited number of molecular targets potentially involved in the ability of human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts to serve as feeder cells for human embryonic stem cell cultures. Among these, the C-KIT, leptin and pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) genes were the most interesting candidates.

Abbreviations

hESC:

human embryonic stem cells

hFC:

human fibroblast cells

hFF:

human neonatal foreskin fibroblasts

HPC:

hematopoietic progenitor cells

HSC:

hematopoietic stem cells

MEF:

mouse embryonic fibroblasts

MSC:

mesenchymal stem cells

NSC:

neural stem cells

PEDF:

pigment epithelium-derived factor

SAGE:

serial analysis of gene expression

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Neuronal Survival Unit, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, BMC A10, Sölvegatan 17, 221 84, Lund, Sweden

    Sergey V. Anisimov, Nicolaj S. Christophersen, Ana S. Correia, Vanessa J. Hall, Ingrid Sandelin, Jia-Yi Li & Patrik Brundin

  2. Research Department of Cell and Gene Engineering, V. A. Almazov Federal Center for Heart, Blood & Endocrinology, Saint-Petersburg, 197341, Russia

    Sergey V. Anisimov

  3. Department of Intracellular Signalling and Transport, Institute of Cytology, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg, 194064, Russia

    Sergey V. Anisimov

  4. Faculty of Medicine, Centre de Recherche du CHUL, Neuroscience Axis, Université Laval, Québec, G1V4G2, QC, Canada

    Ana S. Correia

  5. Department of Basic Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK-1870, Denmark

    Vanessa J. Hall

  6. IVF Kliniken Cura, 200 74, Malmö, Sweden

    Ingrid Sandelin

Authors
  1. Sergey V. Anisimov
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  2. Nicolaj S. Christophersen
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  3. Ana S. Correia
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  4. Vanessa J. Hall
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  5. Ingrid Sandelin
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  6. Jia-Yi Li
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  7. Patrik Brundin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Patrik Brundin.

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These authors contributed equally to this study

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Anisimov, S.V., Christophersen, N.S., Correia, A.S. et al. Identification of molecules derived from human fibroblast feeder cells that support the proliferation of human embryonic stem cells. Cell Mol Biol Lett 16, 79–88 (2011). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11658-010-0039-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11658-010-0039-8

Key words

Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters

ISSN: 1689-1392

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