Transcriptomic profile of hiPSC-derived myoblasts and myotubes coated on distinct substrates

Driving efficient and pure skeletal muscle cell differentiation from pluripotent stem cells has been challenging. Here, we report an optimized protocol that generates skeletal muscle progenitor cells with high efficiency and purity, in a short period of time. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) were specified into the mesodermal myogenic fate using distinct and species-specific protocols. We used a specific Maturation Medium to promote terminal differentiation of both human and mouse myoblast populations, and generated myotubes associated with a large pool of cell cycle-arrested PAX7+ cells. We further show that myotube maturation is modulated by the dish coating properties, cell density and percentage of myogenic progenitor cells. Given the high efficiency in the generation of myogenic progenitors and differentiated myofibers, this protocol provides an attractive strategy for tissue engineering, modeling of muscle dystrophies and evaluation of new therapeutic approaches in vitro. Overall design: Examining the transcriptomic profiles of hiPSC-derived myoblasts and myotubes