大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞的分离纯化与初步鉴定

目的：探讨体外分离、纯化大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞(mesenchymal stem cells,MSCs)的方法,分析其部分表型特点。方法：用密度梯度离心结合贴壁培养法分离纯化大鼠骨髓MSCs,传代扩增,测定生长曲线,形态学观察,免疫细胞化学及图像分析测定细胞表面抗原和细胞外基质蛋白表达情况。结果：MSCs属骨髓中单个核细胞,密度梯度离心结合贴壁培养法能有效分离纯化大鼠骨髓MSCs,MSCs在含10％小牛血清的L-DMEM中生长性状相对稳定,1、3、5代细胞生长曲线基本一致,增殖速度快。细胞呈均一的成纤维细胞样,均一表达CD44、CD54、纤维粘连蛋白(Fibronectin,FN)、Ⅰ型胶原(CollagenⅠ)。结论：本实验建立了一种体外分离纯化、培养扩增大鼠骨髓MSCs的方法,MSCs稳定表达CD44、CD54、FN、CollagenⅠ。     

体外定向诱导大鼠骨髓基质干细胞向成骨细胞分化的实验研究

目的研究大鼠骨髓基质干细胞的生长特点和诱导条件下的成骨能力。方法通过密度梯度离心和贴壁培养法分离成年大鼠骨髓基质干细胞,应用含地塞米松、p甘油磷酸纳和维生素c的诱导分化培养液定向诱导传代细胞向成骨细胞分化并检测碱性磷酸酶活性和细胞矿化作用。结果原代培养基质干细胞首先形成细胞集落,14d时集落间接近融合;传代细胞体积变大,约5～7d传代一次。诱导条件下,细胞碱性磷酸酶活性明显增高,并出现了矿化结节。结论骨髓基质干细胞易于分离培养及体外扩增,成骨能力肯定,可作为骨组织工程的种子细胞。     

Snail基因修饰对骨髓基质干细胞骨架结构稳定作用及促迁移和对无血清培养诱导细胞凋亡的保护作用研究

转录因子Snail是调控肿瘤细胞迁徙转移的重要调控分子,基于干细胞与肿瘤细胞分子机制的重叠性,提出通过借鉴肿瘤细胞迁移的相关机制以用于提高骨髓基质干细胞向缺氧受损组织迁移能力的假设和研究思路,探讨Snail基因在人骨髓基质干细胞(MSCs)中的转染和表达情况,及转染后对基质干细胞促迁移作用、骨架结构的稳定作用及对无血清培养诱导细胞凋亡的保护作用。密度梯度离心法及细胞体外培养分离纯化人骨髓MSCs,脂质体法将重组表达载体pCAGGSneo-Snail-HA转染MSCs,G418筛选稳定表达,流式细胞仪检测MSCs表面抗原,采用免疫荧光染色技术检测转染后MSCs报告基因HA及目的基因Snail表达,Transwell细胞迁移实验和Western-blot评估细胞迁移能力和检测有关细胞信号转导通路分子水平变化,荧光染色分析细胞骨架,Sub-G1凋亡峰流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡率并评估细胞抗凋亡能力。经流式细胞仪选择检测分离纯化扩增MSCs表面分子特点为CD34(-)/CD29( ),Snail及报告基因在转染后MSCs呈阳性表达,Snail质粒转染MSCs(MSCs-Sna)较对照空质粒转染MSCs(MSCs-neo)细胞迁移率增加(P<0.05),PI-3K信号通路特异性抑制剂Wortmannin能显著抑制此迁移率的增加,无血清培养72h后,MSCs-Sna凋亡率较MSCs-neo低(P<0.05)。经Snail基因转染,MSCs迁移能力、骨架结构的稳定性及在无血清培养环境中抗凋亡能力增加。     

