To solve the problem of immune incompatibility, nuclear transplantation has been envisaged as a means to produce cells or tissues for human autologous transplantation. Here we have derived embryonic stem cells by the ...To solve the problem of immune incompatibility, nuclear transplantation has been envisaged as a means to produce cells or tissues for human autologous transplantation. Here we have derived embryonic stem cells by the transfer of human somatic nuclei into rabbit oocytes. The number of blastocysts that developed from the fused nuclear transfer was comparable among nuclear donors at ages of 5, 42, 52 and 60 years, and nuclear transfer (NT) embryonic stem cells (ntES cells) were subsequently derived from each of the four age groups. These results suggest that human somatic nuclei can form ntES cells independent of the age of the donor. The derived ntES cells are human based on karyotype, isogenicity, in situ hybridization, PCR and immunocytochemistry with probes that distinguish between the various species. The ntES cells maintain the capability of sustained growth in an undifferentiated state, and form embryoid bodies, which, on further induction, give rise to cell types such as neuron and muscle, as well as mixed cell populations that express markers representative of all three germ layers. Thus, ntES cells derived from human somatic cells by NT to rabbit eggs retain phenotypes similar to those of conventional human ES cells, including the ability to undergo multilineage cellular differentiation.展开更多
Several extrinsic signals such as LIF, BMP and Wnt can support the self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem (ES) cells through regulating the "pluripotent genes." A unique homeobox transcription factor, Nan...Several extrinsic signals such as LIF, BMP and Wnt can support the self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem (ES) cells through regulating the "pluripotent genes." A unique homeobox transcription factor, Nanog, is one of the key downstream effectors of these signals. Elevated level of Nanog can maintain the mouse ES cell self-renewal independent of LIF and enable human ES cell growth without feeder cells. In addition to the external signal pathways, intrinsic transcription factors such as FoxD3, P53 and Oct4 are also involved in regulating the expression of Nanog. Functionally, Nanog works together with other key pluripotent factors such as Oct4 and Sox2 to control a set of target genes that have important functions in ES cell pluripotency. These key factors form a regulatory network to support or limit each other's expression level, which maintains the properties of ES cells.展开更多
The capacity for self-renewal and differentiation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells makes them a potential source for generation of pancreatic beta cells for treating type I diabetes mellitus. Here, we report a new...The capacity for self-renewal and differentiation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells makes them a potential source for generation of pancreatic beta cells for treating type I diabetes mellitus. Here, we report a newly developed and effective method, carried out in a serum-free system, which induced human ES cells to differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Activin A was used in the initial stage to induce definitive endoderm differentiation from human ES cells, as detected by the expression of the definitive endoderm markers Sox17 and Brachyury. Further, all-trans retinoic acid (RA) was used to promote pancreatic differentiation, as indicated by the expression of the early pancreatic transcription factors pdxl and hlxb9. After maturation in DMEM/F12 serum-free medium with bFGF and nicotinamide, the differentiated cells expressed islet specific markers such as C-peptide, insulin, glucagon and glut2. The percentage of C-peptide-positive cells exceeded 15%. The secretion of insulin and C-peptide by these cells corresponded to the variations in glucose levels. When transplanted into renal capsules of Streptozotocin (STZ)-treated nude mice, these differentiated human ES cells survived and maintained the expression of beta cell marker genes, including C-peptide, pdxl, glucokinase, nkx6.1, lAPP, pax6 and Tcfl. Thirty percent of the transplanted nude mice exhibited apparent restoration of stable euglycemia; and the corrected phenotype was sustained for more than six weeks. Our new method provides a promising in vitro differentiation model for studying the mechanisms of human pancreas development and illustrates the potential of using human ES cells for the treatment of type I diabetes mellitus.展开更多
