Isolation and characterization of cardiac progenitor cells from myocardial right atrial appendage tissue

Resident cardiac stem cells, known as “cardiogenic progenitor cells” (CPCs), are a heterogeneous population of immature cells residing in the myocardium and capable of self-renewal and differentiation into cardiomyocyte-like and vascular-like cells. CPCs are usually isolated by long enzymatic digestion of heart tissue and selection with stem cell markers. However, long exposure to enzymatic digestion and the small size of a myocardial sample significantly hinder acquiring a large number of viable cells. To avoid these problems, we developed a method based on CPC growth ex vivo and subsequent immunomagnetic selection.     

Isolation and in vitro expansion of human colonic stem cells

Here we describe the isolation of stem cells of the human colonic epithelium. Differential cell surface abundance of ephrin type-B receptor 2 (EPHB2) allows the purification of different cell types from human colon mucosa biopsies. The highest EPHB2 surface levels correspond to epithelial colonic cells with the longest telomeres and elevated expression of intestinal stem cell (ISC) marker genes. Moreover, using culturing conditions that recreate the ISC niche, a substantial proportion of EPHB2-high cells can be expanded in vitro as an undifferentiated and multipotent population.     

Towards expansion of human hair follicle stem cells in vitro

Objectives: Multipotential human hair follicle stem cells can differentiate into various cell lineages and thus are investigated here as potential autologous sources for regenerative medicine. Towards this end, we have attempted to expand these cells, directly isolated from minimal amounts of hair follicle explants, to numbers more suitable for stem‐cell therapy. Materials and methods: Two types of human follicle stem cells, commercially available and directly isolated, were cultured using an in‐house developed medium. The latter was obtained from bulge areas of hair follicles by mechanical and enzymatic dissociation, and was magnetically enriched for its CD200⁺ fraction. Isolated cells were cultured for up to 4 weeks, on different supports: blank polystyrene, laminin‐ and Matrigel^TM‐coated surfaces. Results: Two‐fold expansion was found, highlighting the slow‐cycling nature of these cells. Flow cytometry characterization revealed: magnetic enrichment increased the proportion of CD200⁺ cells from initially 43.3% (CD200+, CD34: 25.8%; CD200+, CD34+: 17.5%) to 78.2% (CD200+, CD34: 41.5%; CD200+, CD34+: 36.7%). Enriched cells seemed to have retained and passed on their morphological and molecular phenotypes to their progeny, as isolated CD200⁺ presenting cells expanded in our medium to a population with 80% of cells being CD200⁺: 51.5% (CD200⁺, CD34^?) and 29.6% (CD200⁺, CD34⁺). Conclusions: This study demonstrates the possibility of culturing human hair follicle stem cells without causing any significant changes to phenotypes of the cells.     

The effects of mechanical stretch on the biological characteristics of human adipose‐derived stem cells

Adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a subset of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have promised a vast therapeutic potential in tissue regeneration. Recent studies have demonstrated that combining stem cells with mechanical stretch may strengthen the efficacy of regenerative therapies. However, the exact influences of mechanical stretch on MSCs still remain inconclusive. In this study, human ADSCs (hADSCs) were applied cyclic stretch stimulation under an in vitro stretching model for designated duration. We found that mechanical stretch significantly promoted the proliferation, adhesion and migration of hADSCs, suppressing cellular apoptosis and increasing the production of pro‐healing cytokines. For differentiation of hADSCs, mechanical stretch inhibited adipogenesis, but enhanced osteogenesis. Long‐term stretch could promote ageing of hADSCs, but did not alter the cell size and typical immunophenotypic characteristics. Furthermore, we revealed that PI3K/AKT and MAPK pathways might participate in the effects of mechanical stretch on the biological characteristics of hADSCs. Taken together, mechanical stretch is an effective strategy for enhancing stem cell behaviour and regulating stem cell fate. The synergy between hADSCs and mechanical stretch would most likely facilitate tissue regeneration and promote the development of stem cell therapy.     

