FOXN1 (GFP/w) Reporter HESCs Enable Identification of Integrin-β4, HLA-DR, and EpCAM As Markers of Human PSC-derived FOXN1(+) Thymic Epithelial Progenitors

Overview

Journal Stem Cell Reports

Publisher Cell Press

Specialty Cell Biology

Date 2014 Jun 18

PMID 24936476

Citations 22

Authors

Chew-Li Soh

Antonietta Giudice

Robert A Jenny

David A Elliott

Tanya Hatzistavrou

Suzanne J Micallef

Korosh Kianizad

Natalie Seach

Juan Carlos Zuniga-Pflucker

Ann P Chidgey

Alan Trounson

Susan K Nilsson

David N Haylock

Richard L Boyd

Andrew G Elefanty

Edouard G Stanley

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Thymic epithelial cells (TECs) play a critical role in T cell maturation and tolerance induction. The generation of TECs from in vitro differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) provides a platform on which to study the mechanisms of this interaction and has implications for immune reconstitution. To facilitate analysis of PSC-derived TECs, we generated hESC reporter lines in which sequences encoding GFP were targeted to FOXN1, a gene required for TEC development. Using this FOXN1 (GFP/w) line as a readout, we developed a reproducible protocol for generating FOXN1-GFP(+) thymic endoderm cells. Transcriptional profiling and flow cytometry identified integrin-β4 (ITGB4, CD104) and HLA-DR as markers that could be used in combination with EpCAM to selectively purify FOXN1(+) TEC progenitors from differentiating cultures of unmanipulated PSCs. Human FOXN1(+) TEC progenitors generated from PSCs facilitate the study of thymus biology and are a valuable resource for future applications in regenerative medicine.

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