QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online 31 January 2006
doi: 10.1242/jcs.02788

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: jcs.02788v1 119/4/759    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Poon, E. Articles by Akhurst, R. J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Poon, E. Articles by Akhurst, R. J.

TGFß inhibition of yolk-sac-like differentiation of human embryonic stem-cell-derived embryoid bodies illustrates differences between early mouse and human development

Ellen Poon^1,*, Frederic Clermont¹, Meri T. Firpo^2, and Rosemary J. Akhurst^1,

¹ Cancer Research Institute, Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California San Francisco, Box 0875, 2340 Sutter Street, Room S231, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA

Author for correspondence (e-mail: rakhurst{at}cc.ucsf.edu)

Accepted 10 November 2005

Transforming growth factor ß (TGFß) plays an important role in development and maintenance of murine yolk sac vascular development. Targeted deletions of Tgfb1 and other components of this signaling pathway, such as Acvrl1, Tgfbr1 and Tgfbr2, result in abnormal vascular development especially of the yolk sac, leading to embryonic lethality. There are significant differences between murine and primate development that limit interpretation of studies from mouse models. Thus, to examine the role of TGFß in early human vascular development we used the model of differentiating human embryonic stem cell-derived embryoid bodies to recapitulate early stages of embryonic development. TGFß was applied for different time frames after initiation of embryoid body cultures to assess its effect on differentiation. TGFß inhibited the expression of endodermal, endothelial and hematopoietic markers, which contrasts with findings in the mouse in which TGFß reduced the level of endodermal markers but increased endothelial marker expression. The inhibition observed was not due to changes in proliferation or apoptosis. This marked contrast between the two species may reflect the different origins of the yolk sac hemangiogenic lineages in mouse and human. TGFß effects on the hypoblast, from which these cell lineages are derived in human, would decrease subsequent differentiation of hematopoietic, endothelial and endodermal cells. By contrast, TGFß action on murine hypoblast, while affecting endoderm would not affect the hemangiogenic lineages that are epiblast-derived in the mouse. This study highlights important differences between early human and mouse embryonic development and suggests a role of TGFß in human hypoblast differentiation.

Key words: TGFß, Embryonic stem cells, Yolk sac, Endothelial, Endoderm

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Vijayaragavan and M. Bhatia Early cardiac development: A Wnt beat away PNAS, June 5, 2007; 104(23): 9549 - 9550. [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. Puceat TGF{beta} in the differentiation of embryonic stem cells Cardiovasc Res, May 1, 2007; 74(2): 256 - 261. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. Greber, H. Lehrach, and J. Adjaye Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 Modulates Transforming Growth Factor {beta} Signaling in Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts and Human ESCs (hESCs) to Support hESC Self-Renewal Stem Cells, February 1, 2007; 25(2): 455 - 464. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]