Newly established F1 hybrid Embryonic Stem cells allow the production of ES cell-derived animals at a high enough efficiency to directly make ES cell based genetics feasible. An F1 hybrid ES cell line, G4 was used to generate transgenic over-expressing cell lines. The consequence of the expression of a panel of transgenes was assessed directly from ES cell-derived embryos produced by the tetraploid complementation assay. The generation of ES cell-derived embryos/animals was very efficient. A sufficient number of mutants for initial phenotypic analyses was derived only a few weeks after the establishment of the cell lines. The genes used in the study had either angiogenic/vasculogenic, anti-angiogenic or unknown properties. Of these transgenic mouse lines VEGF-A and Flt-Fc were used to further elucidate the effects of altered VEGF signaling on cell fate decisions in embryonic development and ES differentiation in two experimental systems. A. Early but transient Flk-1 activation led to enhanced generation of blood progenitors, whereas continuous activation of Flk-1 abolished this effect and enhanced endothelial cell generation. Ex vivo analysis of cells derived from E7.5 embryos demonstrated that sFlt-1-mediated control of Flk-1 activity also impacted the fate of hematopoietic and endothelial cells. The Flt-1-Fc transgenic mouse model was used to alter Flk-1 activation in vivo and show the relevance of the in vitro observations. These results demonstrate that sFlt-1 regulates Flk-1 activation in an oxygen responsive manner. Inhibition of Flk-1 activation by sFlt-1 increases the specification of hemangioblasts to blood cells consistent with a VEGF-independent default mechanism. B. Ubiquitous over-expression of VEGF164 isoform led to E8.75 embryonic lethality. The primary cause of lethality was the failure to form an organized cardiovascular system, which was manifested in three ways: the absence of yolk sac blood vessels, the lack of embryonic-maternal circulation due to the failure of allantochorionic fusion and improper cardiac function. The described phenotypes suggest that VEGF does not inhibit embryonic or extra-embryonic mesoderm formation at gastrulation but perturbs the balance amongst the mesodermal components.

Embryogenesis occurs within a complex and dynamic cellular environment that influences cell fate decisions. Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) are a valuable tool for research into disease models as well as a resource for cell therapy due to their capacity to self-renew and differentiate into all cell types. Mimicking aspects of the embryonic microenvironment in vitro impacts the resultant functional cells. The aim of this work was to develop a controlled and scaleable process for the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) from embryonic stem cells (ESCs). We demonstrated with bioreactor-grown embryoid bodies (EBs) that increased HPC generation can be elicited by decreasing the oxygen tension by a mechanism where vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) activation is controlled through competition with the ligand decoy VEGFR1. This is important as it demonstrates the inherent responsiveness of the developing hematopoietic system to external forces and influences. We also established a serum-free system that facilitates directed differentiation, determining 5 ng/ml bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) with 50 ng/ml thrombopoietin (TPO) could generate 292 ± 42 colony forming cells (CFC)/5 x 10^4 cells with early VEGF treatment (25 ng/ml, day 0-5). We also controlled aggregate size influencing relative endogenous and exogenous growth factor signaling and modulating mesodermal differentiation; CFC output was optimal when initialized with 100 cell aggregates. For the first time, we demonstrated efficacy of local growth factor delivery by producing HPCs with gelatin microparticles (MP). Overall, these design components generate HPCs in a controlled and reproducible manner using a serum-free bioprocess that couples size controlled aggregates containing gelatin MPs for localized growth factor release of BMP4 and TPO with hypoxia to induce endogenous VEGF production. These strategies provide a tunable platform for developing cell therapies and high density growth, within a bioreactor system, can be facilitated by hydrogel encapsulation of the aggregates.

