Generation of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Neural Stem/Progenitor Cells from Newborns with Spina Bifida Aperta

• Published in: Asian spine journal Vol. 11; no. 6; pp. 870 - 879
• Main Authors: Bamba, Yohei, Nonaka, Masahiro, Sasaki, Natsu, Shofuda, Tomoko, Kanematsu, Daisuke, Suemizu, Hiroshi, Higuchi, Yuichiro, Pooh, Ritsuko K, Kanemura, Yonehiro, Okano, Hideyuki, Yamasaki, Mami
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) Korean Society of Spine Surgery 01.12.2017; Korean Spine Society; 대한척추외과학회
• Subjects: Antibodies; Basic Study; Cell culture; Cell differentiation; Cell lines; Cloning; Fibroblasts; Gene expression; Growth factors; Induced pluripotent stem cells; Inhibitory postsynaptic potentials; Microscopy; Myelomeningocele; Neonates; Neural stem cells; Neural stem/progenitor cells; Patients; Plasmids; Pluripotency; Polymerase chain reaction; Progenitor cells; Regenerative medicine; Spina bifida; Spinal cord; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; 정형외과학; United States > US; Japan; Spina bifida; Myelomeningocele; Induced pluripotent stem cells; Regenerative medicine; Neural stem/progenitor cells
• ISSN: 1976-1902; 1976-7846
• DOI: 10.4184/asj.2017.11.6.870

We established induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPCs) from three newborns with spina bifida aperta (SBa) using clinically practical methods. We aimed to develop stem cell lines derived from newborns with SBa for future therapeutic use. SBa is a common congenital spinal cord abnormality that causes defects in neurological and urological functions. Stem cell transplantation therapies are predicted to provide beneficial effects for patients with SBa. However, the availability of appropriate cell sources is inadequate for clinical use because of their limited accessibility and expandability, as well as ethical issues. Fibroblast cultures were established from small fragments of skin obtained from newborns with SBa during SBa repair surgery. The cultured cells were transfected with episomal plasmid vectors encoding reprogramming factors necessary for generating iPSCs. These cells were then differentiated into NSPCs by chemical compound treatment, and NSPCs were expanded using neurosphere technology. We successfully generated iPSC lines from the neonatal dermal fibroblasts of three newborns with SBa. We confirmed that these lines exhibited the characteristics of human pluripotent stem cells. We successfully generated NSPCs from all SBa newborn-derived iPSCs with a combination of neural induction and neurosphere technology. We successfully generated iPSCs and iPSC-NSPCs from surgical samples obtained from newborns with SBa with the goal of future clinical use in patients with SBa.