Abstract for presentation at Australia and New Zealand Society of Nephrology Annual Scientific Conference

Identification and Isolation of Renal Progenitor Cells from Differentiated Human Embryonic Stem Cells

  • Adelia Lin, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Australia
  • Mr Navin Mahadevan, Monash University, Recipient of a 2005 US Fulbright Scholarship through the Australian-American Fulbright Commission, Australia
  • Mr George Zhou, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Australia
  • Miss Naomi Campanale, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Australia
  • Dr James Deane, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Monash University, Australia
  • Dr Sharon Ricardo, Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories, Dept. of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Monash University, Australia
  • Prof Martin Pera, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Australia
  • Dr Andrew Laslett, Monash Institute of Medical Research, Monash University, and the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Australia

    • Embryonic stem (ES) cells are pluripotent and have the capacity to generate all cell lineages within the adult including renal cells. ES cells may provide a source for cell-based therapies for chronic renal disease. Recently, Challen et. al. (2004) reported the identification of cell surface markers expressed in the murine renal progenitor population. Based on these results, we have developed a method for the derivation of putative renal progenitor cells from human ES cells.
    Human ES cells were cultured in reduced serum conditions for 2 weeks and a combination of 3 cell surface markers used to isolate a putative renal progenitor population using FACS. The isolated cells were further analysed for the expression of renal and human ES cell genes by quantitative PCR (QPCR).
    Data obtained to date indicate an evident increase in the renal progenitor population cultured in reduced serum compared to control conditions. QPCR results also demonstrate upregulation of renal genes PAX-2, WT-1 and LHX-1 and downregulation of stem cell genes OCT-4 and GDF-3 in this progenitor population. Functional studies of these putative progenitors are currently underway in a mouse model of renal ischemia/reperfusion utilising the Envy cell line; a human ES cell line that constitutively expresses GFP (Costa et. al., 2005). Further characterisation of these cells is needed to confirm their identity as a renal progenitor cell population.

    Challen, G.A. et al (2004) J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 15, 2344-2357.
    Costa, M. et al (2005) Nat. Methods 2, 259-260.

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