ISOLATION AND CHARACTERISATION OF CARDIOMYOCYTE PROGENITOR CELLS FROM HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL DIFFERENTIATION

Abstract

The recent discovery of resident cardiomyocyte progenitor cells (CMPCs) has altered our perspectives on heart development and regeneration. However, the limited selection and lack of consensus on the ¿right¿ set of cell surface markers are hampering developments in this field. To address this, we generated a panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) specific to Sca-1+ CMPCs isolated from human heart tissue. Using these antibodies, we have identified similar CMPC populations in directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) towards the heart lineage. Here, we describe the characterisation of these CMPCs isolated with these novel surface markers, and how their isolation can improve yields of hPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. Additionally, microarray gene expression profiling of CMPCs derived using the same markers from primary tissue and hESC differentiation enabled the elucidation of the similarities and differences inherent in the two sources. We have demonstrated the utility of the CMPC-mAb panel in deriving cardiomyocytes from hPSC differentiation, and as a tool in understanding cardiac differentiation and development.