Functional Characterization and Gene Expression Profiling of α-Smooth Muscle Actin Expressing Cardiomyocytes Derived from Murine Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

摘要

Pluripotent embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are capable of self-renewal and differentiation into specialized somatic cell types in vitro (for review see [1-4]). ESCs can serve as a versatile in vitro model, including in vitro developmental biology, drug discovery and cell replacement therapies of degenerative diseases [1-4]. However, sophisticated differentiation protocols and understanding of molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in differentiation processes is required to understand the physiological and functional identity of the differentiated somatic cells. This is a prerequisite for establishing robust in vitro ESC-based models for research and for regenerative medicine.