Live cell imaging can be used to study dynamic cellular systems at single cell resolution. In heterogeneous cell populations, analyzing cell properties at the single cell level reduces the generalization of results caused by population-based assays. This thesis details the implementation of live cell imaging and single cell tracking to characterize heterogeneous cell systems undergoing dynamic processes over multiple generations. This approach enables the consideration of both spatial and temporal variables as well as the mapping of cell phenotype trajectories along their generational lineages. Cell-, lineage-, and colony-level properties are used as descriptors of the underlying molecular mechanisms that they are produced by. These may be unexpected, emergent properties that can not be predicted or completely characterized at the molecular level. Analysis of these properties can reveal and characterize the properties and processes of dynamic, heterogeneous cell systems. Live cell imaging culture strategies were developed to enable characterization of both two- and three-dimensional cell systems. Computational modeling was performed to evaluate the conditions imposed by a confined imaging chamber that enables single cell resolution imaging of monolayer and multilayer cell systems. Imaging chamber dimensions and cell colony/aggregate sizes were calculated that would prevent the introduction of metabolite transport limitations and allow for stable, long term imaging. Methods for single cell tracking and analysis were also developed, which produces a database detailing the tracked, observed and extracted properties of every cell and colony, while maintaining the lineage structure of the data. Visualizations such as lineages, histograms and scatter plots were implemented to enable interactive data analysis and querying. These methods were used to characterize heterogeneity in two separate cell systems: human islet of Langerhans-derived progenitor cells, and human embryonic stem cells. Islet-derived progenitors are an expandable source of cells with potential for treatment of diabetes. Here, it was shown that there is an unequal contribution of islets to the progenitor derivation process. Islet-derived progenitors consist of two distinct sub-populations of cells that were distinguished by morphological identification during live cell image analysis. These sub-populations possess unique proliferation profiles and appear to exist in a dynamic state with each other. Three-dimensional tracking of islet progenitor derivation was implemented, but suffered from a lack of resolution to capture the dynamic nature of the transformation process. However, entire islets were imaged and tracked successfully under maintenance conditions, suggesting that this system may be useful for other cell types. These results highlight that live cell imaging and cell tracking may not be suitable for all cell systems and that inclusion of other analytical information, such as immunocytochemistry, would improve the power of cell tracking analysis. Human embryonic stem cell cultures were studied using live cell imaging to identify the mechanisms by which they differentiate to produce supportive niche cells. Cell tracking, morphology scoring and lineage analysis revealed a previously unappreciated level of heterogeneity within human embryonic stem cell colonies. The results show that a sub-population of human embryonic stem cells exist that are precursors to niche cell differentiation. However, these cells exist in a dynamic equilibrium with self-renewing stem cells, which is dependant on the presence of existing local niche cells. Sub-optimal niche conditions leads to the production of niche differentiation-competent cells and, significantly, considerable cell death. The effect of cell death is the clonal selection of self-renewing cells that contribute to colony expansion. Overall, these results highlight the importance of the co-transfer of existing niche cells and the dynamic balance that regulates human embryonic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. This thesis displays the utility of live cell imaging, cell tracking and cell, colony and lineage analysis for studying dynamic heterogeneous systems. Furthermore, it highlight the fact that cell-, lineage- and colony-level analysis can uncover previously unappreciated heterogeneity and unknown sub-populations of cells. The system does not rely on characterization at the molecular level, but uses higher order measures to generalize them. However, future incorporation of cell, lineage and colony information with molecular-level information may results in analytical power not possible from either level alone. Such systems will be valuable tools in the growing fields of stem cell biology and systems biology.

