Single Transcription Factor Reprogramming of Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells
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EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS/INDUCED PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS Single Transcription Factor Reprogramming of Hair Follicle Dermal Papilla Cells to Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells a,b a,b a,c a,b a,c SU-YI TSAI, BRITTA AM BOUWMAN, YEN-SIN ANG, SOO JEONG KIM, DUNG-FANG LEE, IHOR R. a,c a,b,d LEMISCHKA, MICHAEL RENDL aBlack Family Stem Cell Institute; bDepartment of Developmental and Regenerative Biology; cDepartment of Gene and Cell Medicine; dDepartment of Dermatology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA Key Words. Reprogramming • Induced pluripotent stem cells • Dermal papilla cells • Cell fate • Hair follicle ABSTRACT Reprogramming patient-specific somatic cells into induced dermal papilla (DP) cells from hair follicles in the skin pluripotent stem (iPS) cells has great potential to develop express all but one reprogramming factors to show that feasible regenerative therapies. However, several issues need these accessible cells can be reprogrammed into iPS cells to be resolved such as ease, efficiency, and safety of genera- with the single transcription factor Oct4 and without further tion of iPS cells. Many different cell types have been reprog- manipulation. Reprogramming was already achieved after 3 rammed, most conveniently even peripheral blood weeks and with efficiencies similar to other cell types reprog- mononuclear cells. However, they typically require the rammed with four factors. Dermal papilla-derived iPS cells enforced expression of several transcription factors, posing are comparable to embryonic stem cells with respect to mutagenesis risks as exogenous genetic material. To reduce morphology, gene expression, and pluripotency. We con- this risk, iPS cells were previously generated with Oct4 alone clude that DP cells may represent a preferred cell type for from rather inaccessible neural stem cells that endogenously reprogramming accessible cells with less manipulation and express the remaining reprogramming factors and very for ultimately establishing safe conditions in the future by recently from fibroblasts with Oct4 alone in combination replacing Oct4 with small molecules. STEM CELLS with additional small molecules. Here, we exploit that 2011;29:964–971 Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article. rammed by either two factors (Oct4 and Klf4) or solely by INTRODUCTION one factor (Oct4) [7]. While this is a major advance toward identifying cells that can be reprogrammed more easily with Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent cells derived from less manipulation, the difficulty of isolating neural stem cells the inner cell mass of preimplantation stage embryos that can from patients makes these cells an impractical source for give rise to every cell type of the adult [1, 2]. The derivation patient-specific derivation of iPS cells. In efforts to reprogram and functional characterization of human ES cells have made accessible cells, such as skin fibroblasts, with less factors, them a powerful tool for regenerative medicine. However, small molecule activators and inhibitors of epigenetic regula- immune rejection of transplanted cells and ethical concerns tion and signaling pathways were used to replace individual are critical issues in the application of human ES cells for reprogramming transcription factors [8, 9]. Most recently, clinical therapy. Remarkably, the generation of induced pluri- skin-derived and mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were potent stem (iPS) cells through direct reprogramming of so- successfully reprogrammed with Oct4 with simultaneous treat- matic cells by defined transcription factors, typically Oct4, ment of additional small molecules [9–11]. Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, opened a new avenue to avoid the We have already identified several years ago that skin der- controversy of using human ES cells [3, 4]. On the other mal papilla (DP) cells, a specialized mesenchymal cell type hand, low reprogramming efficiency, random viral integration, required for instructing epithelial stem cells during hair mor- and the use of oncogenic reprogramming factors (Klf4 and c- phogenesis and regeneration [12], also express three of the Myc) remain major challenges in the generation of iPS cells four reprogramming factors, Sox2, c-Myc, and Klf4 [13]. for regenerative medicine applications [5]. Kim et al. [6] Toward the goal of establishing a source of accessible somatic recently demonstrated that mouse neural stem cells, which cells that can be more easily reprogrammed with less exoge- endogenously express Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc, can be reprog- nous genetic material and without further manipulation, we Author contributions: S.-Y.T.: conception and design, collection of data, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing; B.B., Y.- S.A., S.J.K., and D.