Imaging-Based Screen Identifies Laminin 411 as a Physiologically Relevant Niche Factor with Importance for i-Hep Applications
Ong J., Paola Serra M., Segal J., Cujba A.-M., Seng Ng S., Butler R., Millar V., Hatch S., Zimri S., Koike H., Chan K., Bonham A., Walk M., Voss T., Heaton N., Mitry R., Dhawan A., Ebner D., Danovi D., Nakauchi H., Rashid S.T.Stem Cell Reports, 2018
Here, the authors show that extracellular niche factors likely play a critical role in bridging this gap in functional differences between hepatocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (i-Heps) and primary cells. They defined a profile of healthy, freshly isolated primary hepatocytes (Hepatocyte Likeness Index; HLI) that cells of interest can be compared against for high-throughput screening. They applied this platform to screen hepatocyte niche factors for their ability to drive i-Heps closer to that target and validated their findings in a pharma-like screening environment. The HLI was applied in a targeted screen of extracellular niche factors to identify substrates driving i-Heps closer to the standard. Results from the screen performed highlighted the important role played by laminins where laminin 411 was identified as a key niche protein. Laminin 411 is a component of the hepatic niche. Laminin 411 advanced i-Heps toward functional significance and prolonged survival of hepatic progenitor cells, contributing to better i-Hep-based drug-screening applications. This paper underscores the importance of combining substrates, soluble factors, and HCA when developing iPSC applications.
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