Reevaluation of in vitro differentiation protocols for bone marrow stromal cells: disruption of actin cytoskeleton induces rapid morphological changes and mimics neuronal phenotype

Evaluation of distinct freezing methods and cryoprotectants for human amniotic fluid stem cells cryopreservation

Amniotic fluid (AF) was described as a potential source of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) for biomedicine purposes. Therefore, evaluation of alternative cryoprotectants and freezing protocols capable to maintain the viability and stemness of these cells after cooling is still needed. AF stem cells (AFSCs) were tested for different freezing methods and cryoprotectants. Cell viability, gene expression, surface markers, and plasticity were evaluated after thawing. AFSCs expressed undifferentiated genes Oct4 and Nanog; presented typical markers (CD29, CD44, CD90, and CD105) and were able to differentiate into mesenchymal lineages. All tested cryoprotectants preserved the features of AFSCs however, variations in cell viability were observed. In this concern, dimethyl sulfoxide (Me₂SO) showed the best results. The freezing protocols tested did not promote significant changes in the AFSCs viability. Time programmed and nonprogrammed freezing methods could be used for successful AFSCs cryopreservation for 6 months. Although tested cryoprotectants maintained undifferentiated gene expression, typical markers, and plasticity of AFSCs, only Me₂SO and glycerol presented workable viability ratios.

Potencial de transdiferenciação neural das células-tronco mesenquimais da medula óssea de equino

Os primeiros estudos demonstrando o potencial de trandiferenciação neural das células-tronco mesenquimais (CTMs) provenientes da medula óssea (MO) foram conduzidos em camundogos e humanos no início da década de 2000. Após esse período, o número de pesquisas e publicações com o mesmo propósito tem aumentado, mas com raros ou escassos estudos na espécie equina. Nesse sentindo, o objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o potencial in vitro da transdiferenciação neural das CTMs provenientes da MO de equinos utilizando-se dois protocolos: P1 (forksolin e ácido retinóico) e P2 (2-βmecarptoetanol). Após a confirmação das linhagens mesenquimais, pela positividade para o marcador CD90 (X=97,94%), negatividade para o marcador CD34 e resposta positiva a diferenciação osteogênica, as CTMs foram submetidas a transdiferenciação neural (P1 e P2) para avaliação morfológica e expressão dos marcadores neurais GFAP e β3 tubulina por citometria de fluxo. Os resultados revelaram mudanças morfológicas em graus variados entre os protocolos testados. No protocolo 1, vinte quatro horas após a incubação com o meio de diferenciação neural, grande proporção de células (>80%) apresentaram morfologia semelhante a células neurais, caracterizadas por retração do corpo celular e grande número de projeções protoplasmáticas (filopodia). Por outro lado, de forma comparativa, já nos primeiros 30 minutos após a exposição ao antioxidante β-mercaptoetanol (P2) as CTMs apresentaram rápida mudança morfológica caracterizada principalmente por retração do corpo celular e menor número de projeções protoplasmáticas. Também ficou evidenciado com o uso deste protocolo, menor aderência das células após tempo de exposição ao meio de diferenciação, quando comparado ao P1. Com relação a análise imunofenotípica foi observado uma maior (P<0,001) expressão dos marcadores GFAP e β3 tubulina ao término do P2 quando comparado ao P1. A habilidade das CTMs em gerar tipos celulares relacionados a linhagem neural é complexa e multifatorial, dependendo não só dos agentes indutores, mas também do ambiente no qual estas células são cultivadas. Desta forma um maior número de estudos é necessário para o melhor entendimento do processo de transdiferenciação neural a partir de CTMs de equinos.

Directed induction of functional motor neuron-like cells from genetically engineered human mesenchymal stem cells

Cell replacement using stem cells is a promising therapeutic approach to treat degenerative motor neuron (MN) disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and spinal cord injury. Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are a desirable cell source for autologous cell replacement therapy to treat nervous system injury due to their plasticity, low immunogenicity, and a lower risk of tumor formation than embryonic stem cells. However, hMSCs are inefficient with regards to differentiating into MN-like cells. To solve this limitation, we genetically engineered hMSCs to express MN-associated transcription factors, Olig2 and Hb9, and then treat the hMSCs expressing Olig2 and Hb9 with optimal MN induction medium (MNIM). This method of induction led to higher expression (>30% of total cells) of MN markers. Electrophysiological data revealed that the induced hMSCs had the excitable properties of neurons and were able to form functional connections with muscle fibers in vitro. Furthermore, when the induced hMSCs were transplanted into an injured organotypic rat spinal cord slice culture, an ex vivo model of spinal cord injury, they exhibited characteristics of MNs. The data strongly suggest that induced Olig2/Hb9-expressing hMSCs were clearly reprogrammed and directed toward a MN-like lineage. We propose that methods to induce Olig2 and Hb9, followed by further induction with MNIM have therapeutic potential for autologous cell replacement therapy to treat degenerative MN disorders.

Transplantation of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells as a novel strategy to protect the central nervous system: technical aspects, preclinical studies, and clinical perspectives

The prevention of perinatal neurological disabilities remains a major challenge for public health, and no neuroprotective treatment to date has proven clinically useful in reducing the lesions leading to these disabilities. Efforts are, therefore, urgently needed to test other neuroprotective strategies including cell therapies. Although stem cells have raised great hopes as an inexhaustible source of therapeutic products that could be used for neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in disorders affecting the brain and spinal cord, certain sources of stem cells are associated with potential ethical issues. The human umbilical cord (hUC) is a rich source of stem and progenitor cells including mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived either from the cord or from cord blood. hUC MSCs (hUC-MSCs) have several advantages as compared to other types and sources of stem cells. In this review, we will summarize the most recent findings regarding the technical aspects and the preclinical investigation of these promising cells in neuroprotection and neuroregeneration, and their potential use in the developing human brain. However, extensive studies are needed to optimize the administration protocol, safety parameters, and potential preinjection cell manipulations before designing a controlled trial in human neonates.