大鼠骨髓基质干细胞的分离培养与向神经元样细胞诱导分化的实验研究

目的 探讨大鼠骨髓基质干细胞的提取、分离培养和体外扩增的最佳条件,研究其在体外培养中定向诱导分化为神经元样细胞的可能。方法 通过密度梯度离心和贴壁培养法从成年大鼠骨髓中分离骨髓基质干细胞,进行培养扩增,观察其生长特性;用2-巯基乙醇(β-mercaptoethanol,β-ME)对传代细胞诱导分化,并通过免疫细胞化学染色鉴定分化细胞的类型。结果 原代培养时形成由基质干细胞组成的细胞集落,细胞集落14d时接近融合,传代后,细胞体积变大,约5～7d传代一次。β-ME诱导后,70％以上的细胞在形态上呈神经元样,免疫细胞化学染色呈NSE阳性,GFAP阴性,说明诱导分化的细胞为神经元,而不是星形胶质细胞。结论 骨髓基质干细胞在体外培养条件下生长良好,并可连续传代;在β-ME作用下可被诱导分化为神经元样细胞。     

增强型绿色荧光蛋白基因电穿孔转染骨髓间充质干细胞的研究

目的建立大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞的分离、培养方法,探讨电穿孔法介导外源基因转染骨髓间充质干细胞的可行性及转染效率.方法 Ficoll-PaqueTMPlus淋巴细胞分离液分离大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞(rMSCs)并进行原代培养和传代扩增,免疫组化的方法对其初步鉴定.用荧光显微镜、细胞计数法和流式细胞仪分析转染效率.结果电穿孔法可较高效转染rMSCs,转染率为(32.8%±3)%.该条件下电转染后的MSCs其生长曲线与转染前的细胞比较无明显变化.结论优化条件的电穿孔法具有较高的介导外源基因表达于rMSCs的效率,且对rMSCs的生物学行为没有明显影响.     

Snail基因修饰对骨髓基质干细胞骨架结构稳定作用及促迁移和对无血清培养诱导细胞凋亡的保护作用研究

转录因子Snail是调控肿瘤细胞迁徙转移的重要调控分子,基于干细胞与肿瘤细胞分子机制的重叠性,提出通过借鉴肿瘤细胞迁移的相关机制以用于提高骨髓基质干细胞向缺氧受损组织迁移能力的假设和研究思路,探讨Snail基因在人骨髓基质干细胞（MSCs）中的转染和表达情况,及转染后对基质干细胞促迁移作用、骨架结构的稳定作用及对无血清培养诱导细胞凋亡的保护作用。密度梯度离心法及细胞体外培养分离纯化人骨髓MSCs,脂质体法将重组表达载体pCAGGSneo-Snail-HA转染MSCs,G418筛选稳定表达,流式细胞仪检测MSCs表面抗原,采用免疫荧光染色技术检测转染后MSCs报告基因HA及目的基因Snail表达,Transwell细胞迁移实验和Western-blot评估细胞迁移能力和检测有关细胞信号转导通路分子水平变化,荧光染色分析细胞骨架,Sub-G₁凋亡峰流式细胞仪检测细胞凋亡率并评估细胞抗凋亡能力。经流式细胞仪选择检测分离纯化扩增MSCs表面分子特点为CD34(-)/CD29(+),Snail及报告基因在转染后MSCs呈阳性表达,Snail质粒转染MSCs(MSCs-Sna)较对照空质粒转染MSCs(MSCs-neo)细胞迁移率增加(P<0.05),PI-3K信号通路特异性抑制剂Wortmannin能显著抑制此迁移率的增加,无血清培养72h后,MSCs-Sna凋亡率较MSCs-neo低(P<0.05)。经Snail基因转染,MSCs迁移能力、骨架结构的稳定性及在无血清培养环境中抗凋亡能力增加。     

贴壁法分离培养大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞的生物学特性

目的建立一种简便有效的体外分离纯化及培养扩增大鼠骨髓间充质干细胞(MSCs)的方法。研究MSCs的生物学特性,为血管组织工程提供理想的种子细胞。方法贴壁培养法分离纯化大鼠MSCs体外培养和连续传代,在倒置显微镜下连续观察细胞的形态变化;利用MTT法测定MSCs的生长曲线;行免疫组化方法鉴定MSCs膜抗原;分别加成骨、成脂肪诱导剂后MSCs体外培养1到3周,分别做碱性磷酸酶(ALP)、VonKossa染色及油红O染色,观察细胞形态变化、成骨及成脂肪分化结果。结果MSCs体外培养生长状况良好,呈均一的成纤维细胞样,表达波形蛋白(Vimentin)、α-平滑肌肌动蛋白(α-SMA),不表达层粘连蛋白(Laminin)、CD34、VIII因子相关抗原(VIII)。经体外诱导后具有多向分化潜能。结论贴壁培养法能有效分离纯化大鼠MSCs,用此方法培养的细胞生长稳定,增殖能力活跃,具有MSCs的一般生物学特性,为其成为血管组织工程理想的种子细胞提供了进一步的支持。     