Live cell imaging can be used to study dynamic cellular systems at single cell resolution. In heterogeneous cell populations, analyzing cell properties at the single cell level reduces the generalization of results caused by population-based assays. This thesis details the implementation of live cell imaging and single cell tracking to characterize heterogeneous cell systems undergoing dynamic processes over multiple generations. This approach enables the consideration of both spatial and temporal variables as well as the mapping of cell phenotype trajectories along their generational lineages. Cell-, lineage-, and colony-level properties are used as descriptors of the underlying molecular mechanisms that they are produced by. These may be unexpected, emergent properties that can not be predicted or completely characterized at the molecular level. Analysis of these properties can reveal and characterize the properties and processes of dynamic, heterogeneous cell systems. Live cell imaging culture strategies were developed to enable characterization of both two- and three-dimensional cell systems. Computational modeling was performed to evaluate the conditions imposed by a confined imaging chamber that enables single cell resolution imaging of monolayer and multilayer cell systems. Imaging chamber dimensions and cell colony/aggregate sizes were calculated that would prevent the introduction of metabolite transport limitations and allow for stable, long term imaging. Methods for single cell tracking and analysis were also developed, which produces a database detailing the tracked, observed and extracted properties of every cell and colony, while maintaining the lineage structure of the data. Visualizations such as lineages, histograms and scatter plots were implemented to enable interactive data analysis and querying. These methods were used to characterize heterogeneity in two separate cell systems: human islet of Langerhans-derived progenitor cells, and human embryonic stem cells. Islet-derived progenitors are an expandable source of cells with potential for treatment of diabetes. Here, it was shown that there is an unequal contribution of islets to the progenitor derivation process. Islet-derived progenitors consist of two distinct sub-populations of cells that were distinguished by morphological identification during live cell image analysis. These sub-populations possess unique proliferation profiles and appear to exist in a dynamic state with each other. Three-dimensional tracking of islet progenitor derivation was implemented, but suffered from a lack of resolution to capture the dynamic nature of the transformation process. However, entire islets were imaged and tracked successfully under maintenance conditions, suggesting that this system may be useful for other cell types. These results highlight that live cell imaging and cell tracking may not be suitable for all cell systems and that inclusion of other analytical information, such as immunocytochemistry, would improve the power of cell tracking analysis. Human embryonic stem cell cultures were studied using live cell imaging to identify the mechanisms by which they differentiate to produce supportive niche cells. Cell tracking, morphology scoring and lineage analysis revealed a previously unappreciated level of heterogeneity within human embryonic stem cell colonies. The results show that a sub-population of human embryonic stem cells exist that are precursors to niche cell differentiation. However, these cells exist in a dynamic equilibrium with self-renewing stem cells, which is dependant on the presence of existing local niche cells. Sub-optimal niche conditions leads to the production of niche differentiation-competent cells and, significantly, considerable cell death. The effect of cell death is the clonal selection of self-renewing cells that contribute to colony expansion. Overall, these results highlight the importance of the co-transfer of existing niche cells and the dynamic balance that regulates human embryonic stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. This thesis displays the utility of live cell imaging, cell tracking and cell, colony and lineage analysis for studying dynamic heterogeneous systems. Furthermore, it highlight the fact that cell-, lineage- and colony-level analysis can uncover previously unappreciated heterogeneity and unknown sub-populations of cells. The system does not rely on characterization at the molecular level, but uses higher order measures to generalize them. However, future incorporation of cell, lineage and colony information with molecular-level information may results in analytical power not possible from either level alone. Such systems will be valuable tools in the growing fields of stem cell biology and systems biology.