Nanofiber topography and sustained biochemical signaling enhance human mesenchymal stem cell neural commitment

Stem cells hold great promise in enhancing nerve regeneration. In particular, human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) represent a clinically viable cell source due in part to their abundance and accessibility. Unfortunately, current methods to direct the fate of stem cells remains largely limited to biochemical-based approaches on two-dimensional substrates with restricted efficacies. Here we have evaluated a scaffold-based approach to directing stem cell differentiation. We demonstrate the combined effects of nanofiber topography and controlled drug release on enhancing MSC neural commitment. By encapsulating up to 0.3 wt.% retinoic acid (RA) within aligned poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanofibers (average diameter ∼270 nm, AF750), sustained released of RA was obtained for at least 14 days (∼60% released). Compared with tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS), the nanofiber topography arising from plain PCL nanofibers significantly up-regulated the expressions of neural markers, Tuj-1, MAP2, GalC and RIP at the mRNA and protein levels. Combined with sustained drug availability, more significant changes in cell morphology and enhancement of neural marker expression were observed. In particular, scaffold-based controlled delivery of RA enhanced MAP2 and RIP expression compared with bolus delivery despite lower amounts of drug (>8 times lower). The generally higher expression of the mature neuronal marker MAP2 compared with glial markers at the mRNA and protein levels suggested an enhanced potential of MSC neuronal differentiation. In addition, positive staining for synaptophysin was detected only in cells cultured on aligned scaffolds in the presence of RA. Taken together, the results highlight the advantage of the scaffold-based approach in enhancing the potential of MSC neuronal differentiation and demonstrated the importance of the drug delivery approach in directing cell fate. Such biomimicking drug-encapsulating scaffolds may permit subsequent direct cell transplantation and provide guidance cues to control the fate of endogenously recruited stem cells.

The remyelination Philosopher's Stone: stem and progenitor cell therapies for multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that leads to oligodendrocyte loss and subsequent demyelination of the adult central nervous system (CNS). The pathology is characterized by transient phases of recovery during which remyelination can occur as a result of resident oligodendroglial precursor and stem/progenitor cell activation. However, myelin repair efficiency remains low urging the development of new therapeutical approaches that promote remyelination activities. Current MS treatments target primarily the immune system in order to reduce the relapse rate and the formation of inflammatory lesions, whereas no therapies exist in order to regenerate damaged myelin sheaths. During the last few years, several transplantation studies have been conducted with adult neural stem/progenitor cells and glial precursor cells to evaluate their potential to generate mature oligodendrocytes that can remyelinate axons. In parallel, modulation of the endogenous progenitor niche by neural and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation with the aim of promoting CNS progenitor differentiation and myelination has been studied. Here, we summarize these findings and discuss the properties and consequences of the various molecular and cell-mediated remyelination approaches. Moreover, we address age-associated intrinsic cellular changes that might influence the regenerative outcome. We also evaluate the extent to which these experimental treatments might increase the regeneration capacity of the demyelinated human CNS and hence be turned into future therapies.

Stem cell therapy for neonatal brain injury: perspectives and challenges

Cerebral palsy is a major health problem caused by brain damage during pregnancy, delivery, or the immediate postnatal period. Perinatal stroke, intraventricular hemorrhage, and asphyxia are the most common causes of neonatal brain damage. Periventricular white matter damage (periventricular leukomalacia) is the predominant form in premature infants and the most common antecedent of cerebral palsy. Stem cell treatment has proven effective in restoring injured organs and tissues in animal models. The potential of stem cells for self-renewal and differentiation translates into substantial neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in the animal brain, with minimal risks of rejection and side effects. Stem cell treatments described to date have used neural stem cells, embryonic stem cells, mesenchymal stem cells, umbilical cord stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells. Most of these treatments are still experimental. In this review, we focus on the efficacy of stem cell therapy in animal models of cerebral palsy, and discuss potential implications for current and future clinical trials.

Mesenchymal cell populations: development of the induction systems for Schwann cells and neuronal cells and finding the unique stem cell population

Mesenchymal cell populations, referred to as mesenchymal stem cells or multipotent stromal cells (MSCs), which include bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), umbilical cord stromal cells and adipose stromal cells (ASCs), participate in tissue repair when transplanted into damaged or degenerating tissues. The trophic support and immunomodulation provided by MSCs can protect against tissue damage, and the differentiation potential of these cells may help to replace lost cells. MSCs are easily accessible and can be expanded on a large scale. In addition, BMSCs and ASCs can be harvested from the patient himself. Thus, MSCs are considered promising candidates for cell therapy. In this review, I will discuss recently discovered high-efficiency induction systems for deriving Schwann cells and neurons from MSCs. Other features of MSCs that are important for tissue repair include the self-renewing property of stem cells and their potential for differentiation. Thus, I will also discuss the stemness of MSCs and describe the discovery of a certain stem cell type among adult MSCs that can self-renew and differentiate into cells of all three germ layers. Furthermore, I will explore the prospects of using this cell population for cell therapy.