生长因子TGF-β1和bFGF促兔骨髓间质干细胞向韧带样细胞分化的实验研究

摘要目的：采用生长因子TGF-β1和bFGF诱导体外培养的兔骨髓间质干细胞（MSCs）,转化为韧带样细胞,并研究此种韧带样细胞的生物特性。方法：自幼兔四肢骨抽取骨髓分离纯化MSCs并培养、增殖;采用特定浓度TGF-β1（10ng／ml）和bFGF（25ng／mL）对MSCs进行诱导分化,观察生长因子对MSCs生长、形态的影响,使用MTT法绘制细胞生长曲线,使用天狼腥红染色法定量对比MSCs分泌胶原蛋白量。单纯培养和单一因子诱导组作为对照。结果：TGF-β1和bFGF联合使用组,细胞形态优于空白组及单一因子组,细胞增殖率、胶原分泌量也均高于对照组。结论：联合使用生长因子TGF-β1和bFGF刺激兔MSCs,能够促使兔MSCs定向转化为韧带样细胞,对组织工程前交叉韧带的构建具有积极意义。     

表皮生长因子对精原干细胞的作用机理

为了探究表皮生长因子(EGF)对体外培养的精原干细胞增殖的调控作用及其作用机制.应用不连续Percoll梯度液和选择性贴壁法分离纯化精原干细胞,c-kit细胞免疫组化鉴定细胞,MTT法研究EGF对精原干细胞增殖的效应,再加入JAK-STAT信号通路特异性抑制剂AG490,探究EGF对精原干细胞增殖作用的可能机制.c-kit细胞免疫组化结果显示分离得到细胞为精原干细胞;MTT结果显示各实验组比对照组细胞数量均有显著增多(P0.01);与对照组相比,加入AG490组的活细胞数有显著下降(P0.01).实验结果表明EGF能够促进精原干细胞的增殖,并且可以通过JAK-STAT信号通路起作用.     

兔胚胎神经干细胞的分离、培养和鉴别

目的：研究兔胎脑神经干细胞体外生长特性,为探讨神经干细胞的临床应用及神经系统的发育奠定基础。方法：采用含碱性成纤维细胞生长因子（bFGF）和表皮细胞生长因子（EGF）的N2无血清培养技术,取18天龄兔胚胎脑组织,分离神经干细胞,并观察分离的细胞体外培养、增殖、分化潜能,免疫组化鉴定。结果：从18天龄兔胎脑皮质和纹状体中成功分离出具有自我更新和多分化潜能的神经干细胞,在无血清培养时细胞呈半贴壁状态生长,形成神经球,可传代。细胞呈Nestin免疫反应阳性;在含血清培养基中培养时则分化,分化后的细胞表达神经元细胞、星形胶质细胞和少突胶质细胞的特异性抗原。结论：来自兔胎脑神经干细胞能在体外培养、增殖并保持传代能力。无血清N2EGF、bFGF培养基有利于兔胎脑神经干细胞的存活和增殖,含血清培养基能诱导兔胎脑神经干细胞分化。     

