Differentiation of human embryonic stem cells towards hepatocytes

To understand in detail the molecular phases that occur during the differentiation of human embryonic stem cells to hepatocyte-like cells we performed an RNA-seq time course of the stages of differentiation across the 21 day differentiation time course. We used a chemically defined (serum-free) protocol, modified from Si-Tayeb et al., 2010 and Song et al., 2009. We describe acquisition of definitive endoderm characteristics at day 3, followed by hepatoblast charcter at day 7-13 and then maturation to hepatocyte-like cells at day 21. Overall design: Time course of differentiation of human embryoic stem cells to hepatocyte-like cells over 21 days, using an adapted chemically defined protocol of Song et al., 2009; Cell Research