Induction of adipose-derived stem cell into motoneuron-like cells using selegiline as preinducer

Cell therapy is one of the approaches taken to treatment of spinal cord disorders. In this study, adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) were induced to form motoneuron-like cells (MNLCs) using selegiline as preinducer, as well as Shh and all trans-retinoic acid (RA) as inducers. Selegiline was reported to induce the embryonic stem cells and bone marrow stromal cells into neuronal phenotype. ADSCs were evaluated using CD90, CD44, CD 49d, CD106, CD31, CD45, lipogenesis and osteogenesis. Dose response and time course studies were used in selecting the optimal concentration for selegiline using the percentage of viable cells (PVC) and percentages of immunoreactive cells (PIC) to nestin and neurofilament 68. Accordingly, such studies were used in selecting the optimal dose for RA using PVC and PIC to islet-1 and oligo-2. The expression of islet-1, oligo-2 and HLXB9 was evaluated using RT-PCR and immunocytochemistry. Real-time PCR was utilized in order to quantify the expression of islet-1, oligo-2 and HLXB9. ADSCs were immunoreactive to CD90, CD44 and CD 49d with consistent differentiation osteogenic and lipogenic cells. The optimal concentrations of selegiline and RA were 10⁻⁹ mM and 2 × 10⁻⁸ M, respectively. After two days, MNLCs showed high oligo-2 expression. MNLCs innervated myotubes; also, the release rate of synaptic vesicles using FM1-43 followed exponential decay model, and this rate in the induced MNLCs was approximately three times of that in the preinduced cells.

In vitro differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells into oligodendrocyte-like cells using triiodothyronine as inducer

An in vitro technique was devised to induced autologous adult stem cells into oligodendrocyte-like cells. In this study, a protocol was developed for the induction of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) into oligodendrocyte-like cells. BMSCs were incubated in one of these three pre-inducers: dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), β-mercaptoethanol (βME) or biotylated hydroxyanisol (BHA), each followed by retinoic acid (RA) treatment. The percentage of viable cells in BHA-RA preinduced cells was significantly lower than the others. The results showed that the preinduced cells were immunoreactive for nestin and NF-68; among the mentioned protocols, the immunoreactivity yielded by following the DMSO-RA protocol was significantly higher than the others. Moreover, no significant immunoreactivity was observed for preinduced cells to O4, O1, MBP (myelin basic protein), S100, and GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein). The cells were immunoreactive to oligo-2. Two phases of induction were done: the first was a combination of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) and heregulin (HRG), followed by either triiodothyronine (T3) or Forskolin (FSK) as the second phase. The conclusion is that the trans-differentiation of BMSCs by DMSO followed by RA (preinduction stage) then bFGF-PDGF-HRG followed by T3 (10 ng/ml) (induction stage) can be a potential source for oligodendrocyte-like cells preparation.

Stability of neural differentiation in human adipose derived stem cells by two induction protocols

There are some evidences for suggesting that adipose derived stem cells (ADSCs) can be differentiated to the fate of neural cell type. ADSCs can be expanded rapidly in vitro and can be obtained by a less invasive method. In this study, we attempted to compare the stability of neural differentiation in human ADSCs by using two induction protocols. Isolated ADSCs were induced into neural-like cells using diverse effects of two specific procedures. For protocol 1, ADSCs were induced by chemical induction. In protocol 2, ADSCs were treated for sphere formation. Then, the singled cells were cultured in neurobasal media supplemented with special components. Differentiated ADSCs were evaluated for Nestin, MAP2 and GFAP expression by immunocytochemistry and semi quantitative RT-PCR techniques. Moreover, MTT assay was employed to detect cell viability and proliferation. Immunocytochemical analysis of both protocols demonstrated that ADSCs had large expression of the neural-specific markers. In RT-PCR, protocol 1 showed the highest percentage of MAP2 expression, but with time passing, the neural like state was reversible. Protocol 2 found with express of Nestin at week 1, however MAP2 and GFAP expression increased after 3 weeks. The neural-like cells produced by protocol 1 led to the further cell death. Comparative analysis showed that neural-like cell differentiation of ADSCs in chemical induction protocol was rapid but transitory, while it was approximately steady in neurosphere formation protocol.

Multipotent progenitor cells derived from adult peripheral blood of swine have high neurogenic potential in vitro

Peripheral blood-derived multipotent adult progenitor cells (PBD-MAPCs) are a novel population of stem cells, isolated from venous blood of green fluorescent protein transgenic swine, which proliferate as multicellular non-adherent spheroids. Using a simple differentiation protocol, a large proportion of these cells developed one of five distinct neural cell phenotypes, indicating that these primordial cells have high neurogenic potential. Cells exhibiting neural morphologies developed within 48 h of exposure to differentiation conditions, increased in percentage over 2 weeks, and stably maintained the neural phenotype for three additional weeks in the absence of neurogenic signaling molecules. Cells exhibited dynamic neural-like behaviors including extension and retraction of processes with growth cone-like structures rich in filamentous actin, cell migration following a leading process, and various cell-cell interactions. Differentiated cells expressed neural markers, NeuN, β-tubulin III and synaptic proteins, and progenitor cells expressed the stem cell markers nestin and NANOG. Neurally differentiated PBD-MAPCs exhibited voltage-dependent inward and outward currents and expressed voltage-gated sodium and potassium channels, suggestive of neural-like membrane properties. PBD-MAPCs expressed early neural markers and developed neural phenotypes when provided with an extracellular matrix of laminin without the addition of cytokines or growth factors, suggesting that these multipotent cells may be primed for neural differentiation. PBD-MAPCs provide a model for understanding the mechanisms of neural differentiation from non-neural sources of adult stem cells. A similar population of cells, from humans or xenogeneic sources, may offer the potential of an accessible, renewable and non-tumorigenic source of stem cells for treating neural disorders.