Cross‐talk between EGF and BMP9 signalling pathways regulates the osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent progenitors, which give rise to several lineages, including bone, cartilage and fat. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulates cell growth, proliferation and differentiation. EGF acts by binding with high affinity to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on the cell surface and stimulating the intrinsic protein tyrosine kinase activity of its receptor, which initiates a signal transduction cascade causing a variety of biochemical changes within the cell and regulating cell proliferation and differentiation. We have identified BMP9 as one of the most osteogenic BMPs in MSCs. In this study, we investigate if EGF signalling cross‐talks with BMP9 and regulates BMP9‐induced osteogenic differentiation. We find that EGF potentiates BMP9‐induced early and late osteogenic markers of MSCs in vitro, which can be effectively blunted by EGFR inhibitors Gefitinib and Erlotinib or receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors AG‐1478 and AG‐494 in a dose‐ and time‐dependent manner. Furthermore, EGF significantly augments BMP9‐induced bone formation in the cultured mouse foetal limb explants. In vivo stem cell implantation experiment reveals that exogenous expression of EGF in MSCs can effectively potentiate BMP9‐induced ectopic bone formation, yielding larger and more mature bone masses. Interestingly, we find that, while EGF can induce BMP9 expression in MSCs, EGFR expression is directly up‐regulated by BMP9 through Smad1/5/8 signalling pathway. Thus, the cross‐talk between EGF and BMP9 signalling pathways in MSCs may underline their important roles in regulating osteogenic differentiation. Harnessing the synergy between BMP9 and EGF should be beneficial for enhancing osteogenesis in regenerative medicine.     

Isolation and characterisation of mesenchymal stem cells from adult mouse bone marrow

The future use of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for human therapies depends on the establishment of preclinical studies with other mammals such as mouse. Surprisingly, purification and characterisation of murine MSCs were only poorly documented. The aim of this study was to purify mouse MSCs from adult bone marrow and to functionally characterise their abilities to differentiate along diverse lineages. Adherent cells from adult C57Bl/6J mouse bone marrow were depleted of granulo-monocytic cells and subsequently allowed to grow on fibronectin-coated dishes in presence of fetal bovine serum and growth factors. The growing fibroblastoid cell population primarily consisted of spindle- and star-shaped cells with significant renewal capacity as they were cultured until 30 passages (about 60 doubling population). We fully demonstrated the MSC phenotype of these cells by inducing them to differentiate along osteoblastic, adipocytic, and chondrocytic pathways. Mouse MSCs (mMSCs) sharing the same morphological and functional characteristics as human MSCs can be successfully isolated from adult bone marrow without previous mouse or bone marrow treatment. Therefore, mMSCs will be an important tool to study the in vivo behaviour and fate of this cell type after grafting in mouse pathology models.     

In vitro expanded bone marrow-derived murine (C57Bl/KaLwRij) mesenchymal stem cells can acquire CD34 expression and induce sarcoma formation in vivo

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have currently generated numerous interests in pre-clinical and clinical applications due to their multiple lineages differentiation potential and immunomodulary effects. However, accumulating evidence indicates that MSCs, especially murine MSCs (mMSCs), can undergo spontaneous transformation after long-term in vitro culturing, which might reduce the therapeutic application possibilities of these stem cells. In the present study, we observed that in vitro expanded bone marrow (BM) derived mMSCs from the C57Bl/KaLwRij mouse strain can lose their specific stem cells markers (CD90 and CD105) and acquire CD34 expression, accompanied with an altered morphology and an impaired tri-lineages differentiation capacity. Compared to normal mMSCs, these transformed mMSCs exhibited an increased proliferation rate, an enhanced colony formation and migration ability as well as a higher sensitivity to anti-tumor drugs. Transformed mMSCs were highly tumorigenic in vivo, resulting in aggressive sarcoma formation when transplanted in non-immunocompromised mice. Furthermore, we found that Notch signaling downstream genes (hey1, hey2 and heyL) were significantly upregulated in transformed mMSCs, while Hedgehog signaling downstream genes Gli1 and Ptch1 and the Wnt signaling downstream gene beta-catenin were all decreased. Taken together, we observed that murine in vitro expanded BM-MSCs can transform into CD34 expressing cells that induce sarcoma formation in vivo. We assume that dysregulation of the Notch(+)/Hh(-)/Wnt(-) signaling pathway is associated with the malignant phenotype of the transformed mMSCs.     

