Stoichiometric and Temporal Requirements of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and C-Myc Expression for Efficient Human Ipsc Induction and Differentiation
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Stoichiometric and temporal requirements of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc expression for efficient human iPSC induction and differentiation Eirini P. Papapetroua,b, Mark J. Tomishimac,d, Stuart M. Chambersc, Yvonne Micae, Evan Reeda,b, Jayanthi Menona,f, Viviane Tabara,f, Qianxing Mog, Lorenz Studera,c, and Michel Sadelaina,b,1 aCenter for Cell Engineering, bMolecular Pharmacology and Chemistry and cDevelopmental Biology Programs, dSKI Stem Cell Research Facility, eGerstner Sloan-Kettering Graduate School, and Departments of fNeurosurgery and gEpidemiology and Biostatistics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, 10065 Communicated by Mark Ptashne, Memorial Sloan–Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, May 1, 2009 (received for review April 8, 2009) Human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are generated from purposes remains controversial (20). Furthermore, the significance somatic cells by ectopic expression of the 4 reprogramming factors of vector silencing for reprogramming and its impact on differen- (RFs) Oct-4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc. To better define the stoichiometric tiation is unclear. Although it has been proposed that silencing of requirements and dynamic expression patterns required for success- factor expression is required for successful reprogramming and ful hiPSC induction, we generated 4 bicistronic lentiviral vectors multilineage differentiation (3, 21, 22), it remains unclear whether encoding the 4 RFs co-expressed with discernable fluorescent pro- vector silencing constitutes a requirement or an epiphenomenon of teins. Using this system, we define the optimal stoichiometry of RF the reprogramming process. expression to be highly sensitive to Oct4 dosage, and we demonstrate Here we present a vector system for iPSC induction that allows the impact that variations in the relative ratios of RF expression exert for simultaneous real-time tracking of expression of the 4 individual on the efficiency of hiPSC induction. Monitoring of expression of each transgenes in single cells during hiPSC induction, maintenance and individual RF in single cells during the course of reprogramming directed differentiation. Using this system, we show that expression revealed that vector silencing follows acquisition of pluripotent cell of the 4 RFs at an optimal stoichiometry is critical for efficient markers. Pronounced lentiviral vector silencing was a characteristic of reprogramming, and we study in detail the kinetics of silencing or successfully reprogrammed hiPSC clones, but lack of complete silenc- the 4 transgenes during the reprogramming process. ing did not hinder hiPSC induction, maintenance, or directed differ- entiation. The vector system described here presents a powerful tool Results for mechanistic studies of reprogramming and the optimization of Reprogramming of Human Fibroblasts with Bicistronic Vectors Coex- hiPSC generation. pressing Each Reprogramming Factor with a Distinct Fluorescent Protein.We constructed lentiviral vectors that co-express each of the fluorescent proteins ͉ lentiviral vectors ͉ silencing ͉ stoichiometry 4 RFs, Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc together with a fluorescent protein linked by a 2A peptide (Fig. 1A). We selected a combination eprogramming of human fibroblasts to a pluripotent embryonic of 4 fluorescent proteins, vexGFP (violet light excited-green fluo- Rstem cell (ESC)-like state has recently been achieved through rescent protein), mCitrine, mCherry, and mCerulean (23, 24), retroviral-mediated gene transfer of the 4 transcription factors which can be separated by fluorescence microscopy and flow Oct-4, Sox-2, Klf-4, and c-Myc (1–3). This combination of factors cytometry, thus enabling parallel monitoring of each reprogram- emerged from an initial screen in mouse fibroblasts based on ming factor expression in real time (Fig. 1B and see below). co-transduction of 24 candidate genes (4). The generation of iPSCs Immunoblots of cells transduced with these vectors revealed correct with this method has now been reported from mouse and human processing of the 2A-linked gene products (Fig. S1 A–D). All 4 ϫ 6 somatic cells using various types of vectors, including gamma- vectors were found to yield similar titers of 1.5–2 10 TU/mL. By retroviral, constitutive, or doxycycline (DOX)-inducible lentiviral co-transduction of human fetal fibroblasts (MRC-5) with these 4 and adenoviral vectors, as well as plasmid and transposon/ vectors hiPSC lines were generated that expressed pluripotency transposase transfection systems (1, 2, 5–12). Nonetheless, the markers (Fig. S2A) and could be directed to