Cardiac differentiation of human embryonic stem cells by coculturing with human fetal cardiomyocytes / 第三军医大学学报

ABSTRACT

Objective To explore the cardiac differentiation of human embryonic stem cells(ESCs)in coculturing with human fetal cardiomyocytes.Methods Fetal cardiomyocytes and fibroblasts were obtained from the aborted fetus,and human ESCs were from the inner cell mass(ICM)of the surplus embryos for tube babies,with the treated fibroblast as feeder layer.Human ESCs of passage 2 to 5 were cocultured with fetal cardiomyocytes at the ratio of 1∶2,and the XY chromosome types of these two kinds of human cells were different to each other in order to be marked.At the same time,human ESCs without coculture were used as negative control.The cocultured cells were harvested 5 days later and were double-stained with human XY chromosome probe and cardiac specific antibody(desmin or cardiac troponin I,cTnI).Results On coculture day 5,40%-50% human ESCs expressed cardiac specific antigens,and human ESCs without coculture did not express those antigens.Conclusion Human ESCs could be induced into cardiac differentiation by the coculture with fetal cardiomyocytes,and hopefully they will be the candidate for cell transplantation of heart.