Endothelial cells (TEC_3 cells) derived from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were used as seed cells to construct blood vessels. Tissue engineered blood vessels were made by seeding 8 × 10~6 smooth muscle cells (...Endothelial cells (TEC_3 cells) derived from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were used as seed cells to construct blood vessels. Tissue engineered blood vessels were made by seeding 8 × 10~6 smooth muscle cells (SMCs) obtained from rabbit arteries onto a sheet of nonwoven polyglycolic acid (PGA) fibers, which was used as a biodegradable polymer scaffold. After being cultured in DMEM medium for 7 days in vitro, SMCs grew well on the PGA fibers, and the cell-PGA sheet was then wrapped around a silicon tube, and implanted subcutaneously into nude mice. After 6~8 weeks, the silicon tube was replaced with another silicon tube in smaller diameter, and then the TEC_3 cells (endothelial cells differentiated from mouse ES cells) were injected inside the engineered vessel tube as the test group. In the control group only culture medium was injected. Five days later, the engineered vessels were harvested for gross observation, histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The preliminary results demonstrated that the SMC-PGA construct could form a tubular structure in 6~8 weeks and PGA fibers were completely degraded. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the newly formed tissue revealed a typical blood vessel structure, including a lining of endothelial cells (ECs) on the lumimal surface and the presence of SMC and collagen in the wall. No EC lining was found in the tubes of control group. Therefore, the ECs differentiated from mouse ES cells can serve as seed cells for endothelium lining in tissue engineered blood vessels.展开更多
A new method for establishing ES cell lines from 129/ter、C57BL/6J mice was set up which was characterized by the murine embryonic fibroblast cell(MEF) feeder, the medium of rat heart cell-conditioned medium(RH-CM)for...A new method for establishing ES cell lines from 129/ter、C57BL/6J mice was set up which was characterized by the murine embryonic fibroblast cell(MEF) feeder, the medium of rat heart cell-conditioned medium(RH-CM)for ES cells, and the consecutive digestion by the digestion liquid containing 1% serum. Every group of improved experiments was done with a control of routine method. The results showed that, compared with routine method, the improved way increased the ratio of ES cell lines of 129/ter mice from 11.8% to 33.3%, and of C57BL/6J from 3.7% to 13.3%. The difference is distinct. The passage culture of ES cells showed that, compared with medium added LIF, RH-CM not only inhibited the differentiation of murine ES cells, maintained its dipoild karyotype, but also promote its adherence growth. This kind of culture condition not only maintained the ES cells in an undifferentiated state and their normal dipoild karyotype, but also a series of other characteristics of totipotent embryonic stem cells during extended culture period.展开更多
BACKGROUND: Midbrain-derived neural stem cells (mNSCs) can differentiate into functional mature dopaminergic neurons. The mNSCs are considered the ideal choice for cell therapy of Parkinson's disease. OBJECTIVE: ...BACKGROUND: Midbrain-derived neural stem cells (mNSCs) can differentiate into functional mature dopaminergic neurons. The mNSCs are considered the ideal choice for cell therapy of Parkinson's disease. OBJECTIVE: To isolate rat embryonic mNSCs and to observe the differentiation characteristics of mNSCs induced by cell growth-promoting factors. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: An in vitro cell culture study based on the molecular biology of nerve cells was carried out at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital (China) from March to November 2007. MATERIALS: Sprague Dawley rats at embryonic day 14 were used in this study. Nestin antibody, β-Ⅲ tubulin antibody, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody and cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNPase) antibody were provided by Abcam; DMEM/F12 medium and N2 supplement were provided by Invitrogen; epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) were provided by R&D Systems. METHODS: The ventral mesencephalon was dissected from embryonic day 14 rat embryos. By trypsin digestion and mechanical separation, the brain tissue was triturated into a fine single-cell suspension. The cells were cultured in 5 mL serum-free medium containing DMEM/FI 2, 1% N: supplement, 20 ng/mL EGF and FGF2. The mNSCs at the third generation were coated with 10ug/mL polylysine and induced to differentiate in the DMEM/F12 supplemented with 1% fetal bovine serum and 1% N2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The neural spheres of the third passage were identified by nestin immunofluorescence; at the same time, the cells were induced to differentiate, and the types of differentiated cell were identified by immunofluorescence for β Ⅲ tubulin, GFAP and CNPase. RESULTS: Seven days after primary culture, a great many neurospheres could be obtained by successive pasage. Immunofluorescence assays showed that the neurospheres were nestin positive, and after differentiation, the cells expressed GFAP, CNPase and β -Ⅲ-tu展开更多
