Prerequisite OCT4 Maintenance Potentiates the Neural Induction of Differentiating Human Embryonic Stem Cells and Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

• Published in: Cell transplantation Vol. 24; no. 5; pp. 829 - 844
• Main Authors: Chen, Sheng-Mei, Lee, Maw-Sheng, Chang, Chia-Yu, Lin, Shinn-Zong, Cheng, En-Hui, Liu, Yung-Hsien, Pan, Hong-Chuan, Lee, Hsiu-Chin, Su, Hong-Lin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.05.2015; SAGE Publishing
• Subjects: Benzamides - pharmacology; Cell Differentiation; Cell Survival - drug effects; Cell Survival - genetics; Dioxoles - pharmacology; Embryonic Stem Cells - cytology; Embryonic Stem Cells - metabolism; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 - pharmacology; Humans; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells - cytology; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells - metabolism; Neurons - cytology; Neurons - metabolism; Octamer Transcription Factor-3 - genetics; Octamer Transcription Factor-3 - metabolism; Neural progenitor cells; Embryonic stem cells; Wnt; Neural induction (NI)
• ISSN: 0963-6897; 1555-3892
• DOI: 10.3727/096368913X675179

Establishing an efficient differentiation procedure is prerequisite for the cell transplantation of pluripotent stem cells. Activating fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signals and inhibiting the activin/nodal pathway are both conserved principles to direct the neural induction (NI) of developing embryos and human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Wnt signal and OCT4 expression are critical for the hESC pluripotency; however, their roles in cell differentiation are largely unclear. We demonstrate that in the presence of FGF2 and activin inhibitor SB431542, applying a small-molecule Wnt agonist, BIO, efficiently and rapidly steers the NI of all our tested hESCs. A human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), which is refractory for efficient neural conversion by FGF2, effectively differentiated to SOX1+ cells after the BIO/SB431542/FGF2 treatment. In addition, BIO promoted cell survival and transiently sustained OCT4 expression at the early NI stage with FGF2 and SB431542. Interestingly, at the late NI stage, the OCT4 level rapidly declined in the treated hESCs and consequently initiated the formation of neural rosettes with forebrain neuron characteristics. This study illustrates the distinct effects of Wnt activation on maintaining pluripotency and committing neural lineages at the early and late NI stages of hESCs and iPSCs, respectively.