Endothelial cells derived from human embryonic stem cells

Abstract

Human embryonic stem cells have the potential to differentiate into various cell types and, thus, may be useful as a source of cells for transplantation or tissue engineering. We describe here the differentiation steps of human embryonic stem cells into endothelial cells forming vascular-like structures. The human embryonicderived endothelial cells were isolated by using platelet endothelial cell-adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM1) antibodies, their behavior was characterized in vitro and in vivo, and their potential in tissue engineering was examined. We show that the isolated embryonic PECAM1؉ cells, grown in culture, display characteristics similar to vessel endothelium. The cells express endothelial cell markers in a pattern similar to human umbilical vein endothelial cells, their junctions are correctly organized, and they have high metabolism of acetylated low-density lipoprotein. In addition, the cells are able to differentiate and form tube-like structures when cultured on matrigel. In vivo, when transplanted into SCID mice, the cells appeared to form microvessels containing mouse blood cells. With further studies, these cells could provide a source of human endothelial cells that could be beneficial for potential applications such as engineering new blood vessels, endothelial cell transplantation into the heart for myocardial regeneration, and induction of angiogenesis for treatment of regional ischemia.

Endothelial progenitor cells for cancer gene therapy

“…Embryonic stem cell-derived embryonic EPCs differentiate into mature ECs and contribute to adult vasculogenesis following transplantation. 53 The advantage of embryonic EPCs is their unlimited proliferative capacity and the ease of genetic manipulation. These cells have the potential for systemic cancer gene therapy, as shown in a proof-of-principle study.…”

Directed differentiation of human embryonic stem cells towards a pancreatic cell fate

“…To date, while many studies have reported that hESCs could be efficiently induced to differentiate into mesodermal and ectodermal lineages, such as cardiomyocytes [1], endothelial cells [2], blood cells [3] and nerve cells [4], few reports have focused on the conversion of hESCs into endodermal lineages, particularly into pancreatic cell types [5][6][7][8], which may provide a limitless stock of insulin-producing cells to treat type 1 diabetes. Moreover, despite increasing knowledge on pancreatic development, there is still debate regarding the origin of beta cells and the markers that can be used to identify their progenitors [9].…”

Skeletal tissue engineering using embryonic stem cells

“…Indeed, many articles are published in which the in vitro and in vivo differentiation of human ESCs is described. Useful cell types such as neurons [24][25][26], cardiomyocytes [27,28], hepatocytes [29,30], pancreatic beta cells [31], endothelial cells [32], blood cells [33,34] and chondrocytes [35] have all been successfully derived in the laboratory. Levenberg and co-workers demonstrated the differentiation of human ESCs on polymeric scaffolds into 3D structures with characteristics of developing neural tissues, cartilage, liver, or blood vessels [36].…”