Dysregulation of circadian rhythms associates with cardiovascular disorders.It is known that deletion of the core circadian gene Bma/1 in mice causes dilated car-diomyopathy.However,the biological rhythm regulation sy...Dysregulation of circadian rhythms associates with cardiovascular disorders.It is known that deletion of the core circadian gene Bma/1 in mice causes dilated car-diomyopathy.However,the biological rhythm regulation system in mouse is very different from that of humans.Whether BMAL1 plays a role in regulating human heart function remains unclear.Here we generated a BMAL1 knockout human embryonic stem cell(hESC)model and further derived human BMAL1 deficient cardiomy-ocytes.We show that BMAL1 deficient hESC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibited typical phenotypes of dilated cardiomyopathy including attenuated contractility,cal-cium dysregulation,and disorganized myofilaments.In addition,mitochondrial fission and mitophagy were suppressed in BMAL1 deficient hESC-cardiomyocytes,which resulted in significantly attenuated mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and compromised cardiomy-ocyte function.We also found that BMAL1 binds to the E-box element in the promoter region of BNIP3 gene and specifically controls BNIP3 protein expression.BMAL1 knockout directly reduced BNIP3 protein level,causing compromised mitophagy and mitochondria dysfunction and thereby leading to compromised cardiomyocyte function.Our data indicated that the core circadian gene S/VMLf is critical for normal mitochondria activities and cardiac function.Circadian rhythm disruption may directly link to compromised heart function and dilated cardiomyopathy in humans.展开更多
Embryonic stem (ES) cells are characterized by their ability to indefinitely self-renew and potential to differentiate into all the cell lineages of the body. ES cells are considered to have potential applications in ...Embryonic stem (ES) cells are characterized by their ability to indefinitely self-renew and potential to differentiate into all the cell lineages of the body. ES cells are considered to have potential applications in regenerative medicine. In particular, the emergence of an ES cell analogue-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells via somatic cell reprogramming by co-expressing a limited number of critical stemness-related transcriptional factors has solved the problem of obtaining patient-specific pluripotent cells, encouraging researchers to develop more specific and functional cell lineages from ES or iPS cells for broad therapeutic applications. ES cell fate choice is delicately controlled by a core transcriptional network, epigenetic modification profiles and complex signaling cascades both intrinsically and extrinsically. Of these signals, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family members, including TGF-β, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Activin and Nodal, have been reported to influence cell self-renewal and a broad spectrum of lineage differentiation in ES cells, in accordance with the key roles of TGF-β family signaling in early embryo development. In this review, the roles of TGF-β family signals in coordinating ES cell fate determination are summarized.展开更多
BACKGROUND Premature ovarian failure(POF)affects many adult women less than 40 years of age and leads to infertility.According to previous reports,various tissue-specific stem cells can restore ovarian function and fo...BACKGROUND Premature ovarian failure(POF)affects many adult women less than 40 years of age and leads to infertility.According to previous reports,various tissue-specific stem cells can restore ovarian function and folliculogenesis in mice with chemotherapy-induced POF.Human embryonic stem cells(ES)provide an alternative source for mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)because of their similarities in phenotype and immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory characteristics.Embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells(ES-MSCs)are attractive candidates for regenerative medicine because of their high proliferation and lack of barriers for harvesting tissue-specific MSCs.However,possible therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of transplanted ES-MSCs on cyclophosphamide and busulfan-induced mouse ovarian damage have not been evaluated.AIM To evaluate ES-MSCs vs bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(BMMSCs)in restoring ovarian function in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure.METHODS Female mice received intraperitoneal injections of different doses of cyclophosphamide and busulfan to induce POF.Either human ES-MSCs or BMMSCs were transplanted into these mice.Ten days after the mice were injected with cyclophosphamide and busulfan and 4 wk after transplantation of the ESMSCs and/or BM-MSCs,we evaluated body weight,estrous cyclicity,folliclestimulating hormone and estradiol hormone concentrations and follicle count were used to evaluate the POF model and cell transplantation.Moreover,terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated 2-deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end labeling,real-time PCR,Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry and mating was used to evaluate cell transplantation.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze vascular endothelial growth factor,insulin-like growth factor 2 and hepatocyte growth factor levels in ES-MSC condition medium in order to investigate the mechanisms that underlie their function.RESULTS The human ES-MSCs significantly restored hormone s展开更多
