Methods to Manipulate and Monitor Wnt Signaling in Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

Abstract

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) may revolutionize medical practice by providing: (a) a renewable source of cells for tissue replacement therapies, (b) a powerful system to model human diseases in a dish, and (c) a platform for examining efficacy and safety of novel drugs. Furthermore, these cells offer a unique opportunity to study early human development in vitro, in particular, the process by which a seemingly uniform cell population interacts to give rise to the three main embryonic lineages: ectoderm, endoderm. and mesoderm. This process of lineage allocation is regulated by a number of inductive signals that are mediated by growth factors, including FGF, TGFβ, and Wnt. In this book chapter, we introduce a set of tools, methods, and protocols to specifically manipulate the Wnt signaling pathway with the intention of altering the cell fate outcome of hPSCs.

Tailored tetravalent antibodies potently and specifically activate Wnt/Frizzled pathways in cells, organoids and mice

“…Having established that FLAgs selectively engage FZD and LRP to activate Wnt-associated signaling pathways, we explored the phenotypic effects of these signals in progenitor stem cells (PSCs), organoids and animals. Modulation of Wnt-βcatenin signaling activity is integral to most PSCs differentiation protocols (Huggins et al, 2016). Treatment of human PSCs with WNT3A conditioned media, or small molecule inhibitors of GSK3, activates βcatenin signaling, leads to primitive streak induction, and promotes mesodermal fate specification (Davidson et al, 2012).…”