Molecular-genetic and immunophenotypic analysis of antigen profile and osteogenic and adipogenic potentials of mesenchymal stromal cells from fetal liver and adult bone marrow in rats

Comparative characteristics of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) from adult bone marrow and fetal liver are of great interest due to the similar functions performed by these organs on the organization of a hemopoietic microenvironment at various developmental periods. It is known that MSCs play a pivotal role in the formation of niches for hemopoietic stem cells. The histogenetic relation of MSCs from these two hemopoietic organs cannot be ruled out. An analysis of antigen profile using immunocytochemistry and RT-PCR has confirmed that the studied cell populations fit the MSC criteria and have no contaminations of hemopoietic, lymphoid, and endothelial cells beginning at the second passage. Comparative analysis of osteogenic and adipogenic marker expression revealed MSC from fetal liver to have a weaker potential for adipogenesis and the extremely low capability for terminal osteogenic differentiation, in contrast to pronounced osteo- and adipogenic potentials of adult bone marrow MSC. The similar cell phenotype but different differentiation potentials under identical conditions of cultivation in vitro seem to be due to different developmental programs of the pre- and postnatal histogenesis of these MSC.     

Characterisation and developmental potential of ovine bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells

Since discovery, significant interest has been generated in the potential application of mesenchymal stem cells or multipotential stromal cells (MSC) for tissue regeneration and repair, due to their proliferative and multipotential capabilities. Although the sheep is often used as a large animal model for translating potential therapies for musculoskeletal injury and repair, the characteristics of MSC from ovine bone marrow have been inadequately described. Histological and gene expression studies have previously shown that ovine MSC share similar properties with human and rodents MSC, including their capacity for clonogenic growth and multiple stromal lineage differentiation. In the present study, ovine bone marrow derived MSCs positively express cell surface markers associated with MSC such as CD29, CD44 and CD166, and lacked expression of CD14, CD31 and CD45. Under serum‐deprived conditions, proliferation of MSC occurred in response to EGF, PDGF, FGF‐2, IGF‐1 and most significantly TGF‐α. While subcutaneous transplantation of ovine MSC in association with a ceramic HA/TCP carrier into immunocomprimised mice resulted in ectopic osteogenesis, adipogenesis and haematopoietic‐support activity, transplantation of these cells within a gelatin sponge displayed partial chondrogenesis. The comprehensive characterisation of ovine MSC described herein provides important information for future translational studies involving ovine MSC. J. Cell. Physiol. 219: 324–333, 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

An Increase in CD3+CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells after Administration of Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells during Sepsis

Sepsis remains an important cause of death worldwide, and vigorous immune responses during sepsis could be beneficial for bacterial clearance but at the price of collateral damage to self tissues. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been found to modulate the immune system and attenuate sepsis. In the present study, MSCs derived from bone marrow and umbilical cord were used and compared. With a cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) model, the mechanisms of MSC-mediated immunoregulation during sepsis were studied by determining the changes of circulating inflammation-associated cytokine profiles and peripheral blood mononuclear cells 18 hours after CLP-induced sepsis. In vitro, bone marrow-derived MSCs (BMMSCs) and umbilical cord-derived MSCs (UCMSCs) showed a similar morphology and surface marker expression. UCMSCs had stronger potential for osteogenesis but lower for adipogenesis than BMMSCs. Compared with rats receiving PBS only after CLP, the percentage of circulating CD3+CD4+CD25+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and the ratio of Treg cells/T cells were elevated significantly in rats receiving MSCs. Further experiment regarding Treg cell function demonstrated that the immunosuppressive capacity of Treg cells from rats with CLP-induced sepsis was decreased, but could be restored by administration of MSCs. Compared with rats receiving PBS only after CLP, serum levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α were significantly lower in rats receiving MSCs after CLP. There were no differences between BMMSCs and UCMSCs. In summary, this work provides the first in vivo evidence that administering BMMSCs or UCMSCs to rats with CLP-induced sepsis could increase circulating CD3+CD4+CD25+ Treg cells and Treg cells/T cells ratio, enhance Treg cell suppressive function, and decrease serum levels of interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α, suggesting the immunomodulatory association of Treg cells and MSCs during sepsis.     

