Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma potentiates mesodermal differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells
Mime Kobayashi,
Kiichiro Tomoda,
Hirofumi Morihara,
Michio Asahi,
Tetsuji Shimizu,
Shinya Kumagai
Affiliations
Mime Kobayashi
Division of Biological Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192, Japan; Department of Pharmacology, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan; Corresponding author.
Kiichiro Tomoda
Department of Pharmacology, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan; Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA; Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University, 53 Kawahara-cho, Shogoin, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan
Hirofumi Morihara
Department of Pharmacology, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan
Michio Asahi
Department of Pharmacology, Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University, 2-7 Daigaku-machi, Takatsuki, Osaka 569-8686, Japan
Tetsuji Shimizu
Research Institute for Advanced Electronics and Photonics, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8560, Japan
Shinya Kumagai
Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Meijo University, 1-501 Shiogamaguchi, Tempaku-ku, Nagoya 468-8502, Japan
Non-thermal atmospheric-pressure plasma has been used for biological applications, including sterilization and stimulation of cell growth and differentiation. Here, we demonstrate that plasma exposure influences the differentiation pattern of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). We treated hiPSCs with dielectric barrier-discharge air plasma and found an exposure dose that does not kill hiPSCs. Immunohistochemical staining for E-CADHERIN showed that the exposure affected cell-cell attachment and doubled the average size of the hiPSCs. Analysis of mRNAs in embryoid bodies (EBs) from plasma-treated hiPSCs revealed repression of ectoderm genes, including WNT1, and increased expression of mesoderm genes. Importantly, hiPSCs deficient in DNA repair only displayed minimal damage after plasma exposure. Collectively, our results suggest that plasma treatment can be another tool for directing the fate of pluripotent stem cells without disrupting their genomic integrity.
