The use of gating technology in bioengineering insulin-secreting cells from embryonic stem cells

• Published in: Cytotechnology (Dordrecht) Vol. 41; no. 2-3; pp. 145 - 151
• Main Authors: ROCHE, Enrique, BURCIN, Mark M, ESSER, Sybille, RÜDIGER, Manfred, SORIA, Bernat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer 01.03.2003; Springer Nature B.V; Kluwer Academic Publishers
• Subjects: Bioengineering; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Cardiomyocytes; Cell culture; Cell differentiation; Cell lineage; Embryo cells; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gating; Growth factors; Insulin; Neomycin; Neural stem cells; Regulatory sequences; Stem cells; Transfection; Transgenes; gating technology; Embryo; endocrine pancreas; Stem cell; antibiotic selection; cell therapy; embryonic stem cells; pancreatic β-cell; diabetes mellitus; Insulin
• ISSN: 0920-9069; 1573-0778
• DOI: 10.1023/A:1024878807264

Embryonic stem cells display the ability to differentiate in vitro into a variety of cell types. This process is induced by embryoid body formation, addition of several soluble growth factors to the culture medium and other strategies. However, none of the used factors is capable to drive differentiation to only one specific celltype. The use of gating technology has allowed to partially overcome this problem. The rational behind this technique is based on the transfection of stem cells with a transgene carrying expression cassettes for a cell type specific promoter, regulating expression ofa selectable marker to select one cell lineage from other cell lineages.Using this system, we have obtained insulin-secreting cells by transfecting mouse embryonic stem cells with a DNA construct providing resistance to neomycin under the control of the regulatory regions of the human insulin gene. Furthermore, gating technology has been successfully used to isolate other cell types such as cardiomyocytes and neural precursors from undifferentiated embryonic stem cells. This review focuses on the possibilities offered by this technology in embryonic stem cell bioengineering, mainly to obtain insulin-secreting cells. Advantages and considerations of this selection system will be also discussed.