TY - JOUR
T1 - Robust expansion of human pluripotent stem cells
T2 - Integration of bioprocess design with transcriptomic and metabolomic characterization
AU - Silva, Marta M.
AU - Rodrigues, Ana F.
AU - Correia, Cláudia
AU - Sousa, Marcos F Q
AU - Brito, Catarina
AU - Coroadinha, Ana S.
AU - Serra, Margarida
AU - Alves, Paula M.
PY - 2015/7/1
Y1 - 2015/7/1
N2 - Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have an enormous potential as a source for cell replacement therapies, tissue engineering, and in vitro toxicology applications. The lack of standardized and robust bioprocesses for hESC expansion has hindered the application of hESCs and their derivatives in clinical settings. We developed a robust and well-characterized bioprocess for hESC expansion under fully defined conditions and explored the potential of transcriptomic and metabolomic tools for a more comprehensive assessment of culture system impact on cell proliferation, metabolism, and phenotype. Two different hESC lines (feeder-dependent and feeder-free lines) were efficiently expanded on xeno-free microcarriers in stirred culture systems. Both hESC lines maintained the expression of stemness markers such as Oct-4, Nanog, SSEA-4, and TRA1-60 and the ability to spontaneously differentiate into the three germ layers. Whole-genome transcriptome profiling revealed a phenotypic convergence between both hESC lines along the expansion process in stirred-tank bioreactor cultures, providing strong evidence of the robustness of the cultivation process to homogenize cellular phenotype. Under low-oxygen tension, results showed metabolic rearrangement with upregulation of the glycolytic machinery favoring an anaerobic glycolysis Warburg-effect-like phenotype, with no evidence of hypoxic stress response, in contrast to two-dimensional culture. Overall, we report a standardized expansion bioprocess that can guarantee maximal product quality. Furthermore, the “omics” tools used provided relevant findings on the physiological and metabolic changes during hESC expansion in environmentally controlled stirred-tank bioreactors, which can contribute to improved scale-up production systems.
AB - Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have an enormous potential as a source for cell replacement therapies, tissue engineering, and in vitro toxicology applications. The lack of standardized and robust bioprocesses for hESC expansion has hindered the application of hESCs and their derivatives in clinical settings. We developed a robust and well-characterized bioprocess for hESC expansion under fully defined conditions and explored the potential of transcriptomic and metabolomic tools for a more comprehensive assessment of culture system impact on cell proliferation, metabolism, and phenotype. Two different hESC lines (feeder-dependent and feeder-free lines) were efficiently expanded on xeno-free microcarriers in stirred culture systems. Both hESC lines maintained the expression of stemness markers such as Oct-4, Nanog, SSEA-4, and TRA1-60 and the ability to spontaneously differentiate into the three germ layers. Whole-genome transcriptome profiling revealed a phenotypic convergence between both hESC lines along the expansion process in stirred-tank bioreactor cultures, providing strong evidence of the robustness of the cultivation process to homogenize cellular phenotype. Under low-oxygen tension, results showed metabolic rearrangement with upregulation of the glycolytic machinery favoring an anaerobic glycolysis Warburg-effect-like phenotype, with no evidence of hypoxic stress response, in contrast to two-dimensional culture. Overall, we report a standardized expansion bioprocess that can guarantee maximal product quality. Furthermore, the “omics” tools used provided relevant findings on the physiological and metabolic changes during hESC expansion in environmentally controlled stirred-tank bioreactors, which can contribute to improved scale-up production systems.
KW - Human pluripotent stem cells
KW - Metabolic profiling
KW - Stirred-tank bioreactors
KW - Transcriptional profiling
KW - Xeno-free microcarriers
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84936999040&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.5966/sctm.2014-0270
DO - 10.5966/sctm.2014-0270
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84936999040
VL - 4
SP - 731
EP - 742
JO - Stem Cells Translational Medicine
JF - Stem Cells Translational Medicine
SN - 2157-6564
IS - 7
ER -