Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) hold great potential in regenerative medicine. These cells can be expanded indefinitely in theory and are able to differentiate into different types of cells for cell therapies, drug screening, and basic biology studies. The reliable and effective propagation of hESCs and hiPSCs is important for their downstream applications. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is critical to hESCs and hiPSCs for maintaining their pluripotency. Plant-produced growth factors are safe to use without potential contamination of infectious viruses and are less expensive to produce. In this study, we used rice cell-made basic fibroblast growth factor (RbFGF) to propagate hESCs and hiPSCs for at least eight passages. Both hESCs and hiPSCs cultured with RbFGF not only maintained the morphology but also the specific expression (OCT4, SSEA4, SOX2, and TRA-1-60) of PSCs, similar to those cultured with the commercial Escherichia coli-produced bFGF. Furthermore, both gene chip-based PluriTest and TaqMan hPSC Scorecard pluripotency analysis demonstrated the pluripotent expression profile of the hESCs cultured with RbFGF. In vitro trilineage assays further showed that these hESCs and hiPSCs cultured on RbFGF were capable of giving rise to cell derivatives of ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm, further demonstrating their pluripotency. Finally, chromosome stability was also maintained in hESCs cultured with RbFGF as demonstrated by normal karyotypes. This study suggests broad applications for plant-made growth factors in stem cell culture and regenerative medicine.
Keywords: chromosome stability; embryonic stem cells; growth factor; plant; pluripotency; pluripotent stem cells.