Skeletal development requires stringent control of programs for gene activation and suppression in response to physiological cues. There has been a principal focus on the identification of the mechanisms by which a particular cell phenotype is activated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) have emerged as key negative regulators of diverse biological and pathological processes, including developmental timing, organogenesis, apoptosis, cell proliferation and differentiation; how they regulate osteoblast specific gene expression, is poorly understood. miRNAs are small 22 nucleotides (nt) endogenous non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) that anneal to 3’ untranslated region (3’UTR) of target messenger RNA (mRNA) to mediate inhibition of translation and lower protein level. It remains to be established how specific miRNAs contribute to regulate the onset of a tissue-specific phenotype. One previously identified important player in the activation of skeletal-related genes that control formation of bone tissue is Wnt (wingless) signaling. The Wnts are regulating the differentiation of multiple cell types but also are driving embryonic stem cells (ESCs) into specific lineages, for example they support osteoblastogenesis. By attaching to the membrane, Wnts direct a signaling cascade for accumulation of β-catenin (CatnB), which in turn activates osteoblast-essential genes. The contribution of global mechanisms is equally important for understanding tissue development and diseases. The aim of this study was to identify miRNAs that are differentially expressed in osteogenically differentiated ESCs. In addition, functional characterization of these miRNAs was performed to further unravel the molecular mechanisms underlying osteogenesis. Finally, an important goal was to identify the mRNA targets of these miRNAs, which are required for differentiation of ESCs into osteoblasts with a primary focus on mRNAs associated with the Wnt signaling pathway. miRNA expression profiling reveals an overall down-regulation of miRNAs during osteogenic differentiation of ESCs To identify miRNAs that are potentially involved in osteogenesis ESCs were differentiated into osteoblasts and compared to undifferentiated ESCs using a miRNA microarray. miRNA profiling during the initial stages of osteoblast differentiation showed 25 miRNAs significantly differentially expressed. Differential expression of 4 miRNAs tested was confirmed using quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR). Many miRNAs were expressed at low levels in differentiated ESCs. Indeed, down-regulation of miRNAs appeared to be common during differentiation. Furthermore, related miRNAs encoded on the same chromosome showed similar expression profiles. In summary, though several miRNAs were identified that can significantly distinguish between undifferentiated and osteogenically differentiated ESCs, 11 were chosen for further functional analysis. Functional studies show that miR-127, miR-183, miR-291b-5p, miR-293, miR-361, miR-467b and miR-665 affect osteogenesis of ESCs Undifferentiated and differentiated ESCs were used for functional studies of 11 miRNAs (miR-22, miR-127, miR-130a, miR-183, miR-291b-5p, miR-293, miR-300, miR-361, miR-467b, miR-665 and miR-690), which were down-regulated during osteogenic differentiation. To asses the function of these miRNAs, gain- and loss-of-function experiments were performed. Overexpressing and knocking down these miRNAs caused changes in cell survival, cell morphology, and osteogenic differentiation capacity as measured with calcium deposition, ALP activity and expression of osteogenic markers. Particularly, overexpression of miR-361 and knockdown of miR-665 significantly enhanced mineralization and expression levels of osteogenic markers. Thus, both miRNAs might regulate osteogenic differentiation in the early stages of lineage specification and commitment. miRNAs are modulators of osteogenic differentiation To identify miRNA target candidates that may account for the observed effects on cell survival and osteogenic differentiation of ESCs, a combined approach of bioinformatic predictions, mRNA expression analysis, and TurboGFP reduction upon miRNA overexpression coupled with the search of known literature was performed to identify cellular events that the identified miRNAs might be