Local activation of cardiac stem cells for post‐myocardial infarction cardiac repair

The prognosis of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and resultant chronic heart failure remains extremely poor despite continuous advancements in optimal medical therapy and interventional procedures. Animal experiments and clinical trials using adult stem cell therapy following MI have shown a global improvement of myocardial function. The emergence of stem cell transplantation approaches has recently represented promising alternatives to stimulate myocardial regeneration. Regarding their tissue‐specific properties, cardiac stem cells (CSCs) residing within the heart have advantages over other stem cell types to be the best cell source for cell transplantation. However, time‐consuming and costly procedures to expanse cells prior to cell transplantation and the reliability of cell culture and expansion may both be major obstacles in the clinical application of CSC‐based transplantation therapy after MI. The recognition that the adult heart possesses endogenous CSCs that can regenerate cardiomyocytes and vascular cells has raised the unique therapeutic strategy to reconstitute dead myocardium via activating these cells post‐MI. Several strategies, such as growth factors, mircoRNAs and drugs, may be implemented to potentiate endogenous CSCs to repair infarcted heart without cell transplantation. Most molecular and cellular mechanism involved in the process of CSC‐based endogenous regeneration after MI is far from understanding. This article reviews current knowledge opening up the possibilities of cardiac repair through CSCs activation in situ in the setting of MI.     

肿瘤干细胞的生物学特性及其研究进展

肿瘤干细胞(cancer stem cells,CSC)是肿瘤组织中存在的一类干细胞,具有自我更新、无限增殖能力及致瘤性。大量研究显示,血液系统及实体瘤中均存在CSC。综述了CSC生物学特性的最新研究进展,包括寻找表面标记物、确定CSC微环境、分选与鉴定CSC、探索肿瘤细z胞和CSC之间的转化、研究CSC耐药性和耐药机制。利用肿瘤的这些生物学特性选择性杀伤肿瘤干细胞的靶分子疗法,为克服肿瘤耐药的复发与转移提供新的策略。CSC的研究为人们对肿瘤生物学特性的进一步认识提供了新的思路,并为肿瘤的临床治疗提供了新的希望。     

Comparative study of in vitro expansion of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMD-MSCs) are of great interest for tissue engineering, but require expansion before they can be used for therapeutic applications. We compared three different culture techniques for their potential for large scale expansion of rat BMD-MSCs, i.e. monolayer cultures, stirred suspension cultures and pour-off cultures, and found that pour-off cultures supported the biggest expansion in BMD-MSCs as measured by the fibroblastic-colony forming unit assay (CFU-f). BMD-MSCs expanded in stirred suspension cultures stopped proliferating altogether and, although monolayer cultures allowed for expansion of BMD-MSCs, they favoured a differentiated phenotype over uncommitted MSCs. Only BMD-MSCs expanded in pour-off cultures were able to differentiate into both osteoblastic and adipocytic lineages and maintain CFU-f numbers. These data suggest that pour-off cultures are a viable method of BMD-MSC expansion.     

肿瘤干细胞生物学特性及其干性维持机制的研究进展

肿瘤是威胁人类健康和社会发展最为严重的疾病之一,也是全球第二大常见疾病死因。最新统计数据显示,恶性肿瘤在发达国家已取代心血管疾病成为第一大疾病死因。肿瘤的耐药、转移和复发,仍然是临床治疗中亟需解决的难题。肿瘤干细胞(tumor stem cells, TSCs)是一类具有自我更新、分化潜能、高致瘤性和高耐药性等特征的细胞亚群,能够抵抗放化疗等非特异性治疗手段,在肿瘤发生、转移、耐药和复发中发挥关键作用。肿瘤干细胞标志物、干性维持机制、微环境和代谢重编程等领域已成为了研究热点,最新研究成果为肿瘤干细胞的鉴定和靶向治疗提供了新的靶标和策略。本文对肿瘤干细胞的表面标志物(CD133和CD44等)、自我更新和上皮细胞间充质转化(epithelial mesenchymal transition, EMT)信号通路(Wnt/β-catenin和Hedgehog等)、微环境特征、代谢重编程(糖酵解和氧化磷酸化等),及其在肿瘤的起始、发展、转移和耐药中的作用进行了综述。     

Defined serum-free media for in vitro expansion of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells

BackgroundThere is a growing interest in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) because they are regarded as good candidates for cell therapy. Adipose tissue represents an easily accessible source to derive mesenchymal stem cells (Ad-MSCs) non-invasively in large numbers. The aim of this study was to evaluate a defined serum-free medium for in vitro expansion of MSCs as a prerequisite for their clinical use.MethodsAdipose tissue was isolated from healthy donors. Cells were isolated and expanded for five passages in serum-free medium (Mesencult-XF) and Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (DMEM-FBS). MSC morphology, marker expression, viability, population doubling time and differentiation potential toward osteogenic and adipogenic lineages were evaluated. Bone marrow MSCs were included as controls.ResultsAd-MSCs cultured in Mesencult-XF had shorter population doubling time (33.3 ± 13.7 h) compared with those cultured in DMEM-FBS (54.3 ± 41.0 h, P < 0.05). Ad-MSCs cultured in Mesencult-XF displayed a stable morphology and surface marker expression and a higher differentiation potential in comparison to Ad-MSCs cultured in DMEM-FBS.ConclusionsThe defined serum-free and xeno-free Mesencult-XF media appear to be a good choice for Ad-MSCs, but it is not as good in supporting culture of bone marrow MSCs when the cells are to be used for clinical purposes.     

Bone marrow‐derived cells can acquire cardiac stem cells properties in damaged heart

Experimental data suggest that cell‐based therapies may be useful for cardiac regeneration following ischaemic heart disease. Bone marrow (BM) cells have been reported to contribute to tissue repair after myocardial infarction (MI) by a variety of humoural and cellular mechanisms. However, there is no direct evidence, so far, that BM cells can generate cardiac stem cells (CSCs). To investigate whether BM cells contribute to repopulate the Kit⁺ CSCs pool, we transplanted BM cells from transgenic mice, expressing green fluorescent protein under the control of Kit regulatory elements, into wild‐type irradiated recipients. Following haematological reconstitution and MI, CSCs were cultured from cardiac explants to generate ‘cardiospheres’, a microtissue normally originating in vitro from CSCs. These were all green fluorescent (i.e. BM derived) and contained cells capable of initiating differentiation into cells expressing the cardiac marker Nkx2.5. These findings indicate that, at least in conditions of local acute cardiac damage, BM cells can home into the heart and give rise to cells that share properties of resident Kit⁺ CSCs.     

Human cardiac stem cells isolated from atrial appendages stably express c-kit

The in vivo studies of myocardial infarct using c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cardiac stem cells (CSCs) are still in the early stage with margin or no beneficial effects for cardiac function. One of the potential reasons may be related to the absence of fully understanding the properties of these cells both in vitro and in vivo. In the present study, we aimed to systematically examine how CSCs adapted to in vitro cell processes and whether there is any cell contamination after long-term culture. Human CSCs were enzymatically isolated from the atrial appendages of patients. The fixed tissue sections, freshly isolated or cultured CSCs were then used for identification of c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cells, detection of cell contamination, or differentiation of cardiac lineages. By specific antibody staining, we demonstrated that tissue sections from atrial appendages contained less than 0.036% c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cells. For the first time, we noted that without magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS), the percentages of c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cells gradually increased up to ∼40% during continuously culture between passage 2 to 8, but could not exceed >80% unless c-kit MACS was carried out. The resulting c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cells were negative for CD34, CD45, CD133, and Lin markers, but positive for KDR and CD31 in few patients after c-kit MACS. Lin depletion seemed unnecessary for enrichment of c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cell population. Following induced differentiation, c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ CSCs demonstrated strong differentiation towards cardiomyocytes but less towards smooth and endothelial cells. We concluded that by using an enzymatic dissociation method, a large number, or higher percentage, of relative pure human CSCs with stable expression of c-kit⁺ could be obtained from atrial appendage specimens within ∼4 weeks following c-kit MACS without Lin depletion. This simple but cost-effective approach can be used to obtain enough numbers of stably-expressed c-kit⁺/Lin⁻ cells for clinical trials in repairing myocardial infarction.     