基金supported by grants from the Major State Basic Research Development Program of China(No.001CB5099)the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China(No.2001AA216121)+3 种基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.30040003)Projects of Shanghai Science&Technology Development Foundation(No.99DJ14002,00DJ14033,01DJ14003)the Chinese Academy of Sciences(No.KSCX-2-3-08)Shanghai Municipal Education Commission and by Shanghai Second Medical University
文摘To solve the problem of immune incompatibility, nuclear transplantation has been envisaged as a means to produce cells or tissues for human autologous transplantation. Here we have derived embryonic stem cells by the transfer of human somatic nuclei into rabbit oocytes. The number of blastocysts that developed from the fused nuclear transfer was comparable among nuclear donors at ages of 5, 42, 52 and 60 years, and nuclear transfer (NT) embryonic stem cells (ntES cells) were subsequently derived from each of the four age groups. These results suggest that human somatic nuclei can form ntES cells independent of the age of the donor. The derived ntES cells are human based on karyotype, isogenicity, in situ hybridization, PCR and immunocytochemistry with probes that distinguish between the various species. The ntES cells maintain the capability of sustained growth in an undifferentiated state, and form embryoid bodies, which, on further induction, give rise to cell types such as neuron and muscle, as well as mixed cell populations that express markers representative of all three germ layers. Thus, ntES cells derived from human somatic cells by NT to rabbit eggs retain phenotypes similar to those of conventional human ES cells, including the ability to undergo multilineage cellular differentiation.
文摘Several extrinsic signals such as LIF, BMP and Wnt can support the self-renewal and pluripotency of embryonic stem (ES) cells through regulating the "pluripotent genes." A unique homeobox transcription factor, Nanog, is one of the key downstream effectors of these signals. Elevated level of Nanog can maintain the mouse ES cell self-renewal independent of LIF and enable human ES cell growth without feeder cells. In addition to the external signal pathways, intrinsic transcription factors such as FoxD3, P53 and Oct4 are also involved in regulating the expression of Nanog. Functionally, Nanog works together with other key pluripotent factors such as Oct4 and Sox2 to control a set of target genes that have important functions in ES cell pluripotency. These key factors form a regulatory network to support or limit each other's expression level, which maintains the properties of ES cells.
基金This research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology Grant (2001CB510106);Science and Technology Plan of Beijing Municipal Government (H020220050290);National Natural Science Foundation of China Awards for 0utstanding Young Scientists (30125022);for Creative Research Groups (30421004);Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Grant (37871) to H Deng.
文摘The capacity for self-renewal and differentiation of human embryonic stem (ES) cells makes them a potential source for generation of pancreatic beta cells for treating type I diabetes mellitus. Here, we report a newly developed and effective method, carried out in a serum-free system, which induced human ES cells to differentiate into insulin-producing cells. Activin A was used in the initial stage to induce definitive endoderm differentiation from human ES cells, as detected by the expression of the definitive endoderm markers Sox17 and Brachyury. Further, all-trans retinoic acid (RA) was used to promote pancreatic differentiation, as indicated by the expression of the early pancreatic transcription factors pdxl and hlxb9. After maturation in DMEM/F12 serum-free medium with bFGF and nicotinamide, the differentiated cells expressed islet specific markers such as C-peptide, insulin, glucagon and glut2. The percentage of C-peptide-positive cells exceeded 15%. The secretion of insulin and C-peptide by these cells corresponded to the variations in glucose levels. When transplanted into renal capsules of Streptozotocin (STZ)-treated nude mice, these differentiated human ES cells survived and maintained the expression of beta cell marker genes, including C-peptide, pdxl, glucokinase, nkx6.1, lAPP, pax6 and Tcfl. Thirty percent of the transplanted nude mice exhibited apparent restoration of stable euglycemia; and the corrected phenotype was sustained for more than six weeks. Our new method provides a promising in vitro differentiation model for studying the mechanisms of human pancreas development and illustrates the potential of using human ES cells for the treatment of type I diabetes mellitus.