-F.L.: collection of data, data analysis and interpretation; I.L.: data analysis and interpretation; M.R.: conception and design, data analysis and interpretation, manuscript writing, final approval of manuscript. Correspondence: Michael Rendl, M.D., Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Department of Developmental and Regenerative Biology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Atran Building AB7-10C, Box 1020, 1428 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10029, USA. Telephone: 212-241-9593; Fax: 212-860-9279; e-mail: [email protected] Received February 27, 2011; accepted for publication March 30, 2011; first published online in STEM CELLS EXPRESS April 19, 2011. VC AlphaMed Press 1066-5099/2009/$30.00/0 doi: 10. 1002/stem.649 STEM CELLS 2011;29:964–971 www.StemCells.com Tsai, Bouwman, Ang et al. 965 recently demonstrated that DP cells can be reprogrammed of Oct4, Sox2, Klf4, and c-Myc (kindly provided by the into iPS cells by only two exogenous reprogramming factors, Christoph Schaniel/Lemischka Lab) by a standard CaCl2 Oct4 and Klf4 [14]. Interestingly, we further found that DP transfection method. Phoenix cells were cultured at 32C24 cells have a much higher reprogramming efficiency compared hours after transfection and virus supernatants were collected to most other cell types [14]. after additional 24, 48, and 72 hours, passed through 0.22-lm In this study, we succeeded to reprogram accessible DP pore size filters (Millipore, Billerica, MA, www.millipore. cells into iPS cells by transducing the single transcription fac- com) and pelleted at 50,000g for 3 hours. Viruses were resus- tor Oct4 in the absence of additional modifiers of epigenetic pended in 1Â phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) buffer at regulation. Reprogramming DP cells with Oct4 alone occurred 200Â concentration of the original volume and stored as ali- quite rapidly starting at 3 weeks and with efficiencies similar quots at –80C. DP cells were cultured in Amniomax C-100 to most other cell types when they are reprogrammed with all medium (Invitrogen). For infections, freshly sorted DP cells four factors. Dermal papilla–derived one-factor iPS cells fulfil were plated in 12-well plates and cultured until they reached all pluripotency criteria, as determined by pluripotency gene 50%–60% confluence. Oct4 virus and 4 lg/ml of polybrene expression, by their capacity to differentiate into cell types (Sigma) were added to the cells. Infection was enhanced by from all germ layers in vitro and by their robust contribution spinning the plates at 1,100g for 30 minutes. Two rounds of to the development of chimeric mice and to the germline in infections were performed within 24 hours, and 1 day after vivo. This suggests that hair follicle DP cells represent an ac- the second infection the medium was replaced by ES medium. cessible source of cells that can be reprogrammed into pluri- The following day, DP cells were counted and seeded on irra- potent stem cells with a single transcription factor. Therefore, diated MEFs in ES medium without any further selection. DP cells may be a preferred cell type in the future, with Oct4-green fluorescent protein (GFP)-positive colonies were which safe reprogramming may be accomplished without any picked and trypsin dissociated and replated onto irradiated exogenous genetic material. MEFs in 96-well plates. All iPS cell lines and control Ainv15 ES cells (kind gift from Christoph Schaniel/Lemischka Lab) were cultured as previously described [14]. Before RNA and genomic DNA purification, iPS cells were depleted of feeder MATERIALS AND METHODS cells for two passages on 0.1% gelatin (Fisher Scientific Inter- national, Hampton, NH, www.fisherscientific.com). Isolations of DP Cells Determination of iPS Cell Reprogramming For preparations of DP cells, backskins of 4–6 days old Lef1- Efficiency RFP/Oct4-GFP/Rosa26-LacZ pups were floated on dispase (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, www.invitrogen.com) overnight at The efficiency of formation of iPS cells is based on the num- 4C to separate epidermis from dermis. The dermis was then ber of Oct4-GFP-positive iPS cell colonies and the initial cell digested with 0.2% collagenase (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, number of plated DP cells. The percentage of efficiency was MO, www.sigmaaldrich.com) at 37C for 40–60 minutes on determined by dividing the number of GFP-positive colonies an orbital shaker. Intact follicles and dermal cells were centri- by the number of cells before seeding on feeders. fuged at 300g, after which follicles were enriched at low RNA Isolation and Real-Time PCR speed centrifugation twice at 20g. Following trypsinization (0.25% trypsin/0.05 mM EDTA, Invitrogen) at 37C for 5 Total RNAs from FACS-sorted cells, cultured DP cells, ES cells, iPS cells, and all other cells in this study were purified min, single-cell suspensions were strained through 40 lm fil- using the Absolutely RNA Microprep kit (Stratagene, La ters and pelleted at 300g. For DP cell isolations by fluores- cence-activated cell sorting (FACS; BD Vantage and DAKO- Jolla, CA, www.stratagene.com), quantified with the Nano- Drop spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA, Cytomation MoFlo sorters were used), hair cell suspensions were first stained for integrin a-9 (Itga9, 1:100, goat, R&D www.thermo.com), and reverse transcribed (Superscript III First-Strand Synthesis System, Invitrogen) using oligo(dT) Systems, Minneapolis, MN, www.rndsystems.com) and don- key anti-goat APC-conjugated secondary antibodies (Jackson primers.