The novel application of cordycepin in maintaining stem cell pluripotency and increasing iPS cell generation efficiency

Maintaining the pluripotency of either embryonic stem (ES) cells or induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells is a fundamental part of stem cell research. In this study, we reported that cordycepin promoted the expression of pluripotency markers in ES and iPS cells. ES cells treated with cordycepin demonstrated their potential for generating embryoid bodies and differentiating into all three germ layers. The expression levels of phospho-Jak2, phospho-Stat3, integrin αV, and integrin β5 were increased after cordycepin treatment. Furthermore, the protein expression levels of IL-6 family proteins (IL-6, IL-11, LIF, oncostatin M (OSM), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF)), and epidermal growth factor (EGF) were also upregulated after cordycepin treatment, but were restored after co-treatment with a Jak2 inhibitor (AG490). The gene expression levels of Yamanaka factors were upregulated in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) after cordycepin treatment. Moreover, the generation efficiencies of iPS cells were elevated after cordycepin treatment. We found that iPS cells generated after cordycepin treatment, not only expressed pluripotency markers, but also showed the ability of differentiating into neuron stem/progenitor cells. Taken together, we demonstrated that cordycepin maintained the pluripotency of stem cells via regulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and Jak2/Stat3 signaling pathway and improved the generation efficiency of iPSCs.