Primary mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells from bone marrow lack expression of CD44 protein

Despite significant progress in our understanding of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) biology during recent years, much of the information is based on experiments using in vitro culture-selected stromal progenitor cells. Therefore, the natural cellular identity of MSCs remains poorly defined. Numerous studies have reported that CD44 expression is one of the characteristics of MSCs in both humans and mice; however, we here have prospectively isolated bone marrow stromal cell subsets from both human and mouse bone marrow by flow cytometry and characterized them by gene expression analysis and function assays. Our data provide functional and molecular evidence suggesting that primary mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells of bone marrow reside in the CD44(-) cell fraction in both mice and humans. The finding that these CD44(-) cells acquire CD44 expression after in vitro culture provides an explanation for the previous misconceptions concerning CD44 expression on MSCs. In addition, the other previous reported MSC markers, including CD73, CD146, CD271, and CD106/VCAM1, are also differentially expressed on those two cell types. Our microarray data revealed a distinct gene expression profile of the freshly isolated CD44(-) cells and the cultured MSCs generated from these cells. Thus, we conclude that bone marrow MSCs physiologically lack expression of CD44, highlighting the natural phenotype of MSCs and opening new possibilities to prospectively isolate MSCs from the bone marrow.     

Salvianolic acid B prevents bone loss in prednisone-treated rats through stimulation of osteogenesis and bone marrow angiogenesis

Glucocorticoid (GC) induced osteoporosis (GIO) is caused by the long-term use of GC for treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The GC related disruption of bone marrow microcirculation and increased adipogenesis contribute to GIO development. However, neither currently available anti-osteoporosis agent is completely addressed to microcirculation and bone marrow adipogenesis. Salvianolic acid B (Sal B) is a polyphenolic compound from a Chinese herbal medicine, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Sal B on osteoblast bone formation, angiogenesis and adipogenesis-associated GIO by performing marrow adipogenesis and microcirculation dilation and bone histomorphometry analyses. (1) In vivo study: Bone loss in GC treated rats was confirmed by significantly decreased BMD, bone strength, cancellous bone mass and architecture, osteoblast distribution, bone formation, marrow microvessel density and diameter along with down-regulation of marrow BMPs expression and increased adipogenesis. Daily treatment with Sal B (40 mg/kg/d) for 12 weeks in GC male rats prevented GC-induced cancellous bone loss and increased adipogenesis while increasing cancellous bone formation rate with improved local microcirculation by capillary dilation. Treatment with Sal B at a higher dose (80 mg/kg/d) not only prevented GC-induced osteopenia, but also increased cancellous bone mass and thickness, associated with increase of marrow BMPs expression, inhibited adipogenesis and further increased microvessel diameters. (2) In vitro study: In concentration from 10(-6) mol/L to 10(-7) mol/L, Sal B stimulated bone marrow stromal cell (MSC) differentiation to osteoblast and increased osteoblast activities, decreased GC associated adipogenic differentiation by down-regulation of PPARγ mRNA expression, increased Runx2 mRNA expression without osteoblast inducement, and, furthermore, Sal B decreased Dickkopf-1 and increased β-catenin mRNA expression with or without adipocyte inducement in MSC. We conclude that Sal B prevented bone loss in GC-treated rats through stimulation of osteogenesis, bone marrow angiogenesis and inhibition of adipogenesis.     

Bone morphogenetic proteins inhibit adipocyte differentiation by bone marrow stromal cells

The bone morphogenetic proteins were originally identified based on their ability to induce ectopic bone formation in vivo and have since been identified as members of the transforming growth factor-β gene superfamily. It has been well established that the bone morphogenetic cytokines enhance osteogenic activity in bone marrow stromal cells in vitro. Recent reports have described how bone morphogenetic proteins inhibited myogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells in vitro. In vivo, bone marrow stromal cells differentiate along the related adipogenic pathway with advancing age. The current work reports the inhibitory effects of the bone morphorphogenetic proteins on adipogenesis in a multipotent murine bone marrow stromal cell line, BMS2. When exposed to bone morphogenetic protein-2, the pre-adipocyte BMS2 cells exhibited the expected induction of the osteogenic-related enzyme, alkaline phosphatase. Following induction of the BMS2 cells with adipogenic agonists, adipocyte differentiation was assessed by morphologic, enzymatic, and mRNA markers. Flow cytometric analysis combined with staining by the lipophilic fluorescent dye, Nile red, was used to quantitate the extent of lipid accumulation within the BMS2 cells. By this morphologic criteria, the bone morphogenetic proteins inhibited adipogenesis at concentrations of 50 to 500 ng/ml. This correlated with decreased levels of adipocyte specific enzymes and mRNAs. The BMS2 pre-adipocytes constitutively expressed mRNA encoding bone morphogenetic protein-4 and this was inhibited by adipogenic agonists. Together, these findings demonstrate that bone morphogenetic proteins act as adipogenic antagonists. This supports the hypothesis that adipogenesis and osteogenesis in the bone marrow microenvironment are reciprocally regulated.     

