Human embryonic stem cell dispersion in electrospun PCL fiber scaffolds by coating with laminin-521 and E-cadherin-Fc

Here, the authors describe a nonaggregate culture system of human embryonic stem cells inside electrospun polycaprolactone (PCL) fiber scaffolds combined with the defined extracellular proteins laminin-521, naturally occurring in the stem cell niche. PCL fiber scaffolds coated with recombinant human laminin-521 readily supported initial stem cell attachment and growth from a single-cell suspension. The combination of recombinant E-cadherin-Fc and laminin-521 slightly improved cell dispersion rendering a uniform cell population. Finally, we showed that the cells cultured in E-cadherin-Fc- and laminin-521-coated PCL scaffolds could differentiate into all three germ layers. Importantly, we provided a chemically defined 3-D system in which pluripotent stem cells grew and differentiated avoiding the formation of cell aggregates.