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STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit

Maturation kit for the generation of microglia from human ES and iPS cell-derived microglia precursors

STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit

Maturation kit for the generation of microglia from human ES and iPS cell-derived microglia precursors

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Maturation kit for the generation of microglia from human ES and iPS cell-derived microglia precursors
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Product Advantages


  • Ensure a defined and serum-free system for consistent, reproducible results.
  • Differentiate over 90% of source hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) into highly pure microglia.
  • Generate functional microglia that demonstrate phagocytosis and activation.
  • Achieve an average four-fold expansion of functional microglia per kit.
  • Combine with downstream co-culture with STEMdiff™ Neural Organoids.

What's Included

  • STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit (Catalog #100-0020)
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Basal Medium, 90 mL
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Supplement 1, 10 mL
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Supplement 2, 400 uL
    • STEMdiff™ Microglia Supplement 3, 400 uL
Products for Your Protocol
To see all required products for your protocol, please consult the Protocols and Documentation.

Overview

The STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System comprises STEMdiff™ Microglia Differentiation Kit and STEMdiff™ Microglia Maturation Kit. Together, these kits are used to differentiate and mature microglia derived from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) using STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit (Catalog #05310).

Based on the protocol from the laboratory of Mathew Blurton-Jones (Abud et al., 2017), the resulting cells are a highly pure population of microglia (> 80% CD45/CD11b-positive, > 50% TREM2-positive microglia; < 20% morphologically distinct monocytes or macrophages).

Cells derived using these products are versatile tools for modeling neuroinflammation, studying human neurological development and disease, co-culture applications, and toxicity testing.
Subtype
Specialized Media
Cell Type
Hematopoietic Cells, PSC-Derived, Microglia, Neural Cells, PSC-Derived
Species
Human
Application
Cell Culture, Differentiation
Brand
STEMdiff
Area of Interest
Disease Modeling, Drug Discovery and Toxicity Testing, Immunology, Neuroscience
Formulation Category
Serum-Free

More Information

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Safety Statement

CA WARNING: This product can expose you to Progesterone which is known to the State of California to cause cancer. For more information go to

Data Figures

Experimental protocol schematic for generating microglial precursors from hPSC-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Figure 1. Schematic for the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Protocol

Microglial precursors can be generated in 24 days from hPSC-derived hematopoietic progenitor cells. For the generation of hematopoietic progenitor cells, see documentation for STEMdiff™ Hematopoietic Kit (Catalog #05310). For the maturation of microglial precursors to functional microglia, see the PIS.

Microglia Generated Using the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Exhibit Robust Expansion, Mature Phenotypic Markers, and Homeostatic Morphology

Figure 2. Microglia Generated Using the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Exhibit Robust Expansion, Mature Phenotypic Markers, and Homeostatic Morphology

(A) Microglia generated using the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System undergo a four-fold expansion, on average, across four cell lines. The fold expansion was calculated by taking the total cell count at Day 24 and dividing it by the number of seeded cells at Day 0. The bars show the mean ± standard deviation. Technical replicates were averaged, n = 1 - 4 technical replicates, 1 - 9 experimental setups.

(B) Microglia generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System have CD45+ CD11b+ co-expression and P2RY12+ expression as measured by flow cytometry on Day 24. The bars show the mean ± standard deviation.Technical replicates (n = 1 - 4) were averaged, and each dot in the graph represents an experimental replicate.

(C) Normal microglial morphology, characterized by small cell bodies and ramified processes, is observed in cells generated using the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System. Images at Days 12 and 24 were captured prior to replate and harvest. Scale bar = 100 µm.

Bulk RNA-seq heatmap showing that STEMdiff™ Microglia express disease-relevant genes similar to those from popular protocols.

Figure 3. Microglia Generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Express Disease-Relevant Genes Similar to Those from Published Differentiation and Maturation Protocols

Bulk RNA-seq datasets were extracted from 8 different publications that generated hPSC- (iMGL) and primary- (MGL) derived microglia and their transcriptional profiles compared to data from microglia generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System. The heat map displays absolute expression levels for select genes associated with Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and viral encephalitis. Significant differences in gene expression between microglia generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System and any of the other 3 groups were identified by differential gene expression analysis. *= p<0.05 (DEseq2, adjusted). hPSC = human pluripotent stem cell.

Graphs demonstrating that STEMdiff™ Microglia release cytokines in response to LPS stimulation, compared to control.

Figure 4. Microglia Generated with STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Release Cytokines in Response to Inflammatory Signals

Microglia were generated using the STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System and stimulated with 100 ng/mL LPS for 24 hours. The release of pro-inflammatory (TNFα, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-1β, GM-CSF, IL-12p70, IL-2, IL-8) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines were measured by MSD. The microglia release cytokines in response to LPS treatment, as expected. *, p ≤ 0.05; **, p ≤ 0.01; ***, p ≤ 0.001; ****, p ≤ 0.0001. LPS = lipopolysaccharide; MSD = Meso Scale Discovery.

STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Generates Functional Microglia Capable of Phagocytosis at Day 34.

Figure 5. STEMdiff™ Microglia Culture System Generates Functional Microglia Capable of Phagocytosis at Day 34

Microglia taking up pH-sensitive bioindicator particles at a concentration of 5 μg/mL were measured over a 72-hour time period with live cell imaging. As the particles are phagocytosed, the particles turn red and are concentrated within the cells. Over time, the microglia display an activated ameboid morphology. Scale bar = 400 μm.

PSC-Derived Microglia Incorporate into Brain Organoids After 10 Days and Display an Activated Morphology upon Injury.

Figure 6. PSC-Derived Microglia Incorporate into Brain Organoids After 10 Days and Display an Activated Morphology upon Injury.

(A) Representative microglia and brain organoid co-cultures after 10 days, stained with IBA1 for microglia (green) and MAP2 for neurons (magenta). The microglia integrate among the neurons and display an unactivated morphology with extended processes (arrow).

(B) The microglia display an activated amoeboid morphology upon injury as shown by IBA1 staining.

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

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Catalog #
100-0020
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English
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100-0020
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English
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100-0020
Lot #
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English
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100-0020
Lot #
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English
Document Type
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100-0020
Lot #
All
Language
English

Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Resources and Publications

Publications (2)

Expression of intron-containing HIV-1 RNA induces NLRP1 inflammasome activation in myeloid cells S. Jalloh et al. PLOS Biology 2025 Sep

Abstract

Despite the success of antiretroviral therapy in suppressing plasma viremia in people living with human immunodeficiency virus type-1 (HIV-1), persistent viral RNA expression in tissue reservoirs is observed and can contribute to HIV-1-induced immunopathology and comorbidities. Infection of long-lived innate immune cells, such as tissue-resident macrophages and microglia may contribute to persistent viral RNA production and chronic inflammation. We recently reported that de novo cytoplasmic expression of HIV-1 intron-containing RNA (icRNA) in macrophages and microglia leads to MDA5 and MAVS-dependent innate immune sensing and induction of type I IFN responses, demonstrating that HIV icRNA is a pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP). In this report, we show that cytoplasmic expression of HIV-1 icRNA also induces NLRP1 inflammasome activation and IL-1β secretion in macrophages and microglia in an RLR- and endosomal TLR-independent manner. Infection of both macrophages and microglia with either replication-competent or single-cycle HIV-1 induced IL-1β secretion, which was attenuated when cytoplasmic expression of viral icRNA was prevented. While IL-1β secretion was blocked by treatment with caspase-1 inhibitors or knockdown of NLRP1 or caspase-1 expression in HIV-infected macrophages, overexpression of NLRP1 significantly enhanced IL-1β secretion in an HIV-icRNA-dependent manner. Immunoprecipitation analysis revealed interaction of HIV-1 icRNA, but not multiply-spliced HIV-1 RNA, with NLRP1, suggesting that HIV-1 icRNA sensing by NLRP1 is sufficient to trigger inflammasome activation. Together, these findings reveal a pathway of NLRP1 inflammasome activation induced by de novo expressed HIV icRNA in HIV-infected myeloid cells.
A neuroimmune cerebral assembloid model to study the pathophysiology of familial Alzheimer’s disease A. Becerra-Calixto et al. Journal of Neuroinflammation 2025 Oct

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia globally. The accumulation of amyloid and tau proteins, neuronal cell death and neuroinflammation are seen with AD progression, resulting in memory and cognitive impairment. Microglia are crucial for AD progression as they engage with neural cells and protein aggregates to regulate amyloid pathology and neuroinflammation. Recent studies indicate that microglia contribute to the propagation of amyloid beta (Aβ) via their immunomodulatory functions including Aβ phagocytosis and inflammatory cytokine production. Three-dimensional cell culture techniques provide the opportunity to study pathophysiological changes in AD in human-derived samples that are difficult to recapitulate in animal models (e.g., transgenic mice). However, these models often lack immune cells such as microglia, which play a critical role in AD pathophysiology. In this study, we developed a neuroimmune assembloid model by integrating cerebral organoids (COs) with induced microglia-like cells (iMGs) derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells from familial AD patient with PSEN2 mutation. After 120 days in culture, we found that iMGs were successfully integrated within the COs. Interestingly, our assembloids displayed histological, functional and transcriptional features of the pro-inflammatory environment seen in AD, including amyloid plaque-like and neurofibrillary tangle-like structures, reduced microglial phagocytic capability, and enhanced neuroinflammatory and apoptotic gene expression. In conclusion, our neuroimmune assembloid model effectively replicates the inflammatory phenotype and amyloid pathology seen in AD. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12974-025-03544-x.