Neural Differentiation of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor-Expressing Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Culture via TrkB-Mediated ERK and β-Catenin Phosphorylation and following Transplantation into the Developing Brain

The ability of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to differentiate into neural cells makes them potential replacement therapeutic candidates in neurological diseases. Presently, overexpression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is crucial in the regulation of neural progenitor cell differentiation and maturation during development, was sufficient to convert the mesodermal cell fate of human umbilical cord blood-derived MSCs (hUCB-MSCs) into a neuronal fate in culture, in the absence of specialized induction chemicals. BDNF overexpressing hUCB-MSCs (MSCs-BDNF) yielded an increased number of neuron-like cells and, surprisingly, increased the expression of neuronal phenotype markers in a time-dependent manner compared with control hUCB-MSCs. In addition, MSCs-BDNF exhibited a decreased labeling for MSCs-related antigens such as CD44, CD73, and CD90, and decreased potential to differentiate into mesodermal lineages. Phosphorylation of the receptor tyrosine kinase B (TrkB), which is a receptor of BDNF, was increased significantly in MSC-BDNF. BDNF overexpression also increased the phosphorylation of β-catenin and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERKs). Inhibition of TrkB availability by treatment with the TrkB-specific inhibitor K252a blocked the BDNF-stimulated phosphorylation of β-catenin and ERKs, indicating the involvement of both the β-catenin and ERKs signals in the BDNF-stimulated and TrkB-mediated neural differentiation of hUCB-MSCs. Reduction of β-catenin availability using small interfering RNA-mediated gene silencing inhibited ERKs phosphorylation. However, β-catenin activation was maintained. In addition, inhibition of β-catenin and ERKs expression levels abrogated the BDNF-stimulated upregulation of neuronal phenotype markers. Furthermore, MSC-BDNF survived and migrated more extensively when grafted into the lateral ventricles of neonatal mouse brain, and differentiated significantly into neurons in the olfactory bulb and periventricular astrocytes. These results indicate that BDNF induces the neural differentiation of hUCB-MSCs in culture via the TrkB-mediated phosphorylation of ERKs and β-catenin and following transplantation into the developing brain.

Detection of intranasally delivered bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells in the lesioned mouse brain: a cautionary report

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) hold promise for autologous treatment of neuropathologies. Intranasal delivery is relatively noninvasive and has recently been reported to result in transport of MSCs to the brain. However, the ability of MSCs to migrate from nasal passages to sites of neuropathology and ultimately survive has not been fully examined. In this paper, we harvested MSCs from transgenic mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (cells hereafter referred to as MSC-EGFP) and delivered them intranasally to wild-type mice sustaining mechanical lesions in the striatum. Using fluorescent, colorimetric, and ultrastructural detection methods, GFP-expressing cells were undetectable in the brain from 3 hours to 2 months after MSC delivery. However, bright autofluorescence that strongly resembled emission from GFP was observed in the olfactory bulb and striatum of lesioned control and MSC-EGFP-treated mice. In a control experiment, we directly implanted MSC-EGFPs into the mouse striatum and detected robust GFP expression 1 and 7 days after implantation. These findings suggest that-under our conditions-intranasally delivered MSC-EGFPs do not survive or migrate in the brain. Furthermore, our observations highlight the necessity of including appropriate controls when working with GFP as a cellular marker.

Aorta-derived mesoangioblasts differentiate into the oligodendrocytes by inhibition of the Rho kinase signaling pathway

Mesoangioblasts are vessel-derived stem cells that differentiate into mesodermal derivatives. We have isolated postnatal aorta-derived mesoangioblasts (ADMs) that differentiate into smooth, skeletal, and cardiac muscle, and adipocytes, and regenerate damaged skeletal muscle in a murine model for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. We report that the marker profile of ADM is similar to that of mesoangioblasts isolated from embryonic dorsal aorta, postnatal bone marrow, and heart, but distinct from mesoangioblasts derived from skeletal muscle. We also demonstrate that ADM differentiate into myelinating glial cells. ADM localize to peripheral nerve bundles in regenerating muscles and exhibit morphology and marker expression of mature Schwann cells, and myelinate axons. In vitro, ADM spontaneously express markers of oligodendrocyte progenitors, including the chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan NG2, nestin, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor α, the A2B5 antigen, thyroid hormone nuclear receptor α, and O4. Pharmacological inhibition of Rho kinase (ROCK) initiated process extension by ADM, and when combined with insulin-like growth factor 1, PDGF, and thyroid hormone, enhanced ADM expression of oligodendrocyte precursor markers and maturation into the oligodendrocyte lineage. ADM injected into the right lateral ventricle of the brain migrate to the corpus callosum, and cerebellar white matter, where they express components of myelin. Because ADM differentiate or mature into cell types of both mesodermal and ectodermal origin, they may be useful for treatment of a variety of degenerative diseases, or repair and regeneration of multiple cell types in severely damaged tissue.

Neurogenic and cardiomyogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells isolated from minipig bone marrow

The present study investigated the potential of minipig bone marrow-mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) to differentiate in vitro into neuron- and cardiomyocyte-like cells. Isolated BM-MSCs exhibited a fibroblast-like morphology, expressed CD29, CD44 and CD90, and differentiated into osteocytes, adipocytes and chondrocytes. Upon induction in two different neuronal specific media, most of BM-MSCs acquired the distinctive morphological features and positively stained for nestin, neurofilament-M (NF-M), neuronal nuclei (NeuN), β-tubulin, galactocerebroside (Gal-C) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Expression of nestin, GFAP and NF-M was further demonstrated by RT-PCR and RT-qPCR. Following cardiomyogenic induction, MSCs exhibited a stick-like morphology with extended cytoplasmic processes, and formed cluster-like structures. The expression of cardiac specific markers α-smooth muscle actin, cardiac troponin T, desmin and α-cardiac actin was positive for immunofluorescence staining, and further confirmed by RT-PCR and RT-qPCR. In conclusion, our results showed the in vitro differentiation ability of porcine BM-MSCs into neuron-like and cardiomyocyte-like cells.

