Researchers have developed a method to direct stem cells to form specific structures. By triggering the expression of specific genes in mouse embryonic stem cells, synthetic organizer cells were created, which can assemble in specific ways and carry out various phsyiological functions. This work is an important step on the road to eventually using synthetic cells to repair damaged tissues or regenerate organs. The research has been reported in Cell.
The researchers created synthetic organizer cells that could generate a structure like a mouse body, from head to tail, that underwent processes that were similar to those in mouse embryonic development. Another type of synthetic organizer cell was used to produce a structure that was similar to a heart, and featured a central chamber. This synthetic, heart-like structure also had a network of blood vessels and beat regularly.
"This type of synthetic organizer cell platform provides a new way to interface with stem cells and to program what they develop into," said co-corresponding study author Wendell Lim, PhD, a professor at UCSF. "By controlling and reshaping how stem cells differentiate and develop, it might allow us to grow better organs for transplantation or organoids for disease modeling and eventually utilize it to drive tissue regeneration in living patients."
The investigators induced the expression of different genes to coax the cells to cluster around a group of stem cells. Then, these organizer cells were made to generate biochemical signals that lead to early embryonic development.
By expressing another set of genes, the scientists were able to fine tune the action of these cells, and even introduced a method that could eliminate the organizer cells when necessary.
"These synthetic organizers show that we can provide more refined developmental instructions to stem cells by engineering where and when specific morphogen signals are provided," Lim said. "The organizer cells carry both spatial information and biochemical information, thus giving us an incredible amount of control that we have not had before."
"The remarkable science of programming instructions to coax stem cells could one day open the door to tackle complex diseases," added co-corresponding study author Ophir Klein, MD, PhD, executive vice dean of Children's Health and executive director of Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's. "We could generate specific cell types, like a beta cell to make insulin or a neuron to treat Parkinson's disease, within the context of a larger piece of tissue or even a whole organ. This work opens many new and exciting possibilities."
Sources: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cell