involved in. Target identification suggested that the candidate miRNAs may interfere with the Wnt pathway as many target candidates were detected that were known to be Wnt signaling-associated. To confirm that miR-183, miR-293, miR-361, miR-665 and miR-690 regulated osteoblast differentiation, target mRNA/miRNA interaction was studied using RT-qPCR. Overexpression of these miRNAs reduced the levels of the key factors involved in Wnt signaling; particularly Wnt inhibitor factor 1 (WIF-1) levels were decreased by miR-293, nuclear factor of activated T cells 3 (NFATc-3) and Prickle-1 by miR-361, Dishevelled 1 (Dvl-1) by miR-665 and for forkhead box O 3 (FoxO-3), Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) and CatnB-1 by miR-690. Thus, to address the hypothesis that miR-361 activates osteoblast differentiation by targeting Prickle-1 and NFATc-3, the p2FP-RNAi vector system was applied. It was shown that expression of miR-361 down-regulates Prickle-1 levels, which to our knowledge have not been described so far. As it was found previously, Prickle-1 reduced Dvl-3 levels by promoting its ubiquitination, resulting in inhibition of Wnt canonical signaling in liver cancer. Since Dvls are positive regulators of osteogenesis by elevating CatnB levels and stimulating lymphoid enhancer factor/T cell factor proteins (LEF/TCF) -dependent transcription in the canonical Wnt pathway, Prickle-1 might be a negative regulator of osteogenic differentiation by eliminating Dvls from the complex. This interaction offers a novel mechanism of Wnt signaling activation in osteogenesis and can be explored to identify key components in the Wnt signaling pathway. In summary, we suggested that miR-361 acts as an activator in osteogenic differentiation of ESCs. / Die Embryonalentwicklung des Skelettsystems ist in Bezug auf programmierte Genaktivierung in Antwort auf physiologische Schlüsselreize strikten Kontrollen unterworfen. Studien zur Untersuchung solcher Kontrollelemente haben sich dabei vor allem auf die Identifikation von Mechanismen fokussiert, die einen bestimmten zellulären Phänotyp aktivieren. Zum Vorschein kamen microRNAs (miRNAs), die als negative Schlüsselregulatoren diverser biologischer und pathologischer Prozesse wirken, wie zum Beispiel der zeitlichen Regulation von Entwicklung, der Organogenese, Apoptose, zellulärer Proliferation und Differenzierung. Wie sie allerdings die Osteogenese, den Prozess der Knochenbildung, regulieren ist weitestgehend unbekannt. MiRNAs sind kurze 22 Nukleotid lange endogene nicht-kodierende RNAs (ncRNAs), die an die 3\' nicht translatierte Region (3\'UTR) einer Ziel mRNA binden und somit die Inhibition der Translation vermitteln, was letzten Endes zu einer Erniedrigung des Proteinlevels führt. Es bleibt allerdings zu etablieren, wie spezifische miRNAs zur Spezifikation in einen bestimmten Zell- oder Gewebephänotyps beitragen. Einer der bisher identifizierten Akteure, der die Aktivierung von skelettalen Genen kontrolliert, ist der Wnt (wingless) Signalweg. Wnt Moleküle regulieren die Differenzierung vieler unterschiedlicher Zelltypen, aber lenken auch die Differenzierung von embryonalen Stammzellen (ESCs) in spezifische Richtungen, so z.B. in die Richtung von Knochenzellen, den Osteoblasten. Indem sie an die Zellmembran andocken, dirigieren Wnts eine Signalkaskade, die die Akkumulation von beta-catenin (CatnB) im Zellkern nach sich zieht, wodurch knochenspezifische Gene aktiviert werden. Obwohl die Wnt Signalkaskade weitestgehend beschrieben ist, ist der Beitrag globalerer Regulationsmechanismen, wie die der miRNAs, an der Osteogenese jedoch gleichfalls für das Verständnis von Gewebeentwicklung und -fehlfunktion von Bedeutung. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es deshalb bestimmte miRNAs zu identifizieren, die differentiell in ESCs exprimiert werden, die zu Knochenzellen ausdifferenzieren. Desweiteren sollten diese miRNAs funktionell charakterisiert werden, um die molekularen Mechanismen, die der Osteogenese unterliegen, aufzudecken. Letztendlich war es ein weiteres wichtiges Ziel die Ziel mRNAs der knochenspezifischen miRNAs zu identifizieren und deren Bezug zum Wnt Signalweg zu charakterisieren. miRNA Expression ist während der osteogenen Differenzierung herunter reguliert Um solche miRNAs zu identifizieren, die potentiell in die Osteogenese eingreifen, wurden