Adult human bone marrow stromal cells regulate expression of their MMPs and TIMPs in differentiation type-specific manner

Previously, we described a profound impact of structural conformation of collagen matrix on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells. Thus, a marginal p38-independent adipogenesis on native collagen I matrix contrasts with an efficient p38-dependent differentiation on denatured collagen I. An efficient Hsp90-dependent osteogenesis occurs on native collagen I matrix but not on its denatured counterpart where it is insignificant and proceeds in an Hsp90-independent manner. Whereas only marginal osteogenesis and no detectable adipogenesis of bone marrow stromal cells occur on native collagen IV, the same matrix supports a highly efficient adipogenesis in denatured structural state. The present study addresses the opposite direction in the flow of cell–matrix interaction, namely the cells' influence on structural state of collagen matrix, and tests the possibility that differentiating bone marrow stromal cells may adjust the expression phenotype of MMP and TIMP in such a way that, if translated into matrix modification, would facilitate the maintenance of collagen matrix in or its modification into structural state optimal for the ongoing differentiation process. The results obtained indicate that this is indeed the case. In bone marrow stromal cells stimulated to undergo adipogenesis the expression of MMP increases and that of TIMP decreases. In cells induced to undergo osteogenesis the opposite is true: MMP/TIMP expression is adjusted in a manner that, if translated into matrix modification, could promote the native structural conformation optimal for this type of differentiation. The results obtained also indicate that the observed adjustment in MMP/TIMP expression phenotype might be an early differentiation event and that differentiation stimulation alone might be sufficient to trigger it even on matrices not favorable to a given type of differentiation. The findings of the present study raise significant questions and indicate directions for further experimentation.     

具有间充质干细胞特征的CD105+细胞在胎儿多种组织器官的分布

CD105是骨髓间充质干细胞的特征性表型之一。为了研究机体各组织器官也存留有间充质干细胞,首先检测胎儿各组织CD105^ 细胞的分布,进而分离胎儿各组织CD105^ 细胞。将CD105^ 细胞向脂肪和成骨细胞诱导分化。结果表明胎儿心、肝、肺、血管、肌肉、皮肤等组织含有CD105^ 间充质干细胞。在间充质干细胞分化为脂肪细胞时,CD105表达明显下降。地塞米松可以促进脂肪细胞形成并提高了培养液中甘油三酯的含量。而向成骨细胞分化时,诱导的成骨细胞胞浆内外有电子密度高的钙盐沉积。以上结果提示,分布于多种组织的间充质干细胞异常分化可能与疾病的发生有关。     

The interplay of osteogenesis and hematopoiesis: expression of a constitutively active PTH/PTHrP receptor in osteogenic cells perturbs the establishment of hematopoiesis in bone and of skeletal stem cells in the bone marrow

The ontogeny of bone marrow and its stromal compartment, which is generated from skeletal stem/progenitor cells, was investigated in vivo and ex vivo in mice expressing constitutively active parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor (PTH/PTHrP; caPPR) under the control of the 2.3-kb bone-specific mouse Col1A1 promoter/enhancer. The transgene promoted increased bone formation within prospective marrow space, but delayed the transition from bone to bone marrow during growth, the formation of marrow cavities, and the appearance of stromal cell types such as marrow adipocytes and cells supporting hematopoiesis. This phenotype resolved spontaneously over time, leading to the establishment of marrow containing a greatly reduced number of clonogenic stromal cells. Proliferative osteoprogenitors, but not multipotent skeletal stem cells (mesenchymal stem cells), capable of generating a complete heterotopic bone organ upon in vivo transplantation were assayable in the bone marrow of caPPR mice. Thus, PTH/PTHrP signaling is a major regulator of the ontogeny of the bone marrow and its stromal tissue, and of the skeletal stem cell compartment.     

