| 1. |
- Synnergren, Jane, 1967, et al.
(author)
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Cardiomyogenic gene expression profiling of differentiating human embryonic stem cells.
- 2008
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In: Journal of biotechnology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0168-1656 .- 1873-4863. ; 134:1-2, s. 162-70
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types. Thus, they provide a model system for embryonic development to investigate the molecular processes of cell differentiation and lineage commitment. The development of the cardiac lineage is easily detected in mixed cultures by the appearance of spontaneously contracting areas of cells. We performed gene expression profiling of undifferentiated and differentiating hESCs and monitored 468 genes expressed during cardiac development and/or in cardiac tissue. Their transcription during early differentiation of hESCs through embryoid bodies (EBs) was investigated and compared with spontaneously differentiating hESCs maintained on feeders in culture without passaging (high-density (HD) protocol). We observed a larger variation in the gene expression between cells from a single cell line that were differentiated using two different protocols than in cells from different cell lines that were cultured according to the same protocol. Notably, the EB protocol resulted in more reproducible transcription profiles than the HD protocol. The results presented here provide new information about gene regulation during early differentiation of hESCs with emphasis on the cardiomyogenic program. In addition, we also identified regulatory elements that could prove critical for the development of the cardiomyocyte lineage.
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| 2. |
- Ghosheh, Nidal, et al.
(author)
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Highly Synchronized Expression of Lineage-Specific Genes during In Vitro Hepatic Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines
- 2016
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In: Stem Cells International. - : Hindawi Limited. - 1687-966X .- 1687-9678.
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human pluripotent stem cells- (hPSCs-) derived hepatocytes have the potential to replace many hepatic models in drug discovery and provide a cell source for regenerative medicine applications. However, the generation of fully functional hPSC-derived hepatocytes is still a challenge. Towards gaining better understanding of the differentiation and maturation process, we employed a standardized protocol to differentiate six hPSC lines into hepatocytes and investigated the synchronicity of the hPSC lines by applying RT-qPCR to assess the expression of lineage-specific genes (OCT4, NANOG, T, SOX17, CXCR4, CER1, HHEX, TBX3, PROX1, HNF6, AFP, HNF4a, KRT18, ALB, AAT, and CYP3A4) which serve as markers for different stages during liver development. The data was evaluated using correlation and clustering analysis, demonstrating that the expression of these markers is highly synchronized and correlated well across all cell lines. The analysis also revealed a distribution of the markers in groups reflecting the developmental stages of hepatocytes. Functional analysis of the differentiated cells further confirmed their hepatic phenotype. Taken together, these results demonstrate, on the molecular level, the highly synchronized differentiation pattern across multiple hPSC lines. Moreover, this study provides additional understanding for future efforts to improve the functionality of hPSC-derived hepatocytes and thereby increase the value of related models.
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| 3. |
- Synnergren, Jane, et al.
(author)
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Clustering micro-RNA array data using an information fusion based approach with multiple types of input data
- 2010
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In: Proceedings of the ISCA 2nd International Conference on Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, BICoB-2010, March 24-26, 2010, Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. - : International Society for Computers and Their Applications. - 9781880843765 - 9781617381119 ; , s. 151-158
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding molecules that have been shown to play key roles in regulating cellular development and to be involved in various diseases. By interfering with their target mRNAs, these molecules inhibit the expression of proteins, either by destabilizing the mRNA molecule or by preventing its translation. It has been suggested that each miRNA can target hundreds of mRNAs, and that one mRNA can be targeted by several miRNAs. This makes it extremely complex to determine the roles of specific miRNAs in the regulation of translation of mRNA. Recent advancements in microarray technology have made large-scale monitoring of miRNA expression possible. However, the size and complexity of these data sets make them challenging to analyze, and improved algorithms are therefore required to facilitate the analysis. In this paper, we present a novel clustering algorithm that uses an Information Fusion (IF) approach to cluster miRNA data, allowing for multiple types of input data to guide the clustering. For evaluation of the algorithm, we used miRNA expression data from human embryonic stem cells and cardiomyocyte-like cells derived thereof. Clusters obtained when using the multiple input data approach were compared to those generated when using only the expression data. Our results show that it is beneficial to include various types of genomic data as input to the clustering process, since it results in clusters of increased biological relevance.
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| 4. |
- Synnergren, Jane, 1967, et al.
(author)
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Differentiating human embryonic stem cells express a unique housekeeping gene signature.