ESCs zu Osteoblasten differenziert und mit undifferenzierten ESCs mit Hilfe eines miRNA Microarrays verglichen. Das so durchgeführte miRNA Profiling zeigte, dass 25 miRNAs während der initialen Phase der osteogenen Differenzierung signifikant unterschiedlich exprimiert wurden. Die differentielle Expression von 4 getesteten miRNAs wurde in einem nächsten Schritt über quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) beispielhaft bestätigt. Generell zeigte sich, dass differenzierende ESCs viele miRNAs auf geringem Niveau exprimieren. Tatsächlich schien die Herunterregulation der miRNA Expression mit der Differenzierung der Zellen einherzugehen. Desweiteren zeigten miRNAs, die auf dem gleichen Chromosom kodiert sind, ähnliche Expressionsmuster. Zusammenfassend fanden sich etliche miRNAs, die in undifferenzierten Zellen im Vergleich zu differenzierenden Zellen unterschiedlich exprimiert werden, von denen schlussendlich 11 für weitere Analysen ausgewählt wurden (miR-22, miR-127, miR-130a, miR-183, miR-291b-5p, miR-293, miR-300, miR-361, miR-467b, miR-665 and miR-690). miR-127, miR-183, miR-291b-5p, miR-293, miR-361, miR-467b und miR-665 beeinflussen die Osteogenese In einem nächsten Schritt wurden undifferenzierte und differenzierende ESCs für funktionelle Studien dieser 11 herrunterregulierten miRNAs herangezogen. Um die Funktion dieser miRNAs aufzudecken, wurden sogenannte Gain-of-function und Loss-of-function Studien durchgeführt. Die experimentelle Überexpression und der Knock-down dieser miRNAs führten zu Änderungen in der zellulären Morphologie, der Viabilität und der osteogenen Differenzierungskapazität wie durch einen Kalziumdepositionsassay, einen ALP Aktivitätsassay und die Expression knochenspezifischer Markergene gezeigt werden konnte. Im Besonderen erhöhte die Überexpression der miR-361 und der Knock-down der miR-665 den Mineralisierungsgrad der Zellen und die Expressionniveaus knochenspezifischer Gene. Daher ist zu schließen, dass beide miRNAs das Potential besitzen, die Osteogenese - besonders in den frühen Stadien der Keimbahnspezifikation - zu regulieren. miRNAs als Modulatoren der Osteogenese Um miRNA Zielkandidaten zu identifizieren, die die beobachteten Effekte auf die Zellviabilität und auf die osteogene Differenzierungen bedingen könnten, wurde ein kombinierter Ansatz aus Bioinformatischer Sequenz- und Prädiktionsanalyse, mRNA Expressionsanalyse und TurboGFP Reduktion nach miRNA Überexpression gewählt. Gepaart mit einer Literatursuche deutete diese Zielkandidatenanalyse darauf hin, dass die identifizierten miRNAs tatsächlich den Aktivierungsstatus des Wnt Signalwegs manipulieren könnten, da viele der prädiktierten Target mRNAs bekannt dafür sind, mit dem Wnt Signalweg zu interagieren. Um zu bestätigen, dass miR-183, miR-293, miR-361, miR-665 und miR-690 die Osteogenese regulieren, wurde die mRNA/miRNA Interaktion indirekt mittels RT-qPCR studiert. Die Überexpression dieser miRNAs führte zu einer Erniedrigung des mRNA Expressionsspiegels von WIF-1 (Wnt inhibitory factor 1) durch miR-293, NFATc-3 (nuclear factor of activated T cells 3) und Prickle-1 durch miR-361, Dishevelled 1 (Dvl-1) durch miR-665, sowie forkhead box O3 (FoxO-3), Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) und CatnB durch miR-690. In einem nächsten Schritt konnte durch Nutzung eines speziellen Reportersystems (TurboGFP) eine direkte Interaktion zwischen miR-361 und Prickle-1 nachgewiesen werden. Wie bereits in anderen Studien gezeigt, ist Prickle-1 in der Lage, die Spiegel an Dvl-3 durch Ubiquitinierung des Proteins zu reduzieren, was zur Inhibierung des kanonischen Wnt Signalweges führt. Da Dvls als positive Regulatoren der Osteogenese bekannt sind, indem sie den CatnB Spiegel erhöhen und die lymphoid enhancer factor/T cell factor protein (LEF/TCF) abhängige Transkription stimulieren, könnte Prickle-1 als negativer Regulator fungieren, indem es Dvls von diesem Transkriptionskomplex entfernt. Abschließend lässt sich zusammenfassen, dass miR-361 in dieser Arbeit als neuartiger Aktivator der osteogenen Differenzierung vorgeschlagen wird. Die molekulare Interaktion zwischen miR-361, Prickle-1 und Dvls bietet einen neuartigen Mechanismus der Wnt Signalaktivierung während der Osteogenese und kann für weitere Untersuchungen zur Identifizierung von Schlüsselkomponenten des Wnt Signalweges herangezogen werden.

