Engineering clinically relevant cells in vitro holds promise for regenerative medicine, but most protocols fail to faithfully recapitulate target cell properties. To address this, we developed CellNet, a network biology platform that determines whether engineered cells are equivalent to their target tissues, diagnoses aberrant gene regulatory networks, and prioritizes candidate transcriptional regulators to enhance engineered conversions. Using CellNet, we improved B cell to macrophage conversion, transcriptionally and functionally, by knocking down predicted B cell regulators. Analyzing conversion of fibroblasts to induced hepatocytes (iHeps), CellNet revealed an unexpected intestinal program regulated by the master regulator Cdx2. We observed functional engraftment of mouse colon by iHeps, thereby establishing their broader potential as endoderm progenitors and demonstrating direct conversion of fibroblasts into intestinal epithelium. Our studies illustrate how CellNet can be employed to improve direct conversion and to uncover unappreciated properties of engineered cells.
Dissecting engineered cell types and enhancing cell fate conversion via CellNet.
Specimen part
View SamplesDecades of progress in developmental cardiology has advanced our understanding of the early aspects of heart development, including cardiomyocyte (CM) differentiation. However, control of CM maturation which is subsequently required to generate adult myocytes, remains elusive. Here, we analyzed over 200 microarray datasets from early embryonic to adult hearts and identified a large number of genes whose expression shifts gradually and continuously during maturation. We generated an atlas of integrated gene expression, biological pathways, transcriptional regulators, and gene regulatory networks (GRNs), which show discrete sets of key transcriptional regulators and pathways activated or suppressed during CM maturation. We developed a GRN-based program named MatStatCM that indexes CM maturation status. MatStatCM reveals that pluripotent stem cell-derived CMs mature early in culture, but are arrested at the late embryonic stage with aberrant regulation of key transcription factors. Our study provides a foundation for understanding CM maturation.
Transcriptional Landscape of Cardiomyocyte Maturation.
Specimen part, Cell line, Time
View SamplesMutations in the poly(A) ribonuclease (PARN) gene cause telomere diseases including familial idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and dyskeratosis congenita (DC)1,2, but how PARN deficiency impacts telomere maintenance is unclear. Here, using somatic cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells from DC patients with PARN mutations, we show that PARN is required for the 3' end maturation of the telomerase RNA component (TERC). Patient cells as well as immortalized cells in which PARN is disrupted show decreased levels of TERC. Deep sequencing of TERC RNA 3' termini reveals that PARN is required for removal of posttranscriptionally acquired oligo(A) tails that target nuclear RNAs for degradation. Diminished TERC levels and the increased oligo(A) forms of TERC are normalized by restoring PARN, which is limiting for TERC maturation in cells. Our results reveal a novel role for PARN in the biogenesis of TERC, and provide a mechanism linking PARN mutations to telomere diseases. Overall design: mRNA sequencing of fibroblasts, induced pluripotent stem cells, and 293 cell line.
Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) mediates 3'-end maturation of the telomerase RNA component.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesThe telomerase RNA component (TERC) is a critical determinant of cellular self renewal. Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is required for post-transcriptional maturation of TERC. PARN mutations lead to incomplete 3' end processing and increased destruction of nascent TERC RNA transcripts, resulting in telomerase deficiency and telomere diseases. Here, we determined that overexpression of TERC increased telomere length in PARN-deficient cells and hypothesized that decreasing post-transcriptional 3' oligo-adenylation of TERC would counteract the deleterious effects of PARN mutations. Inhibition of the noncanonical poly(A) polymerase PAP-associated domain–containing 5 (PAPD5) increased TERC levels in PARN-mutant patient cells. PAPD5 inhibition was also associated with increases in TERC stability, telomerase activity, and telomere elongation. Our results demonstrate that manipulating post-transcriptional regulatory pathways may be a potential strategy to reverse the molecular hallmarks of telomere disease. Overall design: mRNA sequencing of induced pluripotent stem cells and 293 cell line.
Posttranscriptional manipulation of TERC reverses molecular hallmarks of telomere disease.
Specimen part, Subject
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Engineered Murine HSCs Reconstitute Multi-lineage Hematopoiesis and Adaptive Immunity.
Specimen part
View SamplesHematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation has the potential to cure blood disorders but is limited by donor availability. Hence innovative approaches to engineer HSC are critically needed. HoxB4 over-expression in mouse embryonic stem cell-derived HSC (ESC-HSC) confers long-term engraftment, yet lacks efficient lymphogenesis. Transcriptome comparison of ESC-HSC versus embryo-derived HSC showed that ESC-HSC are deficient in expression programs activated by Notch. Therefore, we aim to improve ESC-HSC by further providing Notch signals through Notch1 intra-cellular domain transgene activation or by ligand stimulation. Here, we report that Notch-enhanced ESC-HSC (nESC-HSC) confer clonal multipotentiality with robust lymphopoiesis that endows adaptive immunity. Notably, nESC-HSC further evolve to a hybrid cell-type co-expressing gene regulatory networks of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and differentiated lineages at single-cell level that accounts for multipotentiality. Our work reveals a proof-of-concept model of HSC engineering by assembling self-renewing factor and lineage-guiding pathway into one product-cell that functionally recapitulate HSC in vivo. Overall design: The gene expression of murine hematopoietic stem cells, ESC, and HSC-like cells derived from differentiation of embryonic stem cells and subsequently transplanted were determined by single cell RNA-Seq.
Engineered Murine HSCs Reconstitute Multi-lineage Hematopoiesis and Adaptive Immunity.
No sample metadata fields
View SamplesHematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation has the potential to cure blood disorders but is limited by donor availability. Hence innovative approaches to engineer HSC are critically needed. HoxB4 over-expression in mouse embryonic stem cell-derived HSC (ESC-HSC) confers long-term engraftment, yet lacks efficient lymphogenesis. Transcriptome comparison of ESC-HSC versus embryo-derived HSC showed that ESC-HSC are deficient in expression programs activated by Notch. Therefore, we aim to improve ESC-HSC by further providing Notch signals through Notch1 intra-cellular domain transgene activation or by ligand stimulation. Here, we report that Notch-enhanced ESC-HSC (nESC-HSC) confer clonal multipotentiality with robust lymphopoiesis that endows adaptive immunity. Notably, nESC-HSC further evolve to a hybrid cell-type co-expressing gene regulatory networks of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells and differentiated lineages at single-cell level that accounts for multipotentiality. Our work reveals a proof-of-concept model of HSC engineering by assembling self-renewing factor and lineage-guiding pathway into one product-cell that functionally recapitulate HSC in vivo.
Engineered Murine HSCs Reconstitute Multi-lineage Hematopoiesis and Adaptive Immunity.
Specimen part
View SamplesThis SuperSeries is composed of the SubSeries listed below.
Hippo pathway activity influences liver cell fate.
Specimen part, Time
View SamplesHippo signaling is highly associated with activity in the stem cell compartment of many epithelial tissues. In this study, we examined if Hippo signaling inhibition (by inducing Yap expression) could convert differentiated cells into a progenitor like phenotype. Organoid cells derived from mouse livers under various conditions, wild-type, Yap ON (Plus Dox), and Yap ON then OFF (Minus Dox) was examined.
Hippo pathway activity influences liver cell fate.
Specimen part
View SamplesHippo signaling is highly associated with activity in the stem cell compartment of many epithelial tissues. In this study, we examined if Hippo signaling inhibition (by inducing Yap expression) could convert differentiated cells into a progenitor like phenotype.
Hippo pathway activity influences liver cell fate.
Specimen part, Time
View Samples