Generation of a bi-potent hemangiogenic progenitor from human pluripotent stem cells

The close temporal-spatial relationship between hematopoietic and endothelial cells during early embryonic development has led to the hypothesis of a common ancestor, the hemangioblast. Here human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) endothelial and hematopoietic differentiation via a bipotent progenitor and an in vitro equivalent of the hemangioblast were explored. hPSCs were differentiated into hemangiogenic mesoderm through embryoid body (EB) formation under serum-free culture conditions. After three, five days of differentiation, a population positive for CD309 (VEGFR-2), CD144 (VE-Cadherin), CD143 (ACE) and CD34 was isolated based on the expression of CD144 and cultured either under endothelial or hematopoietic conditions.