ROCK inhibitor Y-27632 enhances the survivability of dissociated buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) embryonic stem cell-like cells

This study investigated the effects of supplementation of culture medium with 10 mu M Y-27632, a specific inhibitor of Rho kinase activity, for 6 days on self-renewal of buffalo embryonic stem (ES) cell-like cells at Passage 50-80. Y-27632 increased mean colony area (P < 0.05) although it did not improve their survival. It decreased OCT4 expression (P < 0.05), increased NANOG expression (P < 0.05), but had no effect on SOX2 expression. It also increased expression of anti-apoptotic gene BCL-2 (P < 0.05) and decreased that of pro-apoptotic genes BAX and BID (P < 0.05). It increased plating efficiency of single-cell suspensions of ES cells (P < 0.05). Following vitrification, the presence of Y-27632 in the vitrification solution or thawing medium or both did not improve ES cell colony survival. However, following seeding of clumps of ES cells transfected with pAcGFP1N1 carrying green fluorescent protein (GFP), Y-27632 increased colony formation rate (P < 0.01). ES cell colonies that formed in all Y-27632-supplemented groups were confirmed for expression of pluripotency markers alkaline phosphatase, SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60, and for their ability to generate embryoid bodies containing cells that expressed markers of ectoderm, mesoderm and endoderm. In conclusion, Y-27632 improves survival of buffalo ES cells under unfavourable conditions such as enzymatic dissociation to single cells or antibiotic-assisted selection after transfection, without compromising their pluripotency.