Selective Differentiation into Hematopoietic and Cardiac Cells from Pluripotent Stem Cells Based on the Expression of...

Area of Science:

• Stem cell biology
• Developmental biology
• Cell biology

Background:

• Flk1-expressing mesodermal cells are crucial for generating hematopoietic cells and cardiomyocytes from pluripotent stem cells (PSCs).
• However, Flk1(+) cells are heterogeneous, containing both hematopoietic and cardiac progenitors.
• Efficiently separating these progenitors is essential for directed differentiation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify a novel cell surface marker for efficient separation of PSC-derived Flk1(+) mesodermal progenitors.
• To establish a method for highly efficient production of hematopoietic cells and cardiomyocytes from PSCs.

Main Methods:

• Utilized coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) expression to stratify Flk1(+) cells.
• Separated mouse and human PSC- and mouse embryo-derived Flk1(+) cells into Flk1(+)CAR(-) and Flk1(+)CAR(+) populations.
• Assessed the differentiation potential of separated cell populations into hematopoietic cells and cardiomyocytes.

Main Results:

• CAR expression successfully divided Flk1(+) cells into two distinct populations: Flk1(+)CAR(-) and Flk1(+)CAR(+).
• Flk1(+)CAR(-) cells efficiently differentiated into hematopoietic cells.
• Flk1(+)CAR(+) cells efficiently differentiated into cardiomyocytes.

Conclusions:

• Coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is a novel and effective cell surface marker for distinguishing hematopoietic and cardiac progenitors within Flk1(+) mesodermal cells.
• CAR-based separation enables a highly efficient differentiation method from PSCs into specific hematopoietic and cardiac lineages.
• This finding provides a valuable tool for regenerative medicine and cell-based therapies.