Open AccessGeneration of Functional Human Retinal Ganglion Cells with Target Specificity from Pluripotent Stem Cells by Chemically Defined Recapitulation of Developmental Mechanism
Author(s) -
Teotia Pooja,
Chopra Divyan A.,
Dravid Shashank Manohar,
Van Hook Matthew J.,
Qiu Fang,
Morrison John,
Rizzino Angie,
Ahmad Iqbal
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
stem cells
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.159
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1549-4918
pISSN - 1066-5099
DOI - 10.1002/stem.2513
Subject(s) - biology , induced pluripotent stem cell , mechanism (biology) , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell , retinal , neuroscience , anatomy , embryonic stem cell , genetics , biochemistry , gene , philosophy , epistemology
Glaucoma is a complex group of diseases wherein a selective degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) lead to irreversible loss of vision. A comprehensive approach to glaucomatous RGC degeneration may include stem cells to functionally replace dead neurons through transplantation and understand RGCs vulnerability using a disease in a dish stem cell model. Both approaches require the directed generation of stable, functional, and target‐specific RGCs from renewable sources of cells, that is, the embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. Here, we demonstrate a rapid and safe, stage‐specific, chemically defined protocol that selectively generates RGCs across species, including human, by recapitulating the developmental mechanism. The de novo generated RGCs from pluripotent cells are similar to native RGCs at the molecular, biochemical, functional levels. They also express axon guidance molecules, and discriminate between specific and nonspecific targets, and are nontumorigenic. S tem C ells 2017;35:572–585