Gibco PeproTech recombinant proteins for stem cell culture and differentiation

Stem cell growth factors and cytokines play key roles in healthy stem cell cultures. Some maintain pluripotency, enable self-renewal, and prevent spontaneous differentiation of ESCs and iPSCs, whereas other growth factors reprogram stem cells through protein-mediated initiation or inhibition of cell signaling pathways.

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers stem cell growth factors, cytokines, and other stem cell-related recombinant proteins in the PeproTech portfolio to effectively maintain, expand, and differentiate stem cells into desired phenotypes.

Explore stem cell-related cytokines and growth factors by cell type

Stem cell growth factors and cytokines for maintaining pluripotency

PSCs cartoon Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and embryonic stem cell (ESC) cultures differ in cell source but share the ability to differentiate into any cell type, making them ideal candidates for cell therapy and cell biology studies. Stem cell growth factors such as FGF-basic maintain pluripotent stem cell cultures through genetic regulation of cellular survival, apoptosis, and proliferation. Recombinant proteins such as BMP-4 are also used to block unwanted differentiation in pluripotent stem cell cultures.

Pluripotent stem cell culture and renewal proteins:

Stem cell cytokines and growth factors for hematopoietic cell differentiation

HSC cartoon Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) differentiate into all blood cell types from the myeloid and lymphoid lineages. The cytokine IL-7 drives HSCs to differentiate into lymphoid progenitors, whereas combination of the cytokine IL-3 and stem cell growth factor GM-CSF sends HSCs down the myeloid lineage. Supplementing lymphoid stem cell cultures with other cytokines and growth factors drives differentation into immune cell types like T cells, B cells, and NK cells. By application of the correct combination of growth factors, myeloid stem cell cultures can be differentiated into neutrophils, macrophages or dendritic cells.

Growth factors for HSC renewal

Table 1. Recombinant stem cell growth factors for lymphoid cell differentiation

ProteinLymphoid-derived cell type
B cellNK cell
T cell
G-CSF 
IL-1 
IL-10  
IL-11  
IL-12  
IL-2
IL-3  
IL-4 
IL-5  
IL-6 
IL-7
IL-9  
LIF  
M-CSF  

Table 2. Recombinant stem cell growth factors for myeloid cell differentiation

ProteinMyeloid-derived cell type
NeutrophilEosinophilBasophilMacrophageDendritic cell
FLT-3 ligand (FLT3L)    
G-CSF 
GM-CSF
IFN-gamma    
IL-3
IL-4
IL-5    
M-CSF   

Stem cell cytokines and growth factors for mesenchymal cell differentiation

MSCs cartoon Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cells are multipotent, perivascular cells found in bone marrow and other vascularized tissues. Given exposure to different mesenchymal stem cell supplements these cells undergo changes via cell signaling pathways such as chondrogenesis, adipogenesis, myogenesis, and osteogenesis.

Growth factors for MSC proliferation and renewal

Table 3. Recombinant growth factors for mesenchymal stem cell differentiation

ProteinChondrocyteOsteocyteMyocyteAdipocyte
BMP-2  
BMP-4  
BMP-6   
BMP-7   
CCL8 (MCP-2)   
CXCL9   
FGF-10   
FGF-4   
FGF-8   
FGF-9   
FGF-basic (FGF-2/bFGF)
FLT-3 ligand (FLT3L)  
IGF-1   
IL-1   
IL-11   
IL-15   
IL-6   
IL-7  
IL-8 (CXCL8)  
LIGHT   
M-CSF   
TRANCE (RANKL)   
CXCL12 (SDF-1a)   
TGF-beta 1
VEGF-165   

Growth factors and cytokines for differentiating other progenitor cells

NSC cartoon 

Stem cell growth factors and cytokines for neural cell differentiation

Neural stem cells are multipotent stem cells that produce the main phenotypes of the nervous system. Basal, glial, and neuronal stem cell progenitors differentiate into the cells of the central nervous system like motor and peripheral neurons or astrocytes.

Table 4. Recombinant growth factors for neural stem cell renewal and glial progenitor differentiation

ProteinNeural stem cell renewalGlial progenitor
Astrocyte IType II astrocyteOligodendrocyte
CNTF 
EGF
FGF-basic (FGF-2/bFGF)
IGF-1   
NT-3   
PDGF AA/BB/AB 
Sonic Hedgehog C25II (Shh)  

Table 5. Recombinant growth factors for neuronal cell differentiation from basal and neuron-restricted progenitors

ProteinBasal progenitorNeuron-restricted progenitor
MotorPeripheralDopaminergicGlutamatergicGABAergic
BDNF  
beta-NGF    
BMP-2    
BMP-4    
EGF   
FGF-10   
FGF-4    
FGF-8b   
FGF-basic (FGF-2/bFGF)
GDNF   
IGF-1   
NT-4    
PDGF AA/BB/AB  
Sonic Hedgehog C25II (Shh) 

Growth factors and cytokines for differentiating other progenitor cells

iPSC/ESC can differentiate into any cell lineage via the three germ layers in vivo. While challenges exist to replicate these processes in vitro across all human tissues, with the right combination of growth factors iPSC/ESC can be driven to differentiate into numerous cell types important for disease model research including lung, gut, pancreatic, thyroid, and hepatic cells.

Table 6. Other stem cell differentiation-driving recombinant proteins

 ProteinLungGutPancreaticHepaticThyroid
Activin A  
BMP-4   
EGF  
FGF-10  
FGF-4    
FGF-7 (KGF)    
FGF-basic (FGF-2/bFGF)    
HGF    
Noggin  
R-Spondin   
TGF-beta 1    
Wnt-3a    
Resources for stem-cell related bioactive proteins
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Cytokine and growth factor signaling pathways

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