WNT3 is a biomarker capable of predicting the definitive endoderm differentiation potential of hESCs.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Generation of functional cells from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) through in vitro differentiation is a promising approach for drug screening and cell therapy. However, the observed large and unavoidable variation in the differentiation potential of different human embryonic stem cell (hESC)/induced PSC (iPSC) lines makes the selection of an appropriate cell line for the differentiation of a particular cell lineage difficult. Here, we report identification of WNT3 as a biomarker capable of predicting definitive endoderm (DE) differentiation potential of hESCs. We show that the mRNA level of WNT3 in hESCs correlates with their DE differentiation efficiency. In addition, manipulations of hESCs through WNT3 knockdown or overexpression can respectively inhibit or promote DE differentiation in a WNT3 level-dependent manner. Finally, analysis of several hESC lines based on their WNT3 expression levels allowed accurate prediction of their DE differentiation potential. Collectively, our study supports the notion that WNT3 can serve as a biomarker for predicting DE differentiation potential of hESCs.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Jiang, W; Zhang, D; Bursac, N; Zhang, Y

Published Date

  • January 2013

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 1 / 1

Start / End Page

  • 46 - 52

PubMed ID

  • 24052941

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC3757741

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 2213-6711

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2213-6711

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1016/j.stemcr.2013.03.003

Language

  • eng