Contraction pressure analysis using optical imaging in normal and MYBPC3-mutated hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes grown on matrices with tunable stiffness.

Current in vivo disease models and analysis methods for cardiac drug development have been insufficient in providing accurate and reliable predictions of drug efficacy and safety. Here, we propose a custom optical flow-based analysis method to quantitatively measure recordings of contracting cardiomyocytes on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), compatible with medium-throughput systems. Movement of the PDMS was examined by covalently bound fluorescent beads on the PDMS surface, differences caused by increased substrate stiffness were compared, and cells were stimulated with ß-agonist. We further validated the system using cardiomyocytes treated with endothelin-1 and compared their contractions against control and cells incubated with receptor antagonist bosentan. After validation we examined two MYBPC3-mutant patient-derived cell lines. Recordings showed that higher substrate stiffness resulted in higher contractile pressure, while beating frequency remained similar to control. ß-agonist stimulation resulted in both higher beating frequency as well as higher pressure values during contraction and relaxation. Cells treated with endothelin-1 showed an increased beating frequency, but a lower contraction pressure. Cells treated with both endothelin-1 and bosentan remained at control level of beating frequency and pressure. Lastly, both MYBPC3-mutant lines showed a higher beating frequency and lower contraction pressure. Our validated method is capable of automatically quantifying contraction of hiPSC-derived cardiomyocytes on a PDMS substrate of known shear modulus, returning an absolute value. Our method could have major benefits in a medium-throughput setting.

Vascular smooth muscle cells derived from inbred swine induced pluripotent stem cells for vascular tissue engineering.

Development of autologous tissue-engineered vascular constructs using vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) holds great potential in treating patients with vascular disease. However, preclinical, large animal iPSC-based cellular and tissue models are required to evaluate safety and efficacy prior to clinical application. Herein, swine iPSC (siPSC) lines were established by introducing doxycycline-inducible reprogramming factors into fetal fibroblasts from a line of inbred Massachusetts General Hospital miniature swine that accept tissue and organ transplants without immunosuppression within the line. Highly enriched, functional VSMCs were derived from siPSCs based on addition of ascorbic acid and inactivation of reprogramming factor via doxycycline withdrawal. Moreover, siPSC-VSMCs seeded onto biodegradable polyglycolic acid (PGA) scaffolds readily formed vascular tissues, which were implanted subcutaneously into immunodeficient mice and showed further maturation revealed by expression of the mature VSMC marker, smooth muscle myosin heavy chain. Finally, using a robust cellular self-assembly approach, we developed 3D scaffold-free tissue rings from siPSC-VSMCs that showed comparable mechanical properties and contractile function to those developed from swine primary VSMCs. These engineered vascular constructs, prepared from doxycycline-inducible inbred siPSCs, offer new opportunities for preclinical investigation of autologous human iPSC-based vascular tissues for patient treatment.

Anisotropic engineered heart tissue made from laser-cut decellularized myocardium.

We have developed an engineered heart tissue (EHT) system that uses laser-cut sheets of decellularized myocardium as scaffolds. This material enables formation of thin muscle strips whose biomechanical characteristics are easily measured and manipulated. To create EHTs, sections of porcine myocardium were laser-cut into ribbon-like shapes, decellularized, and mounted in specialized clips for seeding and culture. Scaffolds were first tested by seeding with neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. EHTs beat synchronously by day five and exhibited robust length-dependent activation by day 21. Fiber orientation within the scaffold affected peak twitch stress, demonstrating its ability to guide cells toward physiologic contractile anisotropy. Scaffold anisotropy also made it possible to probe cellular responses to stretch as a function of fiber angle. Stretch that was aligned with the fiber direction increased expression of brain natriuretic peptide, but off-axis stretches (causing fiber shear) did not. The method also produced robust EHTs from cardiomyocytes derived from human embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC). hiPSC-EHTs achieved maximum peak stress of 6.5 mN/mm(2) and twitch kinetics approaching reported values from adult human trabeculae. We conclude that laser-cut EHTs are a viable platform for novel mechanotransduction experiments and characterizing the biomechanical function of patient-derived cardiomyoctyes.

ISL1 cardiovascular progenitor cells for cardiac repair after myocardial infarction.

