Coexpression of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha and fetal liver kinase 1 enhances cardiogenic potential in embryonic stem cell differentiation in vitro

Nascent mesodermal cells derived from EB5 embryonic stem (ES) cells were sorted in terms of cardiogenic potential on the basis of their expression levels of platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFR alpha) and fetal liver kinase 1 (Flk-1). The sorted cells were cocultured with OP9 stromal cells to induce terminal differentiation into contractile cardiac colonies. A significant number of cardiac colonies were found in the Flk-1+/PDGFR alpha+ fraction. The enrichment double-positive fraction produced approximately fivefold more cardiac colonies than the Flk-1+/PDGFR alpha-fraction and 10-fold more than the Flk-1-/PDGFR alpha+ fraction. To investigate the involvement of these markers in embryonic cardiogenesis, the cells that disseminated from the E7.5-7.75 embryos were fractionated and seeded on OP9 cells. The cardiogenic potential was markedly enhanced in the Flk-1+/PDGFRa+ fraction. These results suggest that some of the precursor cells coexpressing these markers are selectively involved in cardiogenic events, and that the identification of ES-cell-derived precursors with these markers will contribute to the effective production of cardiomyocytes for cell therapies.