Abstract
BACKGROUND: Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) are attractive for their hematopoietic-supporting or potential therapeutic effects. However, procedures for high-effective and scalable generation of MSCs from hESCs within 2 weeks are still unestablished, which also hinder the development and mechanism study of mesengenesis. METHODS: In this study, we aimed to establish a strategy for programming hESC differentiation into MSCs by practicing small-scale chemical compound screening. Then, we used flow cytometry, multi-lineage differentiation, and karyotype analyses to investigate the biological phenotypes of the derived hESC-MSCs. Also, to explore whether the derived cells had hematopoietic-supporting ability in vitro, we carried out the cobblestone formation and megakaryocytic differentiation experiments. To further evaluate the function of hESC-MSCs in vivo, we transplanted the cells into a mouse model with hind limb ischemia. RESULTS: By simultaneous treatments with a JAK/STAT antagonist and a DNA methylation inhibitor, the efficiency of generating hESCs into CD73(+) hESC-MPCs could reach 60% within 7 days. The derived cells further matured into hESC-MSCs, with comparable characteristics to those of adult MSCs in terms of surface markers, normal karyotype, and the potential for adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic differentiation. Functionally, hESC-MSCs had hematopoietic-supporting effects in vitro and could notably relieve symptoms of hind limb ischemia. CONCLUSIONS: In the study, we established a high-efficient procedure for large-scale generation of MSCs from hESCs, which would be of great help for genesis and mechanism studies of MSCs. Meanwhile, the derived cells provide an alternative for translational clinical research.