Epidermal growth factor can signal via β-catenin to control proliferation of mesenchymal stem cells independently of canonical Wnt signalling

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) maintain bone homeostasis and repair through the ability to expand in response to mitotic stimuli and differentiate into skeletal lineages. Signalling mechanisms that enable precise control of MSC function remain unclear. Here we report that by initially examining differences in signalling pathway expression profiles of individual MSC clones, we identified a previously unrecognised signalling mechanism regulated by epidermal growth factor (EGF) in primary human MSCs. We demonstrate that EGF is able to activate β-catenin, a key component of the canonical Wnt signalling pathway. EGF is able to induce nuclear translocation of β-catenin in human MSCs but does not drive expression of Wnt target genes or T cell factor (TCF) activity in MSC reporter cell lines. Using an efficient Design of Experiments (DoE) statistical analysis, with different combinations and concentrations of EGF and Wnt ligands, we were able to confirm that EGF does not influence the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in MSCs. We show that the effects of EGF on MSCs are temporally regulated to initiate early “classical” EGF signalling mechanisms (e.g via mitogen activated protein kinase) with delayed activation of β-catenin. By RNA-sequencing, we identified gene sets that were exclusively regulated by the EGF/β-catenin pathway, which were distinct from classical EGF-regulated genes. However, subsets of classical EGF gene targets were significantly influenced by EGF/β-catenin activation. These signalling pathways cooperate to enable EGF-mediated proliferation of MSCs by alleviating the suppression of cell cycle pathways induced by classical EGF signalling.     

Activation of canonical wnt pathway promotes differentiation of mouse bone marrow‐derived MSCs into type II alveolar epithelial cells,confers resistance to oxidative stress,and promotes their migration to injured lung tissue in vitro

The differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into type II alveolar epithelial (AT II) cells in vivo and in vitro, is critical for reepithelization and recovery in acute lung injury (ALI), but the mechanisms responsible for differentiation are unclear. In the present study, we investigated the role of the canonical wnt pathway in the differentiation of mouse bone marrow‐derived MSCs (mMSCs) into AT II cells. Using a modified co‐culture system with murine lung epithelial‐12 (MLE‐12) cells and small airway growth media (SAGM) to efficiently drive mMSCs differentiation, we found that GSK 3β and β‐catenin in the canonical wnt pathway were up‐regulated during differentiation. The levels of surfactant protein (SP) C, SPB, and SPD, the specific markers of AT II cells, correspondingly increased in mMSCs when Wnt3a or LiCl was added to the co‐culture system to activate wnt/β‐catenin signaling. The expression of these factors was depressed to some extent by inhibiting the pathway with the addition of DKK 1. The differentiation rate of mMSCs also depends on their abilities to accumulate and survive in inflammatory tissue. Our results suggested that the activation of wnt/β‐catenin signaling promoted mMSCs migration towards ALI mouse‐derived lung tissue in a Transwell assay, and ameliorated the cell death and the reduction of Bcl‐2/Bax induced by H₂O₂, which simultaneously caused reduced GSK 3β and β‐catenin in mMSCs. These data supports a potential mechanism for the differentiation of mMSCs into AT II cells involving canonical wnt pathway activation, which may be significant to their application in ALI. J. Cell. Physiol. 228: 1270–1283, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Betacellulin inhibits osteogenic differentiation and stimulates proliferation through HIF-1α

Cellular signaling via epidermal growth factor (EGF) and EGF-like ligands can determine cell fate and behavior. Osteoblasts, which are responsible for forming and mineralizing osteoid, express EGF receptors and alter rates of proliferation and differentiation in response to EGF receptor activation. Transgenic mice over-expressing the EGF-like ligand betacellulin (BTC) exhibit increased cortical bone deposition; however, because the transgene is ubiquitously expressed in these mice, the identity of cells affected by BTC and responsible for increased cortical bone thickness remains unknown. We have therefore examined the influence of BTC upon mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) and pre-osteoblast differentiation and proliferation. BTC decreases the expression of osteogenic markers in both MSCs and pre-osteoblasts; interestingly, increases in proliferation require hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α), as an HIF antagonist prevents BTC-driven proliferation. Both MSCs and pre-osteoblasts express EGF receptors ErbB1, ErbB2, and ErbB3, with no change in expression under osteogenic differentiation. These are the first data that demonstrate an influence of BTC upon MSCs and the first to implicate HIF-α in BTC-mediated proliferation.     

