Generation of H1 PAX6WT/EGFP reporter cells to purify PAX6 positive neural stem/progenitor cells

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications Vol. 502; no. 4; pp. 442 - 449
• Main Authors: Wu, Wei, Liu, Juli, Su, Zhenghui, Li, Zhonghao, Ma, Ning, Huang, Ke, Zhou, Tiancheng, Wang, Linli
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 25.08.2018
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; ALBUMINS; BLOOD SERUM; Human embryonic stem cells; HUMAN POPULATIONS; NERVE CELLS; Neural stem cells; STEM CELLS; TALEN; Human embryonic stem cells; Neural stem cells; TALEN
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.05.163

Neural conversion from human pluripotent cells (hPSCs) is a potential therapy to neurological disease in the future. However, this is still limited by efficiency and stability of existed protocols used for neural induction from hPSCs. To overcome this obstacle, we developed a reporter system to screen PAX6+ neural progenitor/stem cells using transcription activator like effector nuclease (TALEN). We found that knock-in 2 A-EGFP cassette into PAX6 exon of human embryonic stem cells H1 with TALEN-based homology recombination could establish PAX6WT/EGFP H1 reporter cell line fast and efficiently. This reporter cell line could differentiate into PAX6 and EGFP double positive neural progenitor/stem cells (NPCs/NSCs) after neural induction. Those PAX6WT/EGFP NPCs could be purified, expanded and specified to post-mitotic neurons in vitro efficiently. With this reporter cell line, we also screened out 1 NPC-specific microRNA, hsa-miR-99a-5p, and 3 ESCs-enriched miRNAs, hsa-miR-302c-5p, hsa-miR-512–3p and hsa-miR-518 b. In conclusion, the TALEN-based neural stem cell screening system is safe and efficient and could help researcher to acquire adequate and pure neural progenitor cells for further application. •We develop a talen-based gene targeting system to purify Pax6+ neural progenitor/stem cells by inserting reporter gene into endogenous pax6 gene locus of human pluripotent stem cells.•The neural progenitor cell we purified possesses neural pluripotency and could be expanded and specified to post-mitotic neurons in vitro efficiently.•With this reporter cell line, we also screened out 1 NPC-specific microRNA, hsa-miR-99a-5p, and 3 ESCs-enriched miRNAs, hsa-miR-302c-5p, hsa-miR-512–3p and hsa-miR-518 b.