Neuronal plasticity of human Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stromal cells to the dopaminergic cell type compared with human bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells

BACKGROUND AIMS

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) derived from Wharton's jelly (WJ) of the umbilical cord are increasingly gaining prominence as substitutes for bone marrow (BM) MSC. While MSC isolated from different tissue sources may share common mesenchymal properties, the difference in their plasticity to individual lineages is ill-defined. Thus the focus of this study was to estimate the neuronal plasticity of WJ MSC to the dopaminergic (DA) cell type in comparison with BM MSC.

METHODS

For neuronal differentiation, MSC were exposed to developmentally relevant cues for midbrain DA neurons: sonic hedgehog (SHH) and fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8), along with basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF).

RESULTS

Naive MSC from both sources constitutively expressed neuronal markers. Flow cytometry data revealed that the control WJ MSC shared a signature similar to BM MSC for early neuronal markers (nestin, musashi12 and A2B5) and DA-specific markers [tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and Nuclear Receptor related protein 1 (Nurr1) but differed for mature neuronal proteins [β-tubulin III and microtubule-associated protein 2 (Map2ab)]. Similar populations of cells in both sources of MSC were positive for the SHH receptors [patched (PTCH) and smoothened (SMO)]. In induced BM and WJ MSC, real-time reverse transcriptase (RT)-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis showed similar levels of DA-related transcription factors Nurr1 and Engrailed (En) 1. Immunocytochemical and flow cytometry analysis showed an increase in mature neuronal marker Map2ab. Kv4.2, a K(+) channel marker, was observed only in the induced MSC. Induced MSC also expressed several DA-specific markers, TH, dopamine and cyclic AMP regulated phosphoprotein (DARPP) 32, paired-like homeodomain transcription factor (PitX) 3 and vesicular monoamine transporter (VMAT) 2, in comparable levels between the two sources. The efficiency (c. 65%) of transdifferentiation of WJ MSC to TH-positive cells was similar to that of induced BM MSC. Constitutive and inducible release of dopamine was found to be similar between induced BM and WJ MSC, as measured by dopamine enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Interestingly, an adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-stimulated change in intracellular Ca(2+) was observed in both control and induced MSC, but only the induced MSC was capable of releasing dopamine.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data demonstrate that MSC from the two different sources respond similarly to inductive cues to differentiate terminally to a DA cell type, and the neuronal plasticity of human WJ MSC is comparable with that of BM MSC.

Role of mesenchymal stem cells in neurogenesis and nervous system repair

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are attractive candidates for use in regenerative medicine since they are easily accessible and can be readily expanded in vivo, and possess unique immunogenic properties. Moreover, these multipotent cells display intriguing environmental adaptability and secretory capacity. The ability of MSCs to migrate and engraft in a range of tissues has received significant attention. Evidence indicating that MSC transplantation results in functional improvement in animal models of neurological disorders has highlighted exciting potential for their use in neurological cell-based therapies. The manner in which MSCs elicit positive effects in the damaged nervous system remains unclear. Cell fusion and/or 'transdifferentiation' phenomena, by which MSCs have been proposed to adopt neural cell phenotypes, occur at very low frequency and are unlikely to fully account for observed neurological improvement. Alternatively, MSC-mediated neural recovery may result from the release of soluble molecules, with MSC-derived growth factors and extracellular matrix components influencing the activity of endogenous neural cells. This review discusses the potential of MSCs as candidates for use in therapies to treat neurological disorders and the molecular and cellular mechanisms by which they are understood to act.

Differentiation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells in vitro

STUDY DESIGN

Responses of human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow (hBMSCs) were analyzed under chemical conditions, and then characterization of ion channels was evaluated by whole-cell patch clamp.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the possibility of differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells in vitro under different conditions.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

The generation of mesenchymal stem cells into neuron-like cells has been studied. However, few of these studies characterized functional properties of the differentiated hBMSCs.

METHODS

hBMSCs (Passage 2) were expanded and cultured in vitro. After Passage 5 was subcultured, the cells were induced by cytokines and antioxidants. Morphologic observation, immunocytochemistry, Western blot analysis, and patch-clamp techniques were performed to evaluate properties of treated and control groups.

RESULTS

The differentiated neuronal cells from hBMSCs not only expressed neuron phenotype and membrane channel protein including Nav1.6, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Cav1.2 but also exhibited functional ion currents. Both hBMSCs and differentiated cells expressed Nav1.6, Kv1.2, Kv1.3, and Cav1.2 and voltage-activated potassium currents, including delayed rectifier, noise-like and transient outward currents. However, expression of channel proteins, such as sodium channel Nav1.6 and potassium channels Kv1.2 and Kv1.3, were upregulated. Consistently, their potassium currents were also enhanced in the differentiated cells.

CONCLUSION

hBMSCs possess of great potential to differentiate into functional neurons, indicating that hBMSCs may be an ideal cell source in managing a variety of clinical diseases such as spinal cord injury.

Schwann-like adult stem cells derived from bone marrow and adipose tissue express γ-aminobutyric acid type B receptors

γ-Aminobutyric acid type B receptors (GABA-B) are expressed in glial cells of the central and peripheral nervous systems, and recent evidence has shown their importance in modulating physiological parameters of Schwann cell (SC). SC play essential roles in peripheral nerve regeneration, but several drawbacks prevent their use for nerve repair. Adult stem cells from adipose tissue (ASC) or bone marrow (BM-MSC) can be differentiated into an SC-like phenotype and used as SC replacements. The aim of this study was to investigate GABA-B receptor functional expression in differentiated stem cells by assessing the similarity to SC. By means of RT-PCR and Western blot methodologies, BM-MSC and ASC were found to express both GABA-B1 and GABA-B2 receptor subunits. The expression levels of GABA-B1b and GABA-B2 receptors were influenced by SC-like differentiation, as shown by Western blot studies. GABA-B receptor stimulation with baclofen reduced the proliferation rate of SC and differentiated ASC (dASC) but not that of dBM-MSC. In conclusion, both of the subunits that assemble into a functional GABA-B receptor are present in differentiated stem cells. Furthermore, GABA-B receptors in dASC are functionally active, regulating a key process such as proliferation. The presence of functional GABA-B receptors on differentiated stem cells opens new opportunities for a possible pharmacological modulation of their physiology and phenotype.

