Directed cardiomyocyte differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells by modulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling under fully defined conditions

摘要

The protocols described here efficiently direct human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) to functional cardiomyocytes in a completely defined, serum-free system by temporal modulation of regulators of canonical Wnt signaling. Appropriate temporal application of Gsk3 inhibitor followed by expression of β-catenin shRNA or a chemical Wnt inhibitor is sufficient to produce a high yield (0.8–1.3 million cardiomyocytes/cm²) of virtually pure (80%–98%) functional cardiomyocytes from multiple hPSC lines without cell sorting or selection. Characterization of differentiated cells is performed in qualitative (immunostaining) and quantitative (flow cytometry) manners to assess expression of cardiac transcription factors and myofilament proteins. Flow cytometry of BrdU incorporation or Ki67 expression in conjuction with cardiac sarcomere myosin protein expression can be used to determine the proliferative capacity of hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Functional human cardiomyocytes differentiated via these protocols may constitute a potential cell source for heart disease modeling, drug screening, and cell-based therapeutic applications.