Spinal cord injury causes bone loss through peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ and Wnt signalling

It has long been recognized that spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to a loss of bone mineral. However, the mechanisms of bone loss after SCI remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether SCI causes a shift in skeletal balance between osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis. Eighty male Sprague‐Dawley rats at 6 weeks of age were randomly divided into two groups: sham‐operated (SHAM) group and SCI group. The rats were killed after 3 weeks, 3 months and 6 months, and their femora, tibiae and humeri were collected for mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) culture, bone mineral density (BMD) measurement, RNA analysis and Western Blot analysis. Osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential of MSCs from SCI rats and SHAM rats was evaluated. We found increased marrow adiposity in sublesional tibiae of SCI rats. SCI caused increased peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ (PPARγ) expression and diminished Wnt signalling in sublesional tibiae. Interestingly, in MSCs from SCI rats treated with the PPARγ inhibitor GW9662, the ratios of RANKL to OPG expression were significantly decreased. On the contrary, in MSCs from SCI rats treated with the PPARγ ligand troglitazone, the ratios of RANKL to OPG expression in SCI rats were significantly increased. High expression of PPARγ may lead to increased bone resorption through the RANKL/OPG axis after SCI. In addition, high expression also results in the suppression of osteogenesis and enhancement of adipogenesis in SCI rats. SCI causes a shift in skeletal balance between osteoblastogenesis and adipogenesis, thus leading to bone loss after SCI.     

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells suppress lymphocyte proliferation in vitro but fail to prevent graft-versus-host disease in mice

Several reports have suggested that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) could exert a potent immunosuppressive effect in vitro, and thus may have a therapeutic potential for T cell-dependent pathologies. We aimed to establish whether MSCs could be used to control graft-vs-host disease (GVHD), a major cause of morbidity and mortality after allogeneic hemopoietic stem cell transplantation. From C57BL/6 and BALB/c mouse bone marrow cells, we purified and expanded MSCs characterized by the lack of expression of CD45 and CD11b molecules, their typical spindle-shaped morphology, together with their ability to differentiate into osteogenic, chondrogenic, and adipogenic cells. These MSCs suppressed alloantigen-induced T cell proliferation in vitro in a dose-dependent manner, independently of their MHC haplotype. However, when MSCs were added to a bone marrow transplant at a MSCs:T cells ratio that provided a strong inhibition of the allogeneic responses in vitro, they yielded no clinical benefit on the incidence or severity of GVHD. The absence of clinical effect was not due to MSC rejection because they still could be detected in grafted animals, but rather to an absence of suppressive effect on donor T cell division in vivo. Thus, in these murine models, experimental data do not support a significant immunosuppressive effect of MSCs in vivo for the treatment of GVHD.     

Phenotypic characterization of craniofacial bone marrow stromal cells: unique properties of enhanced osteogenesis,cell recruitment,autophagy, and apoptosis resistance

Previous studies have shown that craniofacial bone marrow stromal cells (MSCs) have greater osteogenic potential than appendicular bone MSCs. However, detailed phenotypic characterization of MSCs from bone marrow in the different sites remains unclear. To investigate bone repair and regeneration of craniofacial MSCs and the regulatory mechanisms underlying their unique properties, we compared osteogenesis, cell recruitment, autophagy, and apoptosis resistance of MSCs from the mandible (M-MSCs) to those from tibia (T-MSCs) in vitro and in vivo. Compared with T-MSCs, M-MSCs formed more colonies, possessed stronger proliferation activity, exhibited higher expression of pluripotency genes such as Oct4 and Nanog, and held stronger osteogenic differentiation in osteogenic medium. Moreover, M-MSCs had greater autophagy and anti-apoptotic capacities than T-MSCs under hypoxia and serum deprivation conditions. M-MSCs were found to be more capable of recruiting more MSCs than T-MSCs. When these MSCs were transplanted into mandible critical-sized defects, more bone formed in the M-MSC-treated animals than in their T-MSC counterparts. Collectively, these findings reveal that MSCs have unique characteristics and bone-repairing properties from the mandible as compared with those from tibia, presumably by enhanced osteogenic potential, cell recruitment, autophagy and apoptosis resistance.     

