MiRNA Profiling in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Human iPS cells are capable of differentiation towards all three germ layer lineages. As well as being of use for the study of developmental biology, these cells also provide an excellent resource for disease modeling and cell replacement therapies. iPS cells derived from an individual with a disease type of interest can be differentiated towards the cell type afflicted in that particular disease. Such differentiated cell types can be used to test patient-specific drug responses in vitro, for generation of replacement cells for transplantation, or as a starting material for gene editing to correct disease-causing mutations/deletions. With such a vast array of potential applications, there is a great need to understand the exact mechanisms controlling the maintenance of pluripotency, and the distinct cues signaling these cells to differentiate towards lineages of interest. This chapter focuses on microRNA profiling using TaqMan Human MicroRNA Arrays to examine expression of 754 miRNAs in human iPS cells in the pluripotent state, and iPS derived definitive endoderm.