Telomerase deficiency impairs differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells

Expression of telomerase activity presumably is involved in maintaining self-replication and the undifferentiated state of stem cells. Adult mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (mMSCs) are multipotential cells capable of differentiating into a variety of lineage cell types, including adipocytes and chondrocytes. Here we show that the lacking telomerase of mMSC lose multipotency and the capacity to differentiate. Primary cultures of mMSCs were obtained from both telomerase knockout (mTR(-/-)) and wild-type (WT) mice. The MSCs isolated from mTR(-/-) mice failed to differentiate into adipocytes and chondrocytes, even at early passages, whereas WT MSCs were capable of differentiation. Consistent with other cell types, late passages mTR(-/-)MSCs underwent senescence and were accompanied by telomere loss and chromosomal end-to-end fusions. These results suggest that in addition to its known role in cell replication, telomerase is required for differentiation of mMSCs in vitro. This work may be significant for further potentiating adult stem cells for use in tissue engineering and gene therapy and for understanding the significance of telomerase expression in the process of cell differentiation.     

Growth factors and tooth development

The effects of various growth factors on tooth development were studied in organ cultures of mouse embryonic tooth germs. Transferrin was shown to be a necessary growth factor for early tooth morphogenesis. Transferrin was required for the development of bud- and early cap-staged teeth, and it was shown to be the only serum protein that was needed by early cap-staged teeth in organ culture. Promotion of tooth morphogenesis and dental cell differentiation was shown to be based on the stimulation of cell proliferation. The roles of polypeptide growth factors in tooth development were studied by adding these factors to the transferrin-containing chemically-defined culture medium which supports early tooth morphogenesis and cell differentiation. Fibroblast growth factor or platelet-derived growth factor did not affect cell proliferation or morphogenesis of tooth germs in culture. On the contrary, epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulated cell proliferation in tooth explants, but at the same time inhibited tooth morphogenesis and dental cell differentiation. Autoradiographic localization of proliferating cells revealed that dental tissues responded to EGF with different proliferation rates. The responsiveness to EGF was stage-dependent, early cap-staged teeth were sensitive to EGF but late cap-staged and bell-staged teeth developed normally in the presence of EGF in the culture medium. The presence and distribution of receptors for both transferrin and EGF were studied in mouse embryonic teeth at various developmental stages by incubating freshly-separated tooth germs with 125Iodine-labeled transferrin or EGF, and then processing the tissues for autoradiography.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Epidermal growth factor inhibits morphogenesis and cell differentiation in cultured mouse embryonic teeth

Although local epithelial-mesenchymal tissue interactions which are presumably mediated by extracellular matrix molecules are important regulators of tooth morphogenesis and differentiation, our studies have indicated that these developmental processes also depend on circulating molecules. The iron-carrying serum protein transferrin is necessary for the early morphogenesis of mouse tooth in organ culture (A-M. Partanen, I. Thesleff, and P. Ekblom, 1984, Differentiation 27, 59-66). In the present study we have examined the effects of other growth factors on mouse tooth germs grown in a chemically defined medium containing transferrin. Fibroblast growth factor and platelet derived growth factor had no detectable effects but epidermal growth factor (EGF) inhibited dramatically the morphogenesis of teeth, and prevented odontoblast and ameloblast cell differentiation. EGF stimulated cell proliferation in the explants measured as [3H]thymidine incorporation in DNA. However, when the distribution of dividing cells was visualized in autoradiographs, it was observed that cell proliferation was stimulated in the dental epithelium but was inhibited in the dental mesenchyme. The inhibition of cell proliferation in the dental mesenchyme apparently caused the inhibition of morphogenesis. We do not know whether the dental epithelium or mesenchyme was the primary target for the action of EGF in the inhibition of morphogenesis. It is, however, apparent that the response of the dental mesenchymal cells to EGF (inhibition of proliferation) is regulated by their local environment, since EGF enhanced proliferation when these cells were disaggregated and cultured as monolayers. This indicates that the organ culture system where the various embryonic cell lineages are maintained in their original environment corresponds better to the in vivo situation when the roles of exogenous growth factors during development are examined.