BME advances stem cell research
Brenda Ogle headshot
Prof. Brenda Ogle’s lab pushes the boundaries of 3D bioprinting for cardiac tissue engineering to create complex model systems that extend well beyond simple geometric shapes prevalent in the literature. This work is enabled by basic studies to understand the interplay between the extracellular matrix, pluripotent stem cells, and associated cardiac progeny.

March 8, 2022 — In a new study, BME researchers showed that laminin 411 alone increases endothelial differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells over collagen I or Matrigel. 

BME Professor and Department Head Brenda Ogle, BME PhD students Mikayla Hall and Sophie Givens, and University of Minnesota Medical School collaborators published the research in the March 8 issue of Stem Cell Reports.

Researchers also showed that extracellular matrix-guided endothelial differentiation is dependent on activation of focal adhesion kinase, integrin-linked kinase, and Notch which ultimately enable β-catenin to transit to the nucleus. Once in the nucleus, β-cateninto drives transcription of genes necessary for endothelial specification.

Representative immunofluorescence images showing CD31 staining (red) and DAPI (blue) following differentiation of hiPSCs on ECM-coated plates without the addition of small molecules to drive differentiation. F, fibronectin; C, collagen I; 111, laminin 111; 411, laminin 411; 511, laminin 511; M, Matrigel.
Representative immunofluorescence images showing CD31 staining (red) and DAPI (blue) following differentiation of hiPSCs on ECM-coated plates without the addition of small molecules to drive differentiation. F, fibronectin; C, collagen I; 111, laminin 111; 411, laminin 411; 511, laminin 511; M, Matrigel.

 

Results indicate that the extracellular matrix contributes to endothelial differentiation through multiple avenues, which converge at the expression of active β-catenin.

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