- 2007
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In: Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio). - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1066-5099 .- 1549-4918. ; 25:2, s. 473-80
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Housekeeping genes (HKGs) are involved in basic functions needed for the sustenance of the cell and are assumed to be constitutively expressed at a constant level. Based on these features, HKGs are frequently used for normalization of gene expression data. In the present study, we used the CodeLink Gene Expression Bioarray system to interrogate changes in gene expression occurring during differentiation of human ESCs (hESCs). Notably, in the three hESC lines used for the study, we observed that the RNA levels of 56 frequently used HKGs varied to a degree that rendered them inappropriate as reference genes. Therefore, we defined a novel set of HKGs specifically for hESCs. Here we present a comprehensive list of 292 genes that are stably expressed (coefficient of variation <20%) in differentiating hESCs. These genes were further grouped into high-, medium-, and low-expressed genes. The expression patterns of these novel HKGs show very little overlap with results obtained from somatic cells and tissues. We further explored the stability of this novel set of HKGs in independent, publicly available gene expression data from hESCs and observed substantial similarities with our results. Gene expression was confirmed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis. Taken together, these results suggest that differentiating hESCs have a unique HKG signature and underscore the necessity to validate the expression profiles of putative HKGs. In addition, this novel set of HKGs can preferentially be used as controls in gene expression analyses of differentiating hESCs.
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| 5. |
- Synnergren, Jane, et al.
(author)
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Differentiating human embryonic stem cells express a unique housekeeping gene signature
- 2006
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In: 4th ISSCR Annual Meeting.
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) represent populations of pluripotent undifferentiated cells with unlimited replication capacity which can be coaxed to differentiate into a variety of specialized cells. As a result, there is great hope that hESCs will be extremely useful by providing platforms for various in vitro applications (e.g. in drug discovery) as well as for future use of hESCs and their differentiated progeny in cell replacement therapies. In order to realize the potential of hESCs, it is necessary to gain much deeper knowledge about the processes that govern differentiation of these cells.In recent years, significant progress towards understanding cellular differentiation has been fuelled, in part, by studying gene expression using microarrays. In this large scale studies, statistical methods are used to normalize the gene expression data and render comparisons between different samples. In lower throughput analyses, RNA levels in hESCs are also measured using RT-PCR requiring normalization of the gene expression data to adequately correct for inter-sample variation. In general, investigators have used the traditional housekeeping genes (HKGs) (e.g. GAPDH, b-tubulin, b-actin) in studies of hESCs. HKGs are involved in basic functions needed for the sustenance of the cell and are assumed to be constitutively expressed at a constant level. Based on these features, HKGs are frequently used for normalization of gene expression data. However, it is well known that the expression of several of these genes vary considerably in adult tissues and their suitability as HKGs in hESCs remains to be proven. In this regard, the RNA levels of HPRT and b-tubulin were shown to vary substantially in differentiating mouse ESCs.In the present study, we used the CodeLinkTM Gene Expression Bioarray system to interrogate changes in gene expression occurring during differentiation of hESCs. Notably, in the three hESC lines used for the study, we observed that the RNA levels of 56 frequently used HKGs varied to a degree that rendered them inappropriate as reference genes. Therefore, we defined a novel set of HKGs specifically for hESCs. Here we present a comprehensive list of 292 genes that are stably expressed (coefficient of variation<20%) in differentiating hESCs. These genes were further grouped into high, medium, and low expressed genes. The expression patterns of these novel HKGs show very little overlap with results obtained from somatic cells and tissues. We further explored the stability of this novel set of HKGs in independent, publicly available gene expression data from hESCs and observed substantial similarities in terms of stably expressed genes. Taken together, these results suggest that hESCs have a unique HKG signature and underscore the necessity to validate the expression profiles of putative HKGs. In addition, the novel set of identified HKGs can preferentially be used as controls in gene expression analyses of differentiating hESCs.
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| 6. |
- Synnergren, Jane, 1967, et al.
(author)
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Expression of microRNAs and their target mRNAs in human stem cell-derived cardiomyocyte clusters and in heart tissue.
