The researchers compared the transcriptomes of endothelial and hematopoietic cells derived in vitro from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to those derived in vivo from the human aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region. This analysis identified nine transcription factors (RUNX1T1, NR4A1, GATA2, SMAD7, ZNF124, SOX6, ZNF33A, NFAT5, TFDP2) that were expressed at lower levels in the in vitro-derived cells compared to their in vivo counterparts.
The researchers then developed a novel doxycycline-inducible CRISPR activation (iCRISPRa) system to induce the expression of these nine transcription factors in human iPSCs. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis revealed that activation of these factors led to an expansion of an arterial-like endothelial cell population, which was associated with increased production of functional hematopoietic progenitors.
Further investigation showed that the increased hematopoietic progenitor potential was mediated in part by the paracrine factor IGFBP2, which was highly upregulated in the expanded arterial endothelial cell population upon transcription factor activation. IGFBP2 was found to induce a metabolic shift in the endothelial cells, reducing glycolysis and increasing mitochondrial respiration, which is known to be important for the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition.
These findings provide new insights into the molecular regulation of hematopoietic development and demonstrate the utility of the iCRISPRa system for studying dynamic processes controlling cell fate decisions in human pluripotent stem cell models.
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by Petazzi,P., ... kl. www.biorxiv.org 01-14-2024
https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.01.14.575573v1Dybere Forespørgsler