The role of mitochondria in embryonic stem cells.

描述（由申请人提供）：干细胞的特征在于其多谱系分化潜能（多能性）和自我更新能力，这使得它们能够增殖，同时避免谱系定型和衰老。人们对确定干细胞在谱系定型与自我更新的细胞命运之间进行选择的途径非常感兴趣。更好地了解这一过程将允许开发特定的调节剂，指导干细胞的命运，并提高其再生治疗的效用。最近的研究表明，线粒体功能调节多种细胞类型的基因表达和自我更新，但对胚胎干细胞中线粒体功能的作用知之甚少。因此，我们研究了人胚胎干细胞（hESCs）中线粒体的功能和活性。我们的新的初步数据表明，与分化的细胞相比，未分化的hESC具有高线粒体生物合成，但表现出低水平的线粒体葡萄糖氧化。根据我们的数据和最近发表的研究结果，我们已经制定了核心假设的建议葡萄糖氧化调节自我更新和人类胚胎干细胞（hESC）的分化。我们建议通过测试以下三个假设来评估这一点：在目标1中，我们将评估调节葡萄糖氧化对hESC代谢活性的影响。在目标2中，我们将评估调节葡萄糖氧化对hESC自我更新和分化的影响。在目标3中，我们将通过使用畸胎瘤形成和血管生成的体内模型来评估增强线粒体葡萄糖氧化如何影响hESC的治疗用途。这项建议调查了一个新的范例，因为线粒体葡萄糖氧化和人类ESC命运之间还没有明确的联系。我们的研究结果可能会对细胞代谢和再生过程产生重大影响。由于目前有多种代谢药理学调节剂，并已被批准用于患者，我们相信我们在干细胞生物学代谢过程中的发现可以很容易地转化为临床环境，以改善再生干细胞疗法。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Stem cells are characterized by their multi-lineage differentiation potential (pluripotency) and their ability for self-renewal, which permits them to proliferate while avoiding lineage commitment and senescence. There has been much interest in identifying the pathways by which stem cells choose between the cell fates of lineage commitment versus self-renewal. A better understanding of this process would allow for the development of specific modulators that direct stem cell fate and improve their utility for regenerative therapies. Recent studies have demonstrated that mitochondrial function regulates gene expression and self-renewal in multiple cell types but little is known about the role of mitochondrial function in embryonic stem cells. We therefore studied the mitochondrial function and activity in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). Our novel preliminary data suggest that when compared to differentiated cells, undifferentiated hESCs have high mitochondrial biogenesis, but exhibit low levels of mitochondrial glucose oxidation. Based on our data and recent published findings, we have formulated the central hypothesis of the proposal glucose oxidation regulates self-renewal and differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). We propose to evaluate this by testing the following three hypotheses: In Aim 1, we will assess the effect of modulating glucose oxidation on the metabolic activity of hESCs. In Aim 2, we will evaluate the effect of modulating glucose oxidation on the self-renewal and differentiation of hESCs. In Aim 3, we will assess how enhancing mitochondrial glucose oxidation affects the therapeutic use of hESC by using in vivo models of teratoma formation and angiogenesis. This proposal investigates a new paradigm, since there is no clearly established link yet between mitochondrial glucose oxidation and human ESC fate. The results from our study of are likely to yield major insights into cellular metabolic and regenerative processes. Since multiple pharmacological modulators of metabolism are currently available and have been approved for use in patients, we believe that our findings on metabolic processes in stem biology could be readily translated into the clinical setting to improve regenerative stem cell therapies.