differentiate into stoichiometric and temporal requirements of factor expression derivatives of all 3 germ layers (Fig. S2B). Microarray-based global during hiPSC induction, maintenance, and differentiation remain gene expression analysis revealed gene expression patterns highly poorly defined. similar to hESCs, but not to the parental human fibroblasts (Fig. Direct reprogramming is a slow and inefficient process, with S2C and Table S1). Furthermore, these hiPSC lines induced estimated efficiencies in human cells ranging from 0.02% to 0.002% teratomas when s.c. injected into immunocompromised mice (Fig. (1, 2, 5). Many on-going efforts aim to identify genetic or chemical 1C). factors that enhance iPSC generation (13–16). A problem faced by these investigations is the lack of a consistent way of reporting Requirements of Factor Expression for Efficient Reprogramming. We reprogramming efficiency, since effects on factor delivery cannot be first took advantage of this traceable vector system to estimate what separated from genuine effects on reprogramming efficiency. Fur- fraction of human fibroblasts co-expressing all 4 factors successfully reprogram (Fig. S2D). We co-transduced human fetal fibroblasts thermore, the lack of proper assessment of factor delivery and CELL BIOLOGY expression obscures the comparison of reprogramming frequencies (MRC-5) with the 4 vectors at equal multiplicity of infection (MOI) across different studies. The low efficiency of direct reprogramming may, at least in part, be accounted for by the requirement for a Author contributions: E.P.P., M.J.T., L.S., and M.S. designed research; E.P.P., M.J.T., S.M.C., stringent stoichiometry of reprogramming factor expression per- Y.M., E.R., J.M., and V.T. performed research; E.P.P., Q.M., and M.S. analyzed data; and missive for successful reprogramming. E.P.P. and M.S. wrote the paper. Several studies have reported silencing of the vector-encoded The authors declare no conflict of interest. reprogramming factors in iPSCs generated with gamma-retroviral 1To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: [email protected]. vectors (1, 17, 18). The silencing of lentiviral vectors in iPSCs is less This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/ known (2, 19), and therefore their suitability for reprogramming 0904825106/DCSupplemental. www.pnas.org͞cgi͞doi͞10.1073͞pnas.0904825106 PNAS ͉ August 4, 2009 ͉ vol. 106 ͉ no. 31 ͉ 12759–12764 Downloaded by guest on September 30, 2021 Fig. 1. hiPSCs derived from bicistronic vectors co-expressing each RF linked to a fluorescent protein. (A) Schematic representation of the vectors used in this study. LTR, long terminal repeat. (B) hiPSC colony at day 11 after transduction. (C) Hematoxylin and eosin staining of histological sections of a teratoma derived from line iPS-27. From Left to Right: Low power image demonstrating areas of heterogeneous differentiation: neuroectoderm (black arrow), smooth muscle (blank arrow), and primitive myxoid tissue (arrowhead), 4ϫ. Pigmented epithelial tissue compatible with retinal neuroectoderm, 40ϫ. Intestinal like epithelium including goblet cells (endoderm), 40ϫ. Smooth muscle tissue, 20ϫ. Inset demonstrates a high power image of immature mesenchymal tissue, potentially cartilage (40ϫ). and determined the percentage of quadruple transduced cells by the 4 factors. In contrast, changes in the relative ratios of expression flow cytometry 5 days after transduction. To calculate the fre- mediated significant effects on the efficiency of reprogramming. quency of fully reprogrammed cells, we performed immunostaining Increasing relative Oct4 expression resulted in enhanced repro- for Tra-1–81, as described in the Methods, and macroscopically gramming efficiency, whereas increasing the relative ratio of either enumerated positive colonies on day 20 after transduction. Thus, Sox2, Klf4, or c-Myc consistently decreased efficiency of hiPSC through direct quantification of quadruple transduced cells coupled colony generation by more than 5-fold (Fig. 2C Upper). In contrast, with a clonal readout of hiPSC derivation, we were able to accu- relative decrease of Sox2, Klf4 or c-Myc showed little effect, while rately estimate the reprogramming frequency to be 0.4–1% of de relative decrease of Oct4 was detrimental (Fig. 2C Lower). These novo quadruple transduced fetal human fibroblasts (Table S2). data demonstrate that a stoichiometry of equal parts of all 4 vectors We then sought to investigate the effect of the absolute levels of is highly effective, resulting in reprogramming efficiency of de novo expression of the 4 vector-encoded RFs on efficiency of direct quadruple transduced fibroblasts similar to that observed in the reprogramming. Transduction of human fibroblasts at increasing maximally efficient secondary system (5, 7). Most deviations from MOI results in concomitant increase in the percentage of quadru- this 1:1:1:1 stoichiometry