Physiological oxygen culture reveals retention of metabolic memory in human induced pluripotent stem cells

PLoS One. 2018 Mar 15;13(3):e0193949. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193949. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Reprogramming somatic cells to a pluripotent cell state (induced Pluripotent Stem (iPS) cells) requires reprogramming of metabolism to support cell proliferation and pluripotency, most notably changes in carbohydrate turnover that reflect a shift from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism. Some aspects of iPS cell metabolism differ from embryonic stem (ES) cells, which may reflect a parental cell memory, or be a consequence of the reprogramming process. In this study, we compared the metabolism of 3 human iPS cell lines to assess the fidelity of metabolic reprogramming. When challenged with reduced oxygen concentration, ES cells have been shown to modulate carbohydrate use in a predictably way. In the same model, 2 of 3 iPS cell lines failed to regulate carbohydrate metabolism. Oxygen is a well-characterized regulator of cell function and embryo viability, and an inability of iPS cells to modulate metabolism in response to oxygen may indicate poor metabolic fidelity. As metabolism is linked to the regulation of the epigenome, assessment of metabolic responses of iPS cells to physiological stimuli during characterization is warranted to ensure complete cell reprogramming and as a measure of cell quality.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbohydrates / physiology
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Proliferation / physiology
  • Cellular Reprogramming / physiology
  • Embryonic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Epigenomics / methods
  • Fibroblasts / metabolism
  • Glycolysis / physiology
  • Humans
  • Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells / metabolism*
  • Oxygen / metabolism*

Substances

  • Carbohydrates
  • Oxygen

Grants and funding

This work was funded through the Australian Research Council Special Research Initiative: Stem Cells Australia (SR1101002) to DKG. The funder had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.