Authors: Huisheng Liu SuChun Zhang
Publish Date: 2011/07/24
Volume: 68, Issue: 24, Pages: 3995-4008
Abstract
Human pluripotent stem cells PSCs including embryonic stem cells ESCs and induced pluripotent stem cells iPSCs provide a dynamic tool for revealing early embryonic development modeling pathological processes and developing therapeutics through drug discovery and potential cell replacement The first step toward the utilities of human PSCs is directed differentiation to functionally specialized cell/tissue types Following developmental principles human ESCs and lately iPSCs have been effectively differentiated to region and/or transmitterspecific neuronal and glial types including cerebral glutamatergic striatal γaminobutyric acid GABAergic forebrain cholinergic midbrain dopaminergic and spinal motor neurons as well as astrocytes and oligodendrocytes These studies also reveal unique aspects of human cell biology including intrinsically programmed developmental course differential uses of transcription factors for neuroectoderm specification and distinct responses to extracellular signals in regulating cell fate Such information will be instrumental in translating biological findings to therapeutic developmentThe authors thank members of the Zhang laboratory for reading and commenting on the manuscript Studies presented from our laboratory have been supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke NS045926 NS057778 NS064578 ALS Association National MS Society NMSS TR3761 NYSTEM C024406 Bleser Family Foundation Busta Family Foundation Neuroscience Training Program T32 GM007507 and partly by a core grant to the Waisman Center from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development P30 HD03352
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