Cardiovascular progenitor cells (CPCs) expressing the ISL1-LIM-homeodomain transcription factor contribute developmentally to cardiomyocytes in all 4 chambers of the heart. Here, we show that ISL1-CPCs can be applied to myocardial regeneration following injury. We used a rapid 3D methylcellulose approach to form murine and human ISL1-CPC spheroids that engrafted after myocardial infarction in murine hearts, where they differentiated into cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells, integrating into the myocardium and forming new blood vessels. ISL1-CPC spheroid-treated mice exhibited reduced infarct area and increased blood vessel formation compared with control animals. Moreover, left ventricular (LV) contractile function was significantly better in mice transplanted with ISL1-CPCs 4 weeks after injury than that in control animals. These results provide proof-of-concept of a cardiac repair strategy employing ISL1-CPCs that, based on our previous lineage-tracing studies, are committed to forming heart tissue, in combination with a robust methylcellulose spheroid-based delivery approach.

Tissue-Engineered Vascular Rings from Human iPSC-Derived Smooth Muscle Cells.

There is an urgent need for an efficient approach to obtain a large-scale and renewable source of functional human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) to establish robust, patient-specific tissue model systems for studying the pathogenesis of vascular disease, and for developing novel therapeutic interventions. Here, we have derived a large quantity of highly enriched functional VSMCs from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC-VSMCs). Furthermore, we have engineered 3D tissue rings from hiPSC-VSMCs using a facile one-step cellular self-assembly approach. The tissue rings are mechanically robust and can be used for vascular tissue engineering and disease modeling of supravalvular aortic stenosis syndrome. Our method may serve as a model system, extendable to study other vascular proliferative diseases for drug screening. Thus, this report describes an exciting platform technology with broad utility for manufacturing cell-based tissues and materials for various biomedical applications.

Functional cardiomyocytes derived from Isl1 cardiac progenitors via Bmp4 stimulation.

As heart failure due to myocardial infarction remains a leading cause of morbidity worldwide, cell-based cardiac regenerative therapy using cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) could provide a potential treatment for the repair of injured myocardium. As adult CPCs may have limitations regarding tissue accessibility and proliferative ability, CPCs derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) could serve as an unlimited source of cells with high proliferative ability. As one of the CPCs that can be derived from embryonic stem cells, Isl1 expressing cardiac progenitor cells (Isl1-CPCs) may serve as a valuable source of cells for cardiac repair due to their high cardiac differentiation potential and authentic cardiac origin. In order to generate an unlimited number of Isl1-CPCs, we used a previously established an ESC line that allows for isolation of Isl1-CPCs by green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression that is directed by the mef2c gene, specifically expressed in the Isl1 domain of the anterior heart field. To improve the efficiency of cardiac differentiation of Isl1-CPCs, we studied the role of Bmp4 in cardiogenesis of Isl1-CPCs. We show an inductive role of Bmp directly on cardiac progenitors and its enhancement on early cardiac differentiation of CPCs. Upon induction of Bmp4 to Isl1-CPCs during differentiation, the cTnT+ cardiomyocyte population was enhanced 2.8±0.4 fold for Bmp4 treated CPC cultures compared to that detected for vehicle treated cultures. Both Bmp4 treated and untreated cardiomyocytes exhibit proper electrophysiological and calcium signaling properties. In addition, we observed a significant increase in Tbx5 and Tbx20 expression in differentiation cultures treated with Bmp4 compared to the untreated control, suggesting a link between Bmp4 and Tbx genes which may contribute to the enhanced cardiac differentiation in Bmp4 treated cultures. Collectively these findings suggest a cardiomyogenic role for Bmp4 directly on a pure population of Isl1 expressing cardiac progenitors, which could lead to enhancement of cardiac differentiation and engraftment, holding a significant therapeutic value for cardiac repair in the future.

Advancements in Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Technology for Cardiac Regenerative Medicine.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the developed world. Cellular-based cardiac regenerative therapy serves as a potential approach to treating cardiovascular diseases. Although various cellular types have been tested, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are regarded as a promising cell source for therapy. In this review, we will highlight some of the advances in generating iPSCs and differentiation to cardiac cells. We will also discuss the progress in modeling cardiovascular diseases using iPSCs-derived cardiac cells. As we continue to make progress in iPSC and cardiac differentiation technology, we will come closer to the application of cardiac regenerative medicine.