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are pluripotent cells derived from the inner cell mass of the blastocyst that can give rise to cells of the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm lineages. Once isolated from the blastocyst, ESCs can be cultured indefinitely in vitro in an undifferentiated state or can be induced to differentiate. In the case of mouse ESCs (mESCs), the cytokine leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is added to culture media to maintain pluripotency and is removed to induce differentiation. Although it is known that extracellular matrix (ECM) components influence stem cell maintenance, proliferation and differentiation, the precise effects of ECM environments on embryonic stem cell behavior have not been systematically studied. The main purpose of this thesis project was to investigate the behavior of undifferentiated mESCs cultured in different 3D hydrogel matrices and to determine whether viscoelastic and biochemical variations in the matrices differentially affect the ability of stem cells to self-renew; that is, retain their pluripotency or undifferentiated phenotype. Their behavior in 3D environments was compared to mESC behavior in traditional 2D culture. In addition, a new method of casting hydrogels in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) molds was developed in order to efficiently cast multiple hydrogels of varying sizes and shapes. The findings of this thesis project will benefit both the scientific and engineering community as it encourages researchers to re-evaluate the quality of standard 2D embryonic stem cell culture methods versus potentially novel and advantageous 3D hydrogel culture methods.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2008. / Committee Chair: Joseph Le Doux; Committee Member: Anthanassios Sambanis; Committee Member: David Archer; Committee Member: Michelle LaPlaca; Committee Member: Steve Stice; Committee Member: Todd McDevitt. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Thesis (Ph.D)--Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2009. / Committee Chair: Alfred H. Merrill, Jr; Committee Member: John Cairney; Committee Member: M. Cameron Sullards; Committee Member: Marion B. Sewer; Committee Member: Yuhong Fan. Part of the SMARTech Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Collection.

Stem cell differentiation is regulated by the complex interplay of multiple parameters, including adhesive intercellular interactions, cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix remodeling, and gradients of agonists and antagonists that individually and collectively vary as a function of spatial locale and temporal stages of development. Directed differentiation approaches have traditionally focused on the delivery of soluble morphogens and/or the manipulation of culture substrates in two-dimensional, monolayer cultures, with the objective of achieving large yields of homogeneously differentiated cells. However, a more complete understanding of stem cell niche complexity motivates tissue engineering approaches to inform the development of physiologically relevant, biomimetic models of stem cell differentiation. The capacity of pluripotent stem cells to simultaneously differentiate toward multiple tissue-specific cell lineages has prompted the development of new strategies to guide complex, three-dimensional morphogenesis of functional tissue structures. The objective of this project was to characterize the spatiotemporal dynamics of stem cell biophysical characteristics and morphogenesis, to inform the development of ESC culture technologies to present defined and tunable cues within the three-dimensional spheroid microenvironment. The hypothesis was that the biophysical and biochemical cues present within the 3D microenvironment are altered in conjunction with morphogenesis as a function of stem cell differentiation stage. Understanding biochemical and physical tissue morphogenesis, including the relationships between remodeling of cytoskeletal elements and intercellular adhesions, associated developmentally relevant signaling pathways, and the physical properties of the EB structure together elucidate fundamental cellular interactions governing embryonic morphogenesis and cell specification. Together, this project has established a foundation for controlling, characterizing, and systematically perturbing aspects of stem cell microenvironments in order to guide the development of complex, functional tissue structures for regenerative therapies.

published_or_final_version / Obstetrics and Gynaecology / Master / Master of Medical Sciences