Lost in translation: pluripotent stem cell-derived hematopoiesis

Area of Science:

• Stem cell biology
• Developmental biology
• Hematopoiesis

Background:

• Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells and induced PSCs, offer insights into human biology and development.
• Understanding PSC differentiation in vitro can identify factors influencing germ layer specification, mimicking in vivo development.
• This knowledge aids in understanding human embryonic development and generating cells for regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in hematopoietic specification from PSC sources.
• To elucidate emerging factors controlling primitive and definitive hematopoietic development.
• To highlight strategies for enhancing PSC differentiation into hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive review of existing literature on PSC differentiation and hematopoietic development.
• Analysis of cell extrinsic and intrinsic factors influencing hematopoietic specification.
• Examination of cytokine roles in generating mature hematopoietic lineages from PSCs.

Main Results:

• While generating fully defined hematopoietic stem cells from PSCs remains challenging in vitro, significant progress has been made.
• Cell extrinsic factors, particularly cytokines, play an instructive role in generating mature hematopoietic cells from PSCs.
• The review details the role of cytokines in deriving various mature hematopoietic cell types, including macrophages, erythrocytes, and lymphocytes.

Conclusions:

• PSC differentiation is a valuable model for studying human development and generating therapeutic cells.
• Cytokines are crucial for directing PSCs toward specific mature hematopoietic lineages.
• Further research into PSC differentiation holds potential for advancing cell replacement therapies.