Autologous bone marrow stromal cell transplantation for central nervous system disorders - recent progress and perspective for clinical application

There is increasing evidence that the transplanted BMSC significantly promote functional recovery after CNS damage in the animal models of various kinds of CNS disorders, including cerebral infarct, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury. However, there are several shortages of information when considering clinical application of BMSC transplantation for patients with CNS disorders. In this review, therefore, we discuss what we should clarify to establish cell transplantation therapy as the scientifically proven entity in clinical situation and describe our recent works for this purpose. The BMSC have the ability to alter their gene expression profile and phenotype in response to the surrounding circumstances and to protect the neurons by producing some neurotrophic factors. They also promote neurite extension and rebuild the neural circuits in the injured CNS. The BMSC can be expanded in vitro using the animal serum-free medium. Pharmacological modulation may accelerate the in vitro proliferation of the BMSC. Using in vivo optical imaging technique, the transplanted BMSC can non-invasively be tracked in the living animals for at least 8 weeks after transplantation. It is urgent issues to develop clinical imaging technique to track the transplanted cells in the CNS and evaluate the therapeutic significance of BMSC transplantation in order to establish it as a definite therapeutic strategy in clinical situation in the future.

Lentiviral vector mediated modification of mesenchymal stem cells & enhanced survival in an in vitro model of ischaemia

Introduction

A combination of gene and cell therapies has the potential to significantly enhance the therapeutic value of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The development of efficient gene delivery methods is essential if MSCs are to be of benefit using such an approach. Achieving high levels of transgene expression for the required period of time, without adversely affecting cell viability and differentiation capacity, is crucial. In the present study, we investigate lentiviral vector-mediated genetic modification of rat bone-marrow derived MSCs and examine any functional effect of such genetic modification in an in vitro model of ischaemia.

Methods

Transduction efficiency and transgene persistence of second and third generation rHIV-1 based lentiviral vectors were tested using reporter gene constructs. Use of the rHIV-pWPT-EF1-α-GFP-W vector was optimised in terms of dose, toxicity, cell species, and storage. The in vivo condition of ischaemia was modelled in vitro by separation into its associated constituent parts i.e. hypoxia, serum and glucose deprivation, in which the effect of therapeutic gene over-expression on MSC survival was investigated.

Results

The second generation lentiviral vector rHIV-pWPT-EF1-α-GFP-W, was the most efficient and provided the most durable transgene expression of the vectors tested. Transduction with this vector did not adversely affect MSC morphology, viability or differentiation potential, and transgene expression levels were unaffected by cryopreservation of transduced cells. Over-expression of HSP70 resulted in enhanced MSC survival and increased resistance to apoptosis in conditions of hypoxia and ischaemia. MSC differentiation capacity was significantly reduced after oxygen deprivation, but was preserved with HSP70 over-expression.

Conclusions

Collectively, these data validate the use of lentiviral vectors for efficient in vitro gene delivery to MSCs and suggest that lentiviral vector transduction can facilitate sustained therapeutic gene expression, providing an efficient tool for ex vivo MSC modification. Furthermore, lentiviral mediated over-expression of therapeutic genes in MSCs may provide protection in an ischaemic environment and enable MSCs to function in a regenerative manner, in part through maintaining the ability to differentiate. This finding may have considerable significance in improving the efficacy of MSC-based therapies.

An efficient method for generation of neural-like cells from adult human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells

BACKGROUND

Stem cell-based therapies to repair and replace lost neural cells are a highly promising treatment for CNS diseases. Bone marrow (BM)-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have great potential as therapeutic agents against neurological maladies, since they have the ability to differentiate into neural phenotypes and can be readily isolated and expanded for autotransplantation with no risk of rejection. In our previous studies, we demonstrated that neural cells could be efficiently generated from mouse BM-derived MSCs by exposing cells to epigenetic modifiers and a neural environment. The main idea of this approach was the reactivation of pluripotency-associated genes in MSCs before exposing them to neural-inducing factors.

AIM

In this study, we used a similar approach to efficiently generate neural cells from human BM-derived MSCs.

METHOD

Neural induction was achieved by exposing cells simultaneously to inhibitors of DNA methylation and histone deacetylation, and pharmacological agents that increase cAMP levels.

RESULTS

The expression of pluripotency and neural markers was confirmed with immunocytochemistry, western blot and real-time PCR. ELISA studies showed that these neurally induced-human MSCs cells released the neurotrophic factors glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor.

CONCLUSION

Human MSCs that are neurally modified with this methodology could be a useful source of cells for CNS repair and regeneration.

Peripheral nerve regeneration using autologous porcine skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells

Porcine skin-derived mesenchymal stem cells (pSMSCs) were evaluated on their biological MSC characterizations and differentiation into mesenchymal lineages, along with in vitro and in vivo neural inductions. Isolated pSMSCs showed plate-adherent growth, expression of various MSC-marker proteins and transcriptional factors, and differentiation potential into mesenchymal lineages. Neuron-like cell morphology and various neural markers were highly detected at 6 h and 24 h after in vitro neural induction of pSMSCs, but their neuron-like characteristics disappeared as induction time extended to 48 and 72 h. To evaluate the in vivo peripheral nerve regeneration potential of pSMSCs, a total of 5 × 10(6) autologous pSMSCs labelled with tracking dye, supplemented with fibrin glue scaffold and collagen tubulization, were transplanted into the peripheral nerve defected miniature pigs. At 2 and 4 weeks after cell transplantation, well-preserved transplanted cells and remarkable in vivo nerve regeneration, including histologically complete nerve bundles, were observed in the regenerated nerve tissues. Moreover, S-100 protein and p75 nerve growth factor receptor were more highly detected in regenerated nerve fibres compared to non-cell grafted control fibres. These results suggest that autologous pSMSCs transplanted with fibrin glue scaffold can induce prominent nerve regeneration in porcine peripheral nerve defect sites.

