Thymic derived iPs cells can be differentiated into cardiomyocytes

Abstract

Ventricular septal defect (VSD) is a common congenital heart malformation. Several factors lead to the development of VSD, including familial causes, exposure to certain drugs, infectious agents, and maternal metabolic disturbances. We hypothesized that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be obtained from VSD patients to generate cardiomyocytes. Here, we show the generation and cardiomyocyte differentiation of iPS cells from the thymic epithelial cells of a patient with VSD (TECs-VSD) by overexpressing four transcription factors: OCT4, SOX2, NANOG, and LIN28 using lentiviral vectors. The self-renewal capacity and pluripotency of iPS cells was verified in vitro by expression of pluripotency markers and formation of teratoma in vivo. The results show that iPS cells can be derived from patients with VSD and they can be differentiated into cardiomyocytes. These cells can be used for understanding the pathogenesis of defect that causes VSD.