Cellular retinol-binding protein 1 (CRBP-1) regulates osteogenenesis and adipogenesis of mesenchymal stem cells through inhibiting RXRα-induced β-catenin degradation

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells that can differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes and adipocytes, providing a potential source for musculoskeletal tissue engineering. Retinoid signaling plays very important roles in skeletal development. CRBP1 (cellular retinol binding protein 1), a key component of retinoid signaling pathway, is known to take part in vitamin A metabolism and intracellular transporting of retinoids. However, the role of CRBP1 in MSCs remains still obscure. In this study, we investigated the cellular effects of CRBP1 on osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived MSCs in vitro and in vivo. Our results showed that CRBP1 overexpression promoted osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow derived MSCs, while inhibited their adipogenic differentiation. We also demonstrated that the possible underlying mechanism for CRBP1 promoting osteogenic differentiation of MSCs was by inhibiting RXRα-induced β-catenin degradation, maintaining β-catenin and pERK1/2 at higher levels. These findings reveal a potential role of CRBP1 in the regulation of β-catenin turnover which can greatly affect the process of osteogenesis and adipogenesis of MSCs.     

The SH-3 and SH-4 antibodies recognize distinct epitopes on CD73 from human mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are pluripotent cells in the bone marrow that have the capacity to differentiate along a number of connective tissue lineages, including cartilage, bone, adipose tissue, and stroma. The SH-3 and SH-4 monoclonal antibodies recognize epitopes present on the surface of human MSCs. This study describes the isolation and characterization of the antigen that is recognized by these antibodies. A protein of molecular weight approximately 67 kDa was immunoprecipitated from a solubilized membrane preparation of human MSCs using the SH-3 antibody. Analysis of peptides derived from this protein by mass spectrometry and sequencing identified it as CD73 (ecto-5'-nucleotidase). The SH-4 antibody was also shown to react with purified bovine CD73 by immunoblotting, but the SH-3 antibody failed to react with the bovine protein. These results indicate that both SH-3 and SH-4 epitopes are present on CD73, but they are distinct. CD73, present in lymphoid tissue, plays a role in the activation of B-lymphocytes and in signal transduction in the hematopoietic compartment of bone marrow. The role that CD73 may play in bone marrow stromal interactions and in the differentiation of MSCs is discussed.     

Mesenchymal stromal cells: facilitators of successful transplantation?

Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) possess immunomodulatory and reparative properties. Through specific interactions with immune cells that participate in both innate and adaptive responses, MSCs exposed to an inflammatory microenvironment can downregulate many immune effector functions. Clinical trials focusing on MSCs to treat graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and autoimmune diseases are underway. Current analyses suggest that MSCs will improve cell and solid organ transplantation by ameliorating rejection and possibly eliminating the requirement for prolonged regimens of conventional immunosuppressive drugs. This review examines the in vitro and in vivo evidence for the clinical use of bone marrow derived MSCs.     

Novel flow cytometric approach for the detection of adipocyte subpopulations during adipogenesis

The ability of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to differentiate into adipocytes provides a cellular model of human origin to study adipogenesis in vitro. One of the major challenges in studying adipogenesis is the lack of tools to identify and monitor the differentiation of various subpopulations within the heterogeneous pool of MSCs. Cluster of differentiation (CD)36 plays an important role in the formation of intracellular lipid droplets, a key characteristic of adipocyte differentiation/maturation. The objective of this study was to develop a reproducible quantitative method to study adipocyte differentiation by comparing two lipophilic dyes [Nile Red (NR) and Bodipy 493/503] in combination with CD36 surface marker staining. We identified a subpopulation of adipose-derived stromal cells that express CD36 at intermediate/high levels and show that combining CD36 cell surface staining with neutral lipid-specific staining allows us to monitor differentiation of adipose-derived stromal cells that express CD36^{intermediate/high} during adipocyte differentiation in vitro. The gradual increase of CD36^{intermediate/high/}NR^positive cells during the 21 day adipogenesis induction period correlated with upregulation of adipogenesis-associated gene expression.