Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 1, 2026

Hemogenic Endothelium Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells in A Feeder- and Xeno-free Defined Condition
09:00

Hemogenic Endothelium Differentiation from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells in A Feeder- and Xeno-free Defined Condition

Published on: June 16, 2019

10.1K

Engineering the haemogenic niche mitigates endogenous inhibitory signals and controls pluripotent stem cell-derived

Nafees Rahman1,2, Patrick M Brauer3, Lilian Ho4

  • 1Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3ES.

Nature Communications
|May 26, 2017
PubMed

Efforts to recapitulate haematopoiesis, a process guided by spatial and temporal inductive signals, to generate haematopoietic progenitors from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have focused primarily on exogenous signalling pathway activation or inhibition. Here we show haemogenic niches can be engineered using microfabrication strategies by micropatterning hPSC-derived haemogenic endothelial (HE) cells into spatially-organized, size-controlled colonies. CD34+VECAD+ HE cells were generated with multi-lineage potential in serum-free conditions and cultured as size-specific haemogenic niches that displayed enhanced blood cell induction over non-micropatterned cultures. Intra-colony analysis revealed radial organization of CD34 and VECAD expression levels, with CD45+ blood cells emerging primarily from the colony centroid area. We identify the induced interferon gamma protein (IP-10)/p-38 MAPK signalling pathway as the mechanism for haematopoietic inhibition in our culture system. Our results highlight the role of spatial organization in hPSC-derived blood generation, and provide a quantitative platform for interrogating molecular pathways that regulate human haematopoiesis.

More Related Videos

Direct Induction of Hemogenic Endothelium and Blood by Overexpression of Transcription Factors in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells08:14

Direct Induction of Hemogenic Endothelium and Blood by Overexpression of Transcription Factors in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: December 3, 2015

7.9K
Directed Differentiation of Primitive and Definitive Hematopoietic Progenitors from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells14:37

Directed Differentiation of Primitive and Definitive Hematopoietic Progenitors from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Published on: November 1, 2017

11.9K

Related Concept Videos

Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells01:01

Regulation of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

All blood and immune cells are produced from the multipotent hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) by the process of hematopoiesis. However, they all have a limited life span. In addition, many are depleted in immune surveillance or combatting an injury or infection. This makes blood one of the most regenerative tissues. Hematopoiesis helps replenish these blood and immune cells, restoring the body's normal functioning. However, overproduction of blood and immune cells can make them cancerous or...
4.2K
Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells01:19

Multipotency of Hematopoietic Stem Cells

The hematopoietic stem cells or HSCs are multipotent, meaning they can differentiate and give rise to all blood and immune cells. HSCs are maintained in the quiescent stage until an external stimulus initiates their differentiation. The multipotent HSCs exist as two heterogeneous populations, long-term repopulating cells (LTRC) and short-term repopulating cells (STRC). The two HSC populations have different surface markers or receptors and are classified based on quiescence and long-term...
4.0K
Maintenance of the ES Cell State01:14

Maintenance of the ES Cell State

The cells of the blastocyst inner cell mass only remain pluripotent for a short time. This state of pluripotency and self-renewal can be maintained in embryonic stem (ES) cell culture by adding specific chemicals or growth factors to ensure the cells can continue dividing and later differentiate into different cell types. In some cases, the cells are grown on a feeder layer of differentiated cells, which provides the growth factors and extracellular matrix components necessary for stem cell...
2.8K
Production of Formed Elements01:34

Production of Formed Elements

Hemangioblasts are multipotent stem cells originating from the mesoderm. They give rise to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which undergo hematopoiesis to produce all the formed elements of blood. This process is regulated by a complex network of hematopoietic growth factors, including transcription factors, growth factors, and cytokines. These factors stimulate the HSCs to divide and differentiate, though some HSCs remain undifferentiated to maintain a self-renewing pool.
Most HSCs commit to...
5.1K
Overview of Hematopoiesis01:20

Overview of Hematopoiesis

Hematopoiesis, or blood cell production, is a vital biological process that begins early in embryonic development and continues throughout life. This process generates the various types of cells found in blood, including red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).
Developmental Phases of Hematopoiesis
Initially, HSCs are formed in the embryonic yolk sac, a critical site for early blood cell production. These stem cells subsequently migrate to other...
10.6K