2. Academic Validation
  3. HAND factors regulate cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells

HAND factors regulate cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation from human pluripotent stem cells

  • Stem Cell Res Ther. 2024 Feb 5;15(1):31. doi: 10.1186/s13287-024-03649-9.
Huixin Guo # 1,  Chengwen Hang # 2 3 4 5,  Bowen Lin 2 3 4 5,  Zheyi Lin 2 3 4 5 6,  Hui Xiong 2 3 4 5 7,  Mingshuai Zhang 2 3 4 5 7,  Renhong Lu 2 3 4 5,  Junyang Liu 2 3 4 5 7,  Dan Shi 2 3 4 5,  Duanyang Xie 2 3 4 5 6,  Yi Liu 2 3 4 5 6,  Dandan Liang 2 3 4 5 6 8,  Jian Yang 9 10 11 12 13 14 15,  Yi-Han Chen 16 17 18 19 20 21
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China.
  • 2 State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
  • 3 Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
  • 4 Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China.
  • 5 Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
  • 6 Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
  • 7 Department of Cell Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China.
  • 8 Research Units of Origin and Regulation of Heart Rhythm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, 200092, China.
  • 9 State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. [email protected].
  • 10 Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. [email protected].
  • 11 Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. [email protected].
  • 12 Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China. [email protected].
  • 13 Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China. [email protected].
  • 14 Department of Cell Biology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China. [email protected].
  • 15 Research Units of Origin and Regulation of Heart Rhythm, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Shanghai, 200092, China. [email protected].
  • 16 Department of Cardiology, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, 030001, China. [email protected].
  • 17 State Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. [email protected].
  • 18 Shanghai Arrhythmia Research Center, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. [email protected].
  • 19 Department of Cardiology, Shanghai East Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200120, China. [email protected].
  • 20 Shanghai Frontiers Center of Nanocatalytic Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China. [email protected].
  • 21 Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China. [email protected].
  • # Contributed equally.
PMID: 38317221 DOI: 10.1186/s13287-024-03649-9
Abstract

Background: Transcription factors HAND1 and HAND2 (HAND1/2) play significant roles in cardiac organogenesis. Abnormal expression and deficiency of HAND1/2 result in severe cardiac defects. However, the function and mechanism of HAND1/2 in regulating human early cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation are still unclear.

Methods: With NKX2.5eGFP H9 human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), we established single and double knockout cell lines for HAND1 and HAND2, respectively, whose cardiomyocyte differentiation efficiency could be monitored by assessing NKX2.5-eGFP+ cells with flow cytometry. The expression of specific markers for heart fields and cardiomyocyte subtypes was examined by quantitative PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Microelectrode array and whole-cell patch clamp were performed to determine the electrophysiological characteristics of differentiated cardiomyocytes. The transcriptomic changes of HAND knockout cells were revealed by RNA sequencing. The HAND1/2 target genes were identified and validated experimentally by integrating with HAND1/2 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing data.

Results: Either HAND1 or HAND2 knockout did not affect the cardiomyocyte differentiation kinetics, whereas depletion of HAND1/2 resulted in delayed differentiation onset. HAND1 knockout biased cardiac mesoderm toward second heart field progenitors at the expense of first heart field progenitors, leading to increased expression of atrial and outflow tract cardiomyocyte markers, which was further confirmed by the appearance of atrial-like action potentials. By contrast, HAND2 knockout cardiomyocytes had reduced expression of atrial cardiomyocyte markers and displayed ventricular-like action potentials. HAND1/2-deficient hESCs were more inclined to second heart field lineage and its derived cardiomyocytes with atrial-like action potentials than HAND1 single knockout during differentiation. Further mechanistic investigations suggested TBX5 as one of the downstream targets of HAND1/2, whose overexpression partially restored the abnormal cardiomyocyte differentiation in HAND1/2-deficient hESCs.

Conclusions: HAND1/2 have specific and redundant roles in cardiac lineage commitment and differentiation. These findings not only reveal the essential function of HAND1/2 in cardiac organogenesis, but also provide important information on the pathogenesis of HAND1/2 deficiency-related congenital heart diseases, which could potentially lead to new therapeutic strategies.

Keywords

Cardiac lineage commitment; Cardiomyocyte differentiation; HAND1; HAND2; Human pluripotent stem cells; TBX5.

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