基金supported by the national“973”tissue engineering project of China(G1999054300)Shanghai Science and Technology Development Foundation(03DJ14021)
文摘Endothelial cells (TEC_3 cells) derived from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells were used as seed cells to construct blood vessels. Tissue engineered blood vessels were made by seeding 8 × 10~6 smooth muscle cells (SMCs) obtained from rabbit arteries onto a sheet of nonwoven polyglycolic acid (PGA) fibers, which was used as a biodegradable polymer scaffold. After being cultured in DMEM medium for 7 days in vitro, SMCs grew well on the PGA fibers, and the cell-PGA sheet was then wrapped around a silicon tube, and implanted subcutaneously into nude mice. After 6~8 weeks, the silicon tube was replaced with another silicon tube in smaller diameter, and then the TEC_3 cells (endothelial cells differentiated from mouse ES cells) were injected inside the engineered vessel tube as the test group. In the control group only culture medium was injected. Five days later, the engineered vessels were harvested for gross observation, histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The preliminary results demonstrated that the SMC-PGA construct could form a tubular structure in 6~8 weeks and PGA fibers were completely degraded. Histological and immunohistochemical analysis of the newly formed tissue revealed a typical blood vessel structure, including a lining of endothelial cells (ECs) on the lumimal surface and the presence of SMC and collagen in the wall. No EC lining was found in the tubes of control group. Therefore, the ECs differentiated from mouse ES cells can serve as seed cells for endothelium lining in tissue engineered blood vessels.
文摘A new method for establishing ES cell lines from 129/ter、C57BL/6J mice was set up which was characterized by the murine embryonic fibroblast cell(MEF) feeder, the medium of rat heart cell-conditioned medium(RH-CM)for ES cells, and the consecutive digestion by the digestion liquid containing 1% serum. Every group of improved experiments was done with a control of routine method. The results showed that, compared with routine method, the improved way increased the ratio of ES cell lines of 129/ter mice from 11.8% to 33.3%, and of C57BL/6J from 3.7% to 13.3%. The difference is distinct. The passage culture of ES cells showed that, compared with medium added LIF, RH-CM not only inhibited the differentiation of murine ES cells, maintained its dipoild karyotype, but also promote its adherence growth. This kind of culture condition not only maintained the ES cells in an undifferentiated state and their normal dipoild karyotype, but also a series of other characteristics of totipotent embryonic stem cells during extended culture period.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30672151
文摘BACKGROUND: Midbrain-derived neural stem cells (mNSCs) can differentiate into functional mature dopaminergic neurons. The mNSCs are considered the ideal choice for cell therapy of Parkinson's disease. OBJECTIVE: To isolate rat embryonic mNSCs and to observe the differentiation characteristics of mNSCs induced by cell growth-promoting factors. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: An in vitro cell culture study based on the molecular biology of nerve cells was carried out at the Institute of Clinical Medicine, China-Japan Friendship Hospital (China) from March to November 2007. MATERIALS: Sprague Dawley rats at embryonic day 14 were used in this study. Nestin antibody, β-Ⅲ tubulin antibody, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody and cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase (CNPase) antibody were provided by Abcam; DMEM/F12 medium and N2 supplement were provided by Invitrogen; epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) were provided by R&D Systems. METHODS: The ventral mesencephalon was dissected from embryonic day 14 rat embryos. By trypsin digestion and mechanical separation, the brain tissue was triturated into a fine single-cell suspension. The cells were cultured in 5 mL serum-free medium containing DMEM/FI 2, 1% N: supplement, 20 ng/mL EGF and FGF2. The mNSCs at the third generation were coated with 10ug/mL polylysine and induced to differentiate in the DMEM/F12 supplemented with 1% fetal bovine serum and 1% N2. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The neural spheres of the third passage were identified by nestin immunofluorescence; at the same time, the cells were induced to differentiate, and the types of differentiated cell were identified by immunofluorescence for β Ⅲ tubulin, GFAP and CNPase. RESULTS: Seven days after primary culture, a great many neurospheres could be obtained by successive pasage. Immunofluorescence assays showed that the neurospheres were nestin positive, and after differentiation, the cells expressed GFAP, CNPase and β -Ⅲ-tu
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(NSFC No.81322003,No.31571527,N.S.No.31501098,Q.L.,No.81500241,C.X.,No.81870600,C.L.,No-81570771 and 31871189,RZ.Q.)+1 种基金the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality(No.17XD1400300,No.17JC1400200)the National Key R&D Program of China 2018YFC2000202,and the Haiju program of National Children’s Medical Center EK1125180102.We apologize to people whose work was relevant to but not cited in this study due to limited space。