Modeling supravalvular aortic stenosis syndrome with human induced pluripotent stem cells.

BACKGROUND: Supravalvular aortic stenosis (SVAS) is caused by mutations in the elastin (ELN) gene and is characterized by abnormal proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) that can lead to narrowing or blockage of the ascending aorta and other arterial vessels. Having patient-specific SMCs available may facilitate the study of disease mechanisms and development of novel therapeutic interventions. METHODS AND RESULTS: Here, we report the development of a human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line from a patient with SVAS caused by the premature termination in exon 10 of the ELN gene resulting from an exon 9 four-nucleotide insertion. We showed that SVAS iPSC-derived SMCs (iPSC-SMCs) had significantly fewer organized networks of smooth muscle α-actin filament bundles, a hallmark of mature contractile SMCs, compared with control iPSC-SMCs. The addition of elastin recombinant protein or enhancement of small GTPase RhoA signaling was able to rescue the formation of smooth muscle α-actin filament bundles in SVAS iPSC-SMCs. Cell counts and BrdU analysis revealed a significantly higher proliferation rate in SVAS iPSC-SMCs than control iPSC-SMCs. Furthermore, SVAS iPSC-SMCs migrated at a markedly higher rate to the chemotactic agent platelet-derived growth factor compared with the control iPSC-SMCs. We also provided evidence that elevated activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 is required for hyperproliferation of SVAS iPSC-SMCs. The phenotype was confirmed in iPSC-SMCs generated from a patient with deletion of elastin owing to Williams-Beuren syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: SVAS iPSC-SMCs recapitulate key pathological features of patients with SVAS and may provide a promising strategy to study disease mechanisms and to develop novel therapies.

Tyrosine hydroxylase is expressed during early heart development and is required for cardiac chamber formation.

AIMS: Tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme in catecholamine biosynthesis. Whereas the neuroendocrine roles of cathecolamines postnatally are well known, the presence and function of TH in organogenesis is unclear. The aim of this study was to define the expression of TH during cardiac development and to unravel the role it may play in heart formation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We studied TH expression in chick embryos by whole mount in situ hybridization and by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and analysed TH activity by high-performance liquid chromatography. We used gain- and loss-of-function models to characterize the role of TH in early cardiogenesis. We found that TH expression was enriched in the cardiac field of gastrulating chick embryos. By stage 8, TH mRNA was restricted to the splanchnic mesoderm of both endocardial tubes and was subsequently expressed predominantly in the myocardial layer of the atrial segment. Overexpression of TH led to increased atrial myosin heavy chain (AMHC1) and T-box 5 gene (Tbx5) expression in the ventricular region and induced bradyarrhythmia. Similarly, addition of l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) or dopamine induced ectopic expression of cardiac transcription factors (cNkx2.5, Tbx5) and AMHC1 as well as sarcomere formation. Conversely, blockage of dopamine biosynthesis and loss of TH activity decreased AMHC1 and Tbx5 expression, whereas exposure to retinoic acid (RA) induced TH expression in parallel to that of AMHC1 and Tbx5. Concordantly, inhibition of endogenous RA synthesis decreased TH expression as well as that of AMHC1 and Tbx5. CONCLUSION: TH is expressed in a dynamic pattern during the primitive heart tube formation. TH induces cardiac differentiation in vivo and it is a key regulator of the heart patterning, conferring atriogenic identity.

The regulated expression of chimeric tyrosine hydroxylase-insulin transcripts during early development.

Biological complexity does not appear to be simply correlated with gene number but rather other mechanisms contribute to the morphological and functional diversity across phyla. Such mechanisms regulate different transcriptional, translational and post-translational processes and include the recently identified transcription induced chimerism (TIC). We have found two novel chimeric transcripts in the chick and quail that result from the fusion of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and insulin into a single mature transcript. The th and insulin genes are located in tandem and they are generally transcribed independently. However, it appears that two chimeric transcripts containing exons from both the genes can also be produced in a regulated manner. The TH-INS1 and TH-INS2 chimeras differ in their insulin gene content, and they encode two novel isoforms of the TH protein with markedly reduced functionality when compared with the canonical TH. In addition, the TH-INS1 chimeric mRNA generates a small amount of insulin. We propose that TIC is an additional mechanism that can be employed to further regulate TH and insulin expression according to the specific needs of developing vertebrates.