• Korean Journal of Animal Reproduction
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2001

To establish rabbit Embryonic Stem (ES) cells, rabbit one-cell embryos were collected and cultured in vitro to blastocysts. Blastocysts were co-cultured with mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEF), rabbit embryonic fibroblasts (REF) or 570 cells expressing LIF (SNL). Although rabbit ES cells were isolated with low efficiencies, total 8 ES cell lines were kept in vitro with normal colony shape. The MEF was the best feeder for rabbit ES cell isolation in regard to growth rate and undifferentiated morphology. The doubling time of rabbit ES cells in MEF was about 84 hours and the undifferentiated morphology was maintained following passing and freezing processes. These rabbit ES cells were differentiated into embryoid body following the culture in the uncoated dishes, indicating that they were undifferentiated stem cells.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.9
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• pp.1152-1158
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• 2010

In differentiating human embryonic stem (d-hES) cells there are a number of types of cells which may secrete various nutrients and helpful materials for pre-implantation embryonic development. This study examined whether the d-hES could function as a feeder cell in vitro to support mouse embryonic development. By RT-PCR analysis, the d-hES cells revealed high expression of three germ-layered differentiation markers while having markedly reduced expression of stem cell markers. Also, in d-hES cells, LIF expression in embryo implantation-related material was confirmed at a similar level to undifferentiated ES cells. When mouse 2PN embryos were cultured in control M16 medium, co-culture control CR1aa medium or co-cultured with d-hES cells, their blastocyst development rate at embryonic day 4 (83.9%) were significantly better in the d-hES cell group than in the CR1aa group (66.0%), while not better than in the M16 group (90.7%)(p<0.05). However, at embryonic days 5 and 6, embryo hatching and hatched-out rates of the dhES cell group (53.6 and 48.2%, respectively) were superior to those of the M16 group (40.7 and 40.7%, respectively). At embryonic day 4, blastocysts of the d-hES cell group were transferred into pseudo-pregnant recipients, and pregnancy rate (75.0%) was very high compared to the other groups (M16, 57.1%; CR1aa, 37.5%). In addition, embryo implantation (55.9%) and live fetus rate (38.2%) of the d-hES cell group were also better than those of the other groups (M16, 36.7 and 18.3%, respectively; CR1aa, 23.2 and 8.7%, respectively). These results demonstrated that d-hES cells can be used as a feeder cell for enhancing in vitro and in vivo developmental potential of mouse pre-implantation embryos.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.11-15
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• 2004

Embryonic stem (ES) cells are derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst-stage embryos that can be propagated indefinitely and, at the same time, can be differentiated into all the cell types that constitute the body. Current research using ES cells is mainly focused on the efficient generation of specific cell types by employing optimal differentiation conditions, which often requires the genetic manipulation of ES cells. As a way of developing an efficient system to regulate foreign gene expression in ES cells, we have inserted the gene encoding Corynebacterium diphtheria toxin-A (DTA) into an autonomously induced plasmid under positive doxycycline control ('Tet-on' system). In this study, we demonstrate that this system can lead to the cell death of mouse ES cells by the induction of DTA expression when exposed to the tetracycline derivative, doxycycline. MTT assay showed that this induction resulted in the apoptosis of ES cells.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.26-31
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• 2023

Chicken embryonic stem (ES) cells have great potential and provide a powerful tool to investigate embryonic development and to manipulate genetic modification in a genome. However, very limited studies are available on the functional characterization and robust expansion of chicken ES cells compared to other species. Here, we have developed a method to generate chicken embryonic stem cell-like cells under pluripotent culture conditions. The chicken embryonic stem cell-like cells were cultivated long-term over several passages of culture without loss of pluripotency in vitro and had the specific expression of key stem cell markers. Furthermore, they showed severe changes in morphology and a significant reduction in pluripotent genes after siRNA-mediated NANOG knockdown. Collectively, these results demonstrate the efficient generation of chicken embryonic stem cell-like cells from EGK stage X blastoderm-derived singularized cells and will facilitate their potential use for various purposes, such as biobanking genetic materials and understanding stemness in the fields of animal biotechnology.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2011

Parthenogenetic embryonic stem (pES) cells could provide a valuable model for research into genomic imprinting and X-linked diseases. In this study, pES cell lines were established from oocytes of hybrid offspring of Kunming and 129/Sv mice, and pluripotency of pES cells was evaluated. The pES cells maintained in the undifferentiated state for more than 50 passages had normal karyotypes with XX sex chromosomes and exhibited high activities of alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and telomerase. Meanwhile, these cells expressed ES cell molecular markers SSEA-1, Oct-4, Nanog, and GDF3 but not SSEA-3 detected by immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR. The pES cells could be differentiated into various types of cells from three germ layers in vitro by analysis of embryoid bodies (EBs) with immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR, and in vivo by observation of pES cell-derived teratoma sections. Therefore, the established pES cell lines contained all features of mouse ES cells. This work provides a new strategy for isolating pES cells from Kunming mice, and the pES cell lines could be applied as the cell model in research into genomic imprinting and epigenetic regulation of Kunming mice.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.31-38
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• 2005

