학술논문

Directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells to hepatic stellate cells
Document Type
Report
Source
Nature Protocols. May 2021, Vol. 16 Issue 5, p2542, 22 p.
Subject
Spain
Language
English
ISSN
1754-2189
Abstract
Author(s): Julia Vallverdú [sup.1] , Raquel A. Martínez García de la Torre [sup.1] , Inge Mannaerts [sup.2] , Stefaan Verhulst [sup.2] , Ayla Smout [sup.2] , Mar Coll [sup.1] [sup.3] [...]
Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are nonparenchymal liver cells responsible for extracellular matrix homeostasis and are the main cells involved in the development of liver fibrosis following injury. The lack of reliable sources of HSCs has hence limited the development of complex in vitro systems to model liver diseases and toxicity. Here we describe a protocol to differentiate human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) into hepatic stellate cells (iPSC-HSCs). The protocol is based on the addition of several growth factors important for liver development sequentially over 12 d. iPSC-HSCs present phenotypic and functional characteristics of primary HSCs and can be expanded or frozen and used to perform high-throughput in vitro studies. We also describe how to coculture iPSC-HSCs with hepatocytes, which self-assemble into three-dimensional (3D) hepatic spheroids. This protocol enables the generation of HSC-like cells for in vitro modeling and drug screening studies. Human iPSCs are differentiated into HSCs by culture with growth factors. They respond to fibrogenic stimuli, arising as a new source of HSC-like cells for in vitro modeling. Subsequent coculture with hepatocytes facilitates self-assembly into 3D hepatic spheroids.