Rapid neurogenesis through transcriptional activation in human stem cell (miRNA). Homo sapiens

Advances in cellular reprogramming and stem cell differentiation now enable ex vivo studies of human neuronal differentiation. However, it remains challenging to elucidate the underlying regulatory programs because differentiation protocols are laborious and often result in low neuron yields. Here, we overexpressed two murine Neurogenin transcription factors in human induced pluripotent stem cells, and obtained neurons with bipolar morphology in four days at greater than 90% purity. The high purity enabled mRNA and microRNA expression profiling during neurogenesis, thus revealing the genetic programs involved in the transition from stem cell to neuron. The miRNA profiles were then analyzed to identify the miRNAs involved in the differentiation of the neurons. Overall design: Nanostring nCounter was used to profile miRNAs of iPS cells (PGP1) at 0, 1, 3, and 4 days post- doxycycline induction of murine NGN1 and NGN2.