Bone marrow stromal cells as replacement cells for Parkinson's disease: generation of an anatomical but not functional neuronal phenotype

The focus of cell replacement therapies (CRTs) for Parkinson's disease has been on delivering dopamine-producing cells to the striatum. Fetal grafts have proven the feasibility of this approach, but an appropriate source of replacement cells has restricted the clinical translation. Bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have been heralded as an ideal source of dopaminergic (DAergic) replacement cells, as they are viewed as ethically acceptable, easily procured, and readily expanded. It is known that they confer functional benefits, particularly in stroke models, through the release of neurotrophic factors, but their transdifferentiation into neurons is still under contention. We sought to evaluate the neuronal phenotype and functional capacity of adult rat BMSCs after exposure to a novel multistep in vitro differentiation protocol compared with cells exposed to other reported neuronal differentiation conditions. We employed a systematic, comprehensive method of assessment to determine the neuronal differentiation capacity of BMSCs. Our fluorescence-activated cell sorting, immunofluorescent and semiquantitative polymerase chain reaction results confirmed that undifferentiated BMSCs isolated based on their adherence to plastic are of mesenchymal origin and express a range of lineage markers. After exposure to preinduction and neuronal induction steps, BMSCs down-regulate markers of other lineages but fail, as assessed by patch clamp, to differentiate into functional neurons. Thus, for BMSCs to be considered a source of DAergic neuronal replacement cells, their ability to transdifferentiate terminally along a neuronal lineage first must be clarified before attempting to direct more complex specification process required for them to be used in Parkinson's-disease-focused CRTs.

Activation of nervous system development genes in bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells following spaceflight exposure

Stalled cell division in precursor bone cells and reduced osteoblast function are considered responsible for the microgravity-induced bone loss observed during spaceflight. However, underlying molecular mechanisms remain unraveled. Having overcome technological difficulties associated with flying cells in a space mission, we present the first report on the behavior of the potentially osteogenic murine bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) in a 3D culture system, flown inside the KUBIK aboard space mission ISS 12S (Soyuz TMA-8 + Increment 13) from March 30 to April 8, 2006 (experiment "Stroma-2"). Flight 1g control cultures were performed in a centrifuge located within the payload. Ground controls were maintained on Earth in another KUBIK payload and in Petri dishes. Half of the cultures were stimulated with osteo-inductive medium. Differences in total RNA extracted suggested that cell proliferation was inhibited in flight samples. Affymetrix technology revealed that 1,599 genes changed expression after spaceflight exposure. A decreased expression of cell-cycle genes confirmed the inhibition of cell proliferation in space. Unexpectedly, most of the modulated expression was found in genes related to various processes of neural development, neuron morphogenesis, transmission of nerve impulse and synapse, raising the question on the lineage restriction in BMSC.

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition-derived cells exhibit multilineage differentiation potential similar to mesenchymal stem cells

The epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an embryonic process that becomes latent in most normal adult tissues. Recently, we have shown that induction of EMT endows breast epithelial cells with stem cell traits. In this report, we have further characterized the EMT-derived cells and shown that these cells are similar to mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with the capacity to differentiate into multiple tissue lineages. For this purpose, we induced EMT by ectopic expression of Twist, Snail, or transforming growth factor-beta in immortalized human mammary epithelial cells. We found that the EMT-derived cells and MSCs share many properties including the antigenic profile typical of MSCs, that is, CD44(+), CD24(-), and CD45(-). Conversely, MSCs express EMT-associated genes, such as Twist, Snail, and mesenchyme forkhead 1 (FOXC2). Interestingly, CD140b (platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta), a marker for naive MSCs, is exclusively expressed in EMT-derived cells and not in their epithelial counterparts. Moreover, functional analyses revealed that EMT-derived cells but not the control cells can differentiate into alizarin red S-positive mature osteoblasts, oil red O-positive adipocytes and alcian blue-positive chondrocytes similar to MSCs. We also observed that EMT-derived cells but not the control cells invade and migrate towards MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells similar to MSCs. In vivo wound homing assays in nude mice revealed that the EMT-derived cells home to wound sites similar to MSCs. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the EMT-derived cells are similar to MSCs in gene expression, multilineage differentiation, and ability to migrate towards tumor cells and wound sites.

Generation and characterization of neurospheres from canine adipose tissue-derived stromal cells

Adipose tissue-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) have been identified as a powerful stem cell source for cellular transplantation therapy. The dog is increasingly used as a model of human neurological disease; however, few studies have reported induction of canine ADSCs to neural lineages. We characterized canine ADSCs and investigated whether they could be induced to differentiate into neural lineages. Subcutaneous adipose tissue collected from the dorsal epaxial region of adult dogs aged from 1 to 6 years was cultured to produce ADSCs that were then induced to neural lineages. RT-PCR, flow cytometry, and immunocytochemistry were performed to characterize these cell populations. Morphologically fibroblast-like ADSCs were isolated and had similar characteristics to mesenchymal stem cells. Under neurogenic conditions containing basic fibroblast growth factor and epidermal growth factor, ADSCs formed spherical cellular aggregates that resembled neurospheres. RT-PCR confirmed expression of Sox2 and CD90 by these aggregates. Expression of neural stem/progenitor markers (Nestin, Sox2, Vimentin) and neural lineage markers (A2B5, GFAP, Tuj1) was shown on immunocytochemistry. After differentiation, 60% of the cells were Tuj1 positive. In conclusion, we isolated and generated neural progenitor cells from canine ADSCs. ADSCs have potential for future autologous cell transplantation therapy for neurological disorders.