Human embryonic stem (hES) cells have unique features including unlimited growth capacity, expression of specific markers, normal karyotypes and an ability to differentiate. Many investigators have tried to use hES cells for cell-based therapy, but there is little information about the properties of available hES cell lines. We compared the characteristics of three hES cell lines. The expression of SSEA-1, -3, -4, and APase, was examined by immunocytochemistry, and Oct-4 expression was analyzed by RT-PCR. Differentiation of the hES cells in vitro and in vivo led to the formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) or teratomas. We examined the expression of tissue-specific markers in the differentiated cells by semiquantitative RT-PCR, and the ability of each hES cell line to proliferate was measured by flow cytometry of DNA content and ELISA. The three hES cell lines were similar in morphology, marker expression, and teratoma formation. However there were significant differences (P < 0.05) between the differentiated cells formed by the different cell lines in levels of expression of tissue-specific markers such as renin, kallikrein, Glut-2, ${\beta}-$ and ${\delta}-globin$, albumin, and ${\alpha}1-antitrypsin$ (${\alpha}1-AT$). The hES cell lines also differed in proliferative activity. Our observations should be useful in basic and clinical hES cell research.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.21-26
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• 2012

Suspension culture is a useful tool for culturing embryonic stem (ES) cells in large-scale, but the stability of pluripotency and karyotype has to be maintained $in$ $vitro$ for clinical application. Therefore, we investigated whether the chromosomal abnormality of ES cells was induced in suspension culture or not. The ES cells were cultured in suspension as a form of aggregate with or without mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs), and 0 or 1,000 U/ml leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) was treated to suspended ES cells. After culturing ES cells in suspension, their karyotype, DNA content, and properties of pluripotency and differentiation were evaluated. As a result, the formation of tetraploid ES cell population was significantly increased in suspension culture in which ES cells were co-cultured with both MEFs and LIF. Tetraploid ES cell population was also generated when ES cells were cultured alone in suspension regardless of the existence of LIF. On the other hand, the formation of tetraploid ES cell population was not detected in LIF-free condition, in which MEFs were included. The origin of tetraploid ES cell population was turned out to be E14 ES cells and not MEFs by microsatellite analysis and the basic properties of them were still maintained despite ploidy-conversion to tetraploidy. Furthermore, we identified the ploidy shift from tetraploidy to near-triploidy as tetraploid ES cells were differentiated spontaneously. From these results, we demonstrated that suspension culture system could induce ploidy-conversion generating tetraploid ES cell population. Moreover, optimization of suspension culture system may make possible mass-production of ES cells.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.291-294
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• 2012

Embryonic stem cell classically cultured on feeder layer with FBS contained ES medium. Feeder-free mouse ES cell culture systems are essential to avoid the possible contamination of nonES cells. First we determined the difference between ES cell and MEF by Oct4 population. We demonstrate to culture and to induce differentiation on feeder free condition using a commercially available mouse ES cell lines.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.49-56
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• 2007

One of the goals of stem cell technology is to control the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), thereby generating large numbers of specific cell types for many applications including cell replacement therapy. Although individual hESC lines resemble each other in expressing pluripotency markers and telomerase activity, it is not clear whether they are equivalent in their developmental potential in vitro. We compared the developmental competence of three hESC lines (HSF6, Miz-hES4, and Miz-hES6). All three generated the three embryonic germ layers, extraembryonic tissues, and primordial germ cells during embryoid body (EB) formation. However, HSF6 and Miz-hES6 readily formed neuroectoderm, whereas Miz-hES4 differentiated preferentially into mesoderm and endoderm. Upon terminal differentiation, HSF6 and Miz-hES6 produced mainly neuronal cells whereas Miz-hES4 mainly formed mesendodermal derivatives, including endothelial cells, leukocyte progenitors, hepatocytes, and pancreatic cells. Our observations suggest that independently-derived hESCs may differ in their developmental potential.

• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.279-285
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• 2006

Vitrification has been suggested to be an effective method for the cryopreservation of human ES cells. However, the efficiency of vitrification with different vehicles remains a matter of ongoing controversy. The objective of this study was to assess the efficiency of cryopreservation in human ES cells by vitrification using different vehicles. A human ES cell line and a variety of vehicles, including micro-droplet (MD), open-pulled straw (OPS) and electron microscopic grid (EM-grid), were employed in an attempt to assess vitrification efficiency. In order to evaluate the survivability and the undifferentiated state of the post-vitrified human ES cells, we conducted alkaline phosphatase staining and characterization via both RT-PCR and immunofluorescence assays. The survival rates of the post-vitrified human ES cells using MD, OPS and EM-grid were determined to be 61.5%, 66.6% and 53.8%, respectively. There also exist significant differences between slow-freezing and vitrification (p<0.01). However, no significant differences were detected between the vehicle types. Finally, the pluripotency of human ES cells after thawing was verified by teratoma formation. Cryopreservation using vitrification is more effective than slow-freezing, and the efficiency of vehicles proved effective with regard to the preservation of human ES cells.