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MESP1 is a key transcription factor in development of early cardiovascular tissue and it is required for induction of the cardiomyocyte (CM) gene expression program, but its role in vascular development is unclear. Here, we used inducible CRISPRi knock-down of MESP1 to analyze the molecular processes of the early differentiation stages of human induced pluripotent stem cells into mesoderm and subsequently vascular progenitor cells. We found that expression of the mesodermal marker, BRACHYURY (encoded by T) was unaffected in MESP1 knock-down cells as compared to wild type cells suggesting timely movement through the primitive streak whereas another mesodermal marker MIXL1 was slightly, but significantly decreased. In contrast, the expression of the vascular cell surface marker KDR was decreased and CD31 and CD34 expression were substantially reduced in MESP1 knock-down cells supporting inhibition or delay of vascular specification. In addition, mRNA microarray data revealed several other altered gene expressions including the EMT regulating transcription factors SNAI1 and TWIST1, which were both significantly decreased indicating that MESP1 knock-down cells are less likely to undergo EMT during vascular progenitor differentiation. Our study demonstrates that while leaving primitive streak markers unaffected, MESP1 expression is required for timely vascular progenitor specification. Thus, MESP1 expression is essential for the molecular features of early CM, EC and VSMC lineage specification.

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide and current treatment strategies have limited effect of disease progression. It would be desirable to have better models to study developmental and pathological processes and model vascular diseases in laboratory settings. To this end, human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) have generated great enthusiasm, and have been a driving force for development of novel strategies in drug discovery and regenerative cell-therapy for the last decade. Hence, investigating the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of hiPSCs into specialized cell types such as cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) may lead to a better understanding of developmental cardiovascular processes and potentiate progress of safe autologous regenerative therapies in pathological conditions. In this review, we summarize the latest trends on differentiation protocols of hiPSC-derived VSMCs and their potential application in vascular research and regenerative therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]