文摘Dysregulation of circadian rhythms associates with cardiovascular disorders.It is known that deletion of the core circadian gene Bma/1 in mice causes dilated car-diomyopathy.However,the biological rhythm regulation system in mouse is very different from that of humans.Whether BMAL1 plays a role in regulating human heart function remains unclear.Here we generated a BMAL1 knockout human embryonic stem cell(hESC)model and further derived human BMAL1 deficient cardiomy-ocytes.We show that BMAL1 deficient hESC-derived cardiomyocytes exhibited typical phenotypes of dilated cardiomyopathy including attenuated contractility,cal-cium dysregulation,and disorganized myofilaments.In addition,mitochondrial fission and mitophagy were suppressed in BMAL1 deficient hESC-cardiomyocytes,which resulted in significantly attenuated mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and compromised cardiomy-ocyte function.We also found that BMAL1 binds to the E-box element in the promoter region of BNIP3 gene and specifically controls BNIP3 protein expression.BMAL1 knockout directly reduced BNIP3 protein level,causing compromised mitophagy and mitochondria dysfunction and thereby leading to compromised cardiomyocyte function.Our data indicated that the core circadian gene S/VMLf is critical for normal mitochondria activities and cardiac function.Circadian rhythm disruption may directly link to compromised heart function and dilated cardiomyopathy in humans.
基金supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 30921004 and 30930050)the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant Nos of China 2006CB943401, 2006CB910102 and 2010CB 833706)
文摘Embryonic stem (ES) cells are characterized by their ability to indefinitely self-renew and potential to differentiate into all the cell lineages of the body. ES cells are considered to have potential applications in regenerative medicine. In particular, the emergence of an ES cell analogue-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells via somatic cell reprogramming by co-expressing a limited number of critical stemness-related transcriptional factors has solved the problem of obtaining patient-specific pluripotent cells, encouraging researchers to develop more specific and functional cell lineages from ES or iPS cells for broad therapeutic applications. ES cell fate choice is delicately controlled by a core transcriptional network, epigenetic modification profiles and complex signaling cascades both intrinsically and extrinsically. Of these signals, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family members, including TGF-β, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), Activin and Nodal, have been reported to influence cell self-renewal and a broad spectrum of lineage differentiation in ES cells, in accordance with the key roles of TGF-β family signaling in early embryo development. In this review, the roles of TGF-β family signals in coordinating ES cell fate determination are summarized.
文摘BACKGROUND Premature ovarian failure(POF)affects many adult women less than 40 years of age and leads to infertility.According to previous reports,various tissue-specific stem cells can restore ovarian function and folliculogenesis in mice with chemotherapy-induced POF.Human embryonic stem cells(ES)provide an alternative source for mesenchymal stem cells(MSCs)because of their similarities in phenotype and immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory characteristics.Embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells(ES-MSCs)are attractive candidates for regenerative medicine because of their high proliferation and lack of barriers for harvesting tissue-specific MSCs.However,possible therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of transplanted ES-MSCs on cyclophosphamide and busulfan-induced mouse ovarian damage have not been evaluated.AIM To evaluate ES-MSCs vs bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells(BMMSCs)in restoring ovarian function in a mouse model of chemotherapy-induced premature ovarian failure.METHODS Female mice received intraperitoneal injections of different doses of cyclophosphamide and busulfan to induce POF.Either human ES-MSCs or BMMSCs were transplanted into these mice.Ten days after the mice were injected with cyclophosphamide and busulfan and 4 wk after transplantation of the ESMSCs and/or BM-MSCs,we evaluated body weight,estrous cyclicity,folliclestimulating hormone and estradiol hormone concentrations and follicle count were used to evaluate the POF model and cell transplantation.Moreover,terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated 2-deoxyuridine 5-triphosphate nick end labeling,real-time PCR,Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry and mating was used to evaluate cell transplantation.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to analyze vascular endothelial growth factor,insulin-like growth factor 2 and hepatocyte growth factor levels in ES-MSC condition medium in order to investigate the mechanisms that underlie their function.RESULTS The human ES-MSCs significantly restored hormone s