Pericyte-like cells generated from human pluripotent stem cells support hematopoietic stem and progenitors ex vivo

Various mesenchymal cell types have been identified as critical components of the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell (HSPC) niche. Although several groups have described the generation of mesenchyme from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC), the capacity of such cells to support hematopoiesis has not been reported. Here we have demonstrated that distinct mesenchymal subpopulations co-emerge from mesoderm during hPSC differentiation. Despite co-expression of common mesenchymal markers (CD73, CD105, CD90, PDGFRβ), a subset of cells defined as CD146++CD140alow supported functional HSPC ex vivo while CD146­-CD140a+ cells drove differentiation. The CD146++ subset expressed genes associated with the HSPC niche and high levels of the Wnt inhibitors. HSPC support was contact-dependent and was mediated in part through JAG1 expression. Molecular profiling revealed remarkable transcriptional similarity between hPSC-derived CD146++ and primary human CD146++ perivascular cells. The derivation of diverse pools of mesenchymal populations from hPSC opens potential avenues to model their developmental and functional differences and to improve cell-based therapeutics from hPSC.