Fig. 2.

Transcriptome analyses validate the relevance of hPSC-based models of neuronal differentiation. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the expression profiles of 4,818 genes of postmortem tissue samples from human cerebellum and frontal and temporal cortex (Voineagu et al. 2011) are compared to the expression profiles of hESC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and their differentiated progeny (our unpublished work). NPCs were generated from hPSCs by dual SMAD inhibition and differentiated for 7–35 days (D) in medium containing BDNF, glial-derived neurotrophic factor, ascorbic acid and dibutyryl-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (+BGAA), or in basal medium (−BGAA). The analysis shows that transcriptomic profiles of neuronal cultures differentiated for 35 days more closely approximate that of human cortex than of cerebellum, suggesting cortical-like properties. Inclusion of BGAA increases the kinetics and/or extent of neuronal maturation