- 2011
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In: Physiological genomics. - : American Physiological Society. - 1531-2267 .- 1094-8341. ; 43:10, s. 581-94
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Recent studies have shown that microRNAs (miRNAs) act as posttranscriptional regulators and that they play important roles during heart development and in cardiac function. Thus, they may provide new means of altering stem cell fate and differentiation processes. However, information about the correlation between global miRNA and mRNA expression in cardiomyocyte clusters (CMCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) and in fetal and adult heart tissue is lacking. In the present study the global miRNA and mRNA expression in hESC-derived CMCs and in fetal and adult heart tissue was investigated in parallel using microarrays. Target genes for the differentially expressed miRNAs were predicted using computational methods, and the concordance in miRNA expression and mRNA levels of potential target genes was determined across the experimental samples. The biology of the predicted target genes was further explored regarding their molecular functions and involvement in known regulatory pathways. A clear correlation between the global miRNA expression and corresponding target mRNA expression was observed. Using three different sources of cardiac tissue-like samples, we defined the similarities between in vitro hESC-derived CMCs and their in vivo counterparts. The results are in line with previously reported observations that miRNAs repress mRNA expression and additionally identify a number of novel miRNAs with potential important roles in human cardiac tissue. The concordant miRNA expression pattern observed among all the cardiac tissue-like samples analyzed here provide a starting point for future ambitious studies aiming towards assessment of the functional roles of specific miRNAs during cardiomyocyte differentiation.
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| 7. |
- Synnergren, Jane, 1967, et al.
(author)
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Molecular signature of cardiomyocyte clusters derived from human embryonic stem cells.
- 2008
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In: Stem cells (Dayton, Ohio). - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1549-4918 .- 1066-5099. ; 26:7, s. 1831-40
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can differentiate in vitro into spontaneously contracting cardiomyocytes (CMs). These cells may prove extremely useful for various applications in basic research, drug discovery, and regenerative medicine. To fully use the potential of the cells, they need to be extensively characterized, and the regulatory mechanisms that control hESC differentiation toward the cardiac lineage need to be better defined. In this study, we used microarrays to analyze, for the first time, the global gene expression profile of isolated hESC-derived CM clusters. By comparing the clusters with undifferentiated hESCs and using stringent selection criteria, we identified 530 upregulated and 40 downregulated genes in the contracting clusters. To further characterize the family of upregulated genes in the hESC-derived CM clusters, the genes were classified according to their Gene Ontology annotation. The results indicate that the hESC-derived CM clusters display high similarities, on a molecular level, to human heart tissue. Moreover, using the family of upregulated genes, we created protein interaction maps that revealed topological characteristics. We also searched for cellular pathways among the upregulated genes in the hESC-derived CM clusters and identified eight significantly upregulated pathways. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical analysis confirmed the expression of a subset of the genes identified by the microarrays. Taken together, the results presented here provide a molecular signature of hESC-derived CM clusters and further our understanding of the biological processes that are active in these cells.
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| 8. |
- Synnergren, Jane, 1967, et al.
(author)
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Transcriptional profiling of human embryonic stem cells differentiating to definitive and primitive endoderm and further toward the hepatic lineage.
- 2010
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In: Stem cells and development. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1557-8534 .- 1547-3287. ; 19:7, s. 961-78
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Human embryonic stem cells (hESC) can differentiate into a variety of specialized cell types, and they constitute a useful model system to study embryonic development in vitro. In order to fully utilize the potential of these cells, the mechanisms that regulate the developmental processes of specific lineage differentiation need to be better defined. The aim of this study was to explore the molecular program involved in the differentiation of hESC toward definitive endoderm (DE) and further into the hepatic lineage, and to compare that with primitive endoderm (PrE) differentiation. To that end, we applied two protocols: a specific DE differentiation protocol and an intrinsic differentiation protocol that mainly mediates PrE formation. We collected hESC, hESC-derived DE, DE-derived hepatocyte-progenitors (DE-Prog), DE-derived hepatocyte-like cells (DE-Hep), and the corresponding PrE derivatives. The samples were analyzed using microarrays, and we identified sets of genes that were exclusively up-regulated in DE derivatives (compared to PrE derivatives) at discrete developmental stages. We also investigated known protein interactions among the set of up-regulated genes in DE-Hep. The results demonstrate important differences between DE and PrE differentiation on the transcriptional level. In particular, our results identify a unique molecular program, exclusively activated during development of DE and the subsequent differentiation of DE toward the hepatic lineage. We identified key genes and pathways of potential importance for future efforts to improve hepatic differentiation from hESC. These results reveal new opportunities for rational design of specific interventions with the purpose of generating enriched populations of DE derivatives, including functional hepatocytes.
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