The Cellular Glycome of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells and Their Specific Probe rBC2LCN

Abstract

All cells in nature are covered with a dense and complex array of glycans, which reflect cell properties and lineages, and are thus often utilized as cellular markers for identification of particular cell types. Stage-specific embryonic antigens (SSEA-3, SSEA-4) and tumor-rejection antigens (Tra-1-60 and Tra-1-81), which have been used to identify human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs), are also glycans. However, very little is known about a whole picture of cell surface glycans, the glycome, of hiPSCs.We performed comprehensive glycome analysis of a large set of hiPSCs using high-density lectin microarray and identified three characteristic features of cell surface glycans of hiPSCs: α2 6Sia, α1 2Fuc, type-1 LacNAc. These features were also confirmed by DNA microarray and glycosidase-assisted MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry (MS)/HPLC mapping. Furthermore, we found a novel lectin probe, rBC2LCN, which is highly specific to human hiPSCs. In this review, our recent findings concerning hiPSCs surface glycans and this novel hiPSC-specific probe are described and discussed.