Trophoblast glycoprotein is a marker for efficient sorting of ventral mesencephalic dopaminergic precursors derived from human pluripotent stem cells

Successful cell therapy for Parkinson’s disease (PD) requires large numbers of homogeneous ventral mesencephalic dopaminergic (vmDA) precursors. Enrichment of vmDA precursors via cell sorting is required to ensure high safety and efficacy of the cell therapy. Here, using LMX1A-eGFP knock-in reporter human embryonic stem cells, we discovered a novel surface antigen, trophoblast glycoprotein (TPBG), which was preferentially expressed in vmDA precursors. TPBG-targeted cell sorting enriched FOXA2(+)LMX1A(+) vmDA precursors and helped attain efficient behavioral recovery of rodent PD models with increased numbers of TH(+), NURR1(+), and PITX3(+) vmDA neurons in the grafts. Additionally, fewer proliferating cells were detected in TPBG(+) cell-derived grafts than in TPBG(−) cell-derived grafts. Our approach is an efficient way to obtain enriched bona fide vmDA precursors, which could open a new avenue for effective PD treatment.