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Updated: May 30, 2026
09:07
Chemical Reversion of Conventional Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to a Naïve-like State with Improved Multilineage Differentiation Potency
Published on: June 10, 2018
Normal human pluripotent stem cell lines exhibit pervasive mosaic aneuploidy
Suzanne E Peterson1, Jurjen W Westra, Stevens K Rehen
1Department of Molecular Biology, Dorris Neuroscience Center, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, United States of America.
Plos One
|August 23, 2011
Summary
Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines are not uniformly normal; they are karyotypic mosaics. This mosaic aneuploidy, common in early development, may explain hPSC variability and impact therapeutic use.
Area of Science:
- Stem Cell Biology
- Genetics
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) lines were previously assumed to be uniformly euploid.
- Understanding the karyotypic stability of hPSCs is crucial for their therapeutic applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the karyotypic composition of normal human pluripotent stem cell lines.
- To determine if aneuploidy is a pathological feature or a normal characteristic of hPSCs.
Main Methods:
- Chromosome counting
- Spectral karyotyping (SKY)
- Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) on interphase/non-mitotic cells
Main Results:
- Normal hPSC lines, including induced pluripotent stem cells, are karyotypic mosaics.
- These lines contain a mixture of euploid cells and cells with non-clonal aneuploidies.
- The observed mosaic aneuploidy mirrors that found in neural progenitor cells and preimplantation embryos.
Conclusions:
- Mosaic aneuploidy appears to be a normal feature of hPSC lines, not a pathological deviation.
- Karyotypic heterogeneity in hPSCs may underlie their functional and phenotypic variability.
- This heterogeneity could influence the therapeutic efficacy and safety of hPSC-based transplantation.
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