In vitro screening system for hepatotoxicity: Comparison of bone‐marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells and Placenta‐derived stem cells

Stem cells have unique properties such as self‐renewal, plasticity to generate various cell types, and availability of cells of human origin. The characteristics are attentive in the toxicity screening against chemical toxicants. Placenta‐derived stem cells (PDSCs) have been spotlighted as a new cell source in stem cell research recently because they are characterized by their capacity to differentiate into multilineages. However, the use of PDSCs as an in vitro screening model for potential drug candidates has not yet been studied. Here, we analyzed the potentials for bone‐marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem (BM‐MSCs), which is a representative adult stem cells and PDSCs as an in vitro hepatotoxicity screening system, using well‐known hepatotoxicants. BM‐MSCs and PDSCs were analyzed to the potential for hepatogenic differentiation and were cultured with different concentrations of hepatotoxicants for time courses. The viability and ATP‐binding cassette (ABC) transporters were measured by the MTT assay and RT‐PCR, respectively. The sensitivities of PDSCs to hepatotoxicants are more sensitive than those of BM‐MSCs. The viability (IC₅₀) to in PDSCs was less than that of BM‐MSCs after 48 and 72 h (P < 0.05) of CCl₄ exposure. The toxicities of CCl₄ were decreased by fourfold in hepatogenic differentiation inducing PDSCs compared to the undifferentiated cells. The alteration of ABCGs was observed in PDSCs during differentiation. These findings suggest that the naïve PDSCs expressing ABCGs can be used as a source for in vitro screening system as well as the expression patterns of ABCG1 and ABCG2 might be involved in the sensitivity of PDSCs to hepatotoxicants. J. Cell. Biochem. 112: 49–58, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Establishment of a xeno-free culture system that preserves the characteristics of placenta mesenchymal stem cells

Although stem cells are promising candidates for cell replacement therapies, the vast majority are derived using animal sera, which has risk of being contaminated by animal viruses or toxins. To overcome these potential problems, we initially established multiple lines of stem cells from first-trimester human placenta (fPMSC), which were cultivated using human follicular fluid (hFF) instead of fetal bovine serum (FBS). FF provides a very important microenvironment for the development of oocytes. No differences were found in the general morphology, growth rate, karyotype, gene and surface expressions between placental MSCs cultured in 5 % hFF-supplemented medium (fPMSC-X) or 10 % FBS-supplemented medium (fPMSC). Differentiation experiments confirmed similar levels of potency in cells grown in either condition. Since hFF preserved the unique features of the stem cells and is free from potential pathogens, it should be considered as the main culture medium supplement for the propagation of human stem cells for clinical applications.     

Three‐dimensional culture systems for the expansion of pluripotent embryonic stem cells

Mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines, and more recently human ESC lines, have become valuable tools for studying early mammalian development. Increasing interest in ESCs and their differentiated progeny in drug discovery and as potential therapeutic agents has highlighted the fact that current two‐dimensional (2D) static culturing techniques are inadequate for large‐scale production. The culture of mammalian cells in three‐dimensional (3D) agitated systems has been shown to overcome many of the restrictions of 2D and is therefore likely to be effective for ESC proliferation. Using murine ESCs as our initial model, we investigated the effectiveness of different 3D culture environments for the expansion of pluripotent ESCs. Solohill Collagen, Solohill FACT, and Cultispher‐S microcarriers were employed and used in conjunction with stirred bioreactors. Initial seeding parameters, including cell number and agitation conditions, were found to be critical in promoting attachment to microcarriers and minimizing the size of aggregates formed. While all microcarriers supported the growth of undifferentiated mESCs, Cultispher‐S out‐performed the Solohill microcarriers. When cultured for successive passages on Cultispher‐S microcarriers, mESCs maintained their pluripotency, demonstrated by self‐renewal, expression of pluripotency markers and the ability to undergo multi‐lineage differentiation. When these optimized conditions were applied to unweaned human ESCs, Cultispher‐S microcarriers supported the growth of hESCs that retained expression of pluripotency markers including SSEA4, Tra‐1–60, NANOG, and OCT‐4. Our study highlights the importance of optimization of initial seeding parameters and provides proof‐of‐concept data demonstrating the utility of microcarriers and bioreactors for the expansion of hESCs. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107:683–695. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.