Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30678718›Full record

ArticleStem cell research & therapy2019

Targeted gene silencing in human embryonic stem cells using cell-penetrating peptide PepFect 14.

Egle-Helene Ervin, Martin Pook, Indrek Teino, Valmar Kasuk, Annika Trei, Margus Pooga, Toivo Maimets

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Stem cell research & therapy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
13citing papers in PubMed
1.8field-weighted citation impact, top 15% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

13 citing papers in PubMed, 33 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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  4. Nucleic acid drugs: recent progress and future perspectives.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2024
    Review
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  9. Review
  10. Cell-Penetrating Peptides Delivering siRNAs: An Overview.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2021
    Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Egle-Helene ErvinDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Martin PookDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Indrek TeinoDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Valmar KasukDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Annika TreiDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Margus PoogaDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia.
Toivo MaimetsDepartment of Cell Biology, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of Tartu, Riia 23, 51010, Tartu, Estonia. toivo.maimets@ut.ee.
University of Tartu · EE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHuman embryonic stem (hES) cells serve as an invaluable tool for research and future medicine, but their transfection often leads to unwanted side effects as the method itself may induce differentiation. On the other hand, RNA interference (RNAi)-based targeted gene silencing is a quick, cost-effective, and easy-to-perform method to address questions regarding the function of genes, especially when hypomorphic knockdowns are needed. Therefore, effective transfection method with minimal side effects is essential for applying RNAi to hES cells. Here, we report a highly promising approach for targeted gene silencing in hES cells with siRNA complexed with cell-penetrating peptide PepFect 14 (PF14). This strategy provides researchers with efficient tool for unraveling the functions of genes or addressing the differentiation of pluripotent stem cells.

methodsWe present a method for delivery of siRNA into hES cells with cell-penetrating peptide PF14. Accordingly, hES cells were transfected in ROCK inhibitor containing medium for 24 h right after EDTA passaging as small cell clumps. Fluorescently labeled siRNA and siRNAs targeting OCT4 or beta-2-microglobulin (B2M) mRNA sequences were used to evaluate the efficiency of transfection and silencing. Analyses were performed at various time points by flow cytometry, RT-qPCR, and immunofluorescence microscopy.

resultsEffective downregulation of OCT4 in 70% of treated hES cells at protein level was achieved, along with 90% reduction at mRNA level in bulk population of cells. The applicability of this low-cost and easy-to-perform method was confirmed by inducing silencing of another target not associated with hES cell pluripotency (B2M). Furthermore, we discovered that downregulation of OCT4 induces neuroectodermal differentiation accompanied by reduced expression of B2M during early stage of this lineage.

conclusionsThe results demonstrate PF14 as a promising tool for studying gene function and regulatory networks in hES cells by using RNAi.

Indexed as

Cell-Penetrating PeptidesGene SilencingHuman Embryonic Stem CellsHumansLipopeptidesRNA, Small InterferingTransfectionCell-Penetrating PeptidesLipopeptidesPepFect14 peptideRNA, Small InterferingB2MCell-penetrating peptideHuman embryonic stem cellsOCT4PepFect 14siRNA transfection

Identifiers

PMID30678718
PMCPMC6345057
OpenAlexW2911738706

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.