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Updated: Jun 27, 2025

In Vitro Generation of Somite Derivatives from Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
Published on: April 25, 2019
Heparan Sulfate Chain-Conjugated Laminin-E8 Fragments Advance Paraxial Mesodermal Differentiation Followed by High
Mingming Zhao1,2, Yukimasa Taniguchi3, Chisei Shimono3
1Department of Clinical Application, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin-Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
Abstract:
Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have great therapeutic potential. The cell source differentiated from hiPSCs requires xeno-free and robust methods for lineage-specific differentiation. Here, a system is described for differentiating hiPSCs on new generation laminin fragments (NGLFs), a recombinant form of a laminin E8 fragment conjugated to the heparan sulfate chains (HS) attachment domain of perlecan. Using NGLFs, hiPSCs are highly promoted to direct differentiation into a paraxial mesoderm state with high-efficiency muscle lineage generation. HS conjugation to the C-terminus of Laminin E8 fragments brings fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) bound to the HS close to the cell surface of hiPSCs, thereby facilitating stronger FGF signaling pathways stimulation and initiating HOX gene expression, which triggers the paraxial mesoderm differentiation of hiPSCs. This highly efficient differentiation system can provide a roadmap for paraxial mesoderm development and an infinite source of myocytes and muscle stem cells for disease modeling and regenerative medicine.

