Self‐assembling proteins as high‐performance substrates for embryonic stem cell self‐renewal

DOI: 10.1002/adma.201807521

Authors: Christopher J. Hill (University of Liverpool) , Jennifer R. Fleming (University of Liverpool) , Masoumeh Mousavinejad (University of Liverpool) , Rachael Nicholson (University of Liverpool) , Svetomir B. Tzokov (The Krebs Institute, University of Sheffield) , Per A. Bullough (The Krebs Institute, University of Sheffield) , Julijus Bogomolovas (UCSD; Heidelberg University) , Mark R. Morgan (University of Liverpool) , Olga Mayans (University of Liverpool; University of Konstanz) , Patricia Murray (University of Liverpool)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Advanced Materials , VOL 31

State: Published (Approved)
Published: March 2019
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 7146

Abstract: The development of extracellular matrix mimetics that imitate niche stem cell microenvironments and support cell growth for technological applications is intensely pursued. Specifically, mimetics are sought that can enact control over the self‐renewal and directed differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) for clinical use. Despite considerable progress in the field, a major impediment to the clinical translation of hPSCs is the difficulty and high cost of large‐scale cell production under xeno‐free culture conditions using current matrices. Here, a bioactive, recombinant, protein‐based polymer, termed ZTFn, is presented that closely mimics human plasma fibronectin and serves as an economical, xeno‐free, biodegradable, and functionally adaptable cell substrate. The ZTFn substrate supports with high performance the propagation and long‐term self‐renewal of human embryonic stem cells while preserving their pluripotency. The ZTFn polymer can, therefore, be proposed as an efficient and affordable replacement for fibronectin in clinical grade cell culturing. Further, it can be postulated that the ZT polymer has significant engineering potential for further orthogonal functionalization in complex cell applications.

Journal Keywords: biomaterials; protein engineering; protein self‐assembly; self‐renewal; stem cells

Diamond Keywords: Regenerative Medicine

Subject Areas: Biology and Bio-materials, Medicine


Instruments: I03-Macromolecular Crystallography

Added On: 27/04/2020 13:25

Discipline Tags:

Biomaterials Structural biology Materials Science Life Sciences & Biotech

Technical Tags:

Diffraction Macromolecular Crystallography (MX)