Xeno-free culture of human pluripotent stem cells on oligopeptide-grafted hydrogels with various molecular designs

• Main Authors: Chen, Yen-Ming, Chen, Li-Hua, Li, Meng-Pei, Li, Hsing-Fen, Higuchi, Akon, Kumar, S. Suresh, Ling, Qing-Dong, Alarfaj, Abdullah A., Munusamy, Murugan A., Chang, Yung, Benelli, Giovanni, Murugan, Kadarkarai, Umezawa, Akihiro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2017
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/63733/1/Xeno-free%20culture%20of%20human%20pluripotent%20stem%20cells%20on%20oligopeptide-grafted%20hydrogels%20with%20various%20molecular%20designs.pdf; http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/63733/
• Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia

Establishing cultures of human embryonic (ES) and induced pluripotent (iPS) stem cells in xeno-free conditions is essential for producing clinical-grade cells. Development of cell culture biomaterials for human ES and iPS cells is critical for this purpose. We designed several structures of oligopeptide-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels with optimal elasticity, and prepared them in formations of single chain, single chain with joint segment, dual chain with joint segment, and branched-type chain. Oligopeptide sequences were selected from integrin- and glycosaminoglycan-binding domains of the extracellular matrix. The hydrogels grafted with vitronectin-derived oligopeptides having a joint segment or a dual chain, which has a storage modulus of 25 kPa, supported the long-term culture of human ES and iPS cells for over 10 passages. The dual chain and/or joint segment with cell adhesion molecules on the hydrogels facilitated the proliferation and pluripotency of human ES and iPS cells.