Neurogenic transdifferentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells? A critical protocol reevaluation with special emphasis on cell proliferation and cell cycle alterations

Adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) are reported to display multilineage differentiation potential, including neuroectodermal pathways. The aim of the present study was to critically re-evaluate the potential neurogenic (trans-)differentiation capacity of ASCs using a neurogenic induction protocol based on the combination of isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX), indomethacin and insulin. ASCs isolated from lipo-aspirate samples of five healthy female donors were characterized and potential neurogenic (trans-)differentiation was assessed by means of immunohistochemistry and gene expression analyses. Cell proliferation and cell cycle alterations were studied, and the expression of CREB/ATF transcription factors was analyzed. ASCs expressed CD59, CD90 and CD105, and were tested negative for CD34 and CD45. Under neurogenic induction, ASCs adopted a characteristic morphology comparable to neur(on)al progenitors and expressed musashi1, β-III-tubulin and nestin. Gene expression analyses revealed an increased expression of β-III-tubulin, GFAP, vimentin and BDNF, as well as SOX4 in induced ASCs. Cell proliferation was significantly reduced under neurogenic induction; cell cycle analyses showed a G2-cell cycle arrest accompanied by differential expression of key regulators of cell cycle progression. Differential expression of CREB/ATF transcription factors could be observed on neurogenic induction, pointing to a decisive role of the cAMP-CREB/ATF system. Our findings may point to a potential neurogenic (trans-)differentiation of ASCs into early neur(on)al progenitors, but do not present definite evidence for it. Especially, the adoption of a neural progenitor cell-like morphology must not automatically be misinterpreted as a specific characteristic of a respective (trans-)differentiation process, as this may as well be caused by alterations of cell cycle progression.

In vitro differentiation potential of human embryonic versus adult stem cells

BACKGROUND

There is widespread controversy regarding the potential of human neural stem cells and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) to form cell types outside of their normal developmental lineage. A greater understanding of the differentiation potential and bias of these stem cell types would allow researchers to select the cell type that best suits the research or clinical need at hand.

MATERIALS & METHODS

We used identical in vitro protocols to quantitatively compare the potential of human embryonic stem cells, human neural stem cells and hMSCs to differentiate into specific ectodermal or mesodermal lineages.

RESULTS

Our findings demonstrate that human embryonic stem cells and human neural stem cells have the ability to differentiate into high purity neuronal progenitor or oligodendrocyte progenitor cultures. By contrast, hMSCs generated exceedingly limited numbers of neural lineages. Both human embryonic stem cells and hMSCs generated adipocytes and osteocytes when exposed to mesodermal differentiation conditions.

CONCLUSION

These studies underscore the importance of distinguishing differentiation potential from differentiation bias, an important consideration in the development of cell replacement strategies.

Cytotoxic effects of iron oxide nanoparticles and implications for safety in cell labelling

The in vitro labelling of cultured cells with iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) is a frequent practice in biomedical research. To date, the potential cytotoxicity of these particles remains an issue of debate. In the present study, 4 different NP types (dextran-coated Endorem, carboxydextran-coated Resovist, lipid-coated magnetoliposomes (MLs) and citrate-coated very small iron oxide particles (VSOP)) are tested on a variety of cell types, being C17.2 neural progenitor cells, PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cells and human blood outgrowth endothelial cells. Using different NP concentrations, the effect of the NPs on cell morphology, cytoskeleton, proliferation, reactive oxygen species, functionality, viability and cellular homeostasis is investigated. Through a systematic study, the safe concentrations for every particle type are determined, showing that MLs can lead up to 67.37 ± 5.98 pg Fe/cell whereas VSOP are the most toxic particles and only reach 18.65 ± 2.07 pg Fe/cell. Using these concentrations, it is shown that for MRI up to 500 cells/μl labelled with VSOP are required to efficiently visualize in an agar phantom in contrast to only 50 cells/μl for MLs and 200 cells/μl for Endorem and Resovist. These results highlight the importance of in-depth cytotoxic evaluation of cell labelling studies as at non-toxic concentrations, some particles appear to be less suitable for the MR visualization of labelled cells.

Human mesenchymal stem cell-derived Schwann cell-like cells exhibit neurotrophic effects, via distinct growth factor production, in a model of spinal cord injury

Human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are considered a desirable cell source for autologous cell transplantation therapy to treat nervous system injury due to their ability to differentiate into specific cell types and render the tissue microenvironment more favorable for tissue repair by secreting various growth factors. To potentiate their possible trophic effect, hMSCs were induced without genetic modification to adopt characteristics of Schwann cells (SCs), which provide trophic support for regenerating axons. The induced hMSCs (shMSCs) adopted a SC-like morphology and expressed SC-specific proteins including the p75 neurotrophin receptor, which correlated with cell-cycle exit. In addition, shMSCs secreted higher amounts of several growth factors, such as hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) when compared with uninduced hMSCs. Coculture of shMSCs with Neuro2A cells significantly increased neurite outgrowth and cell proliferation but decreased cell death. Transplantation of shMSCs in an ex vivo model of spinal cord injury dramatically enhanced axonal outgrowth, which was mediated by HGF and VEGF secretion and also decreased cell death. These results demonstrate that shMSCs could serve as an endogenous source of neurotrophic growth factors to facilitate axonal regeneration while at the same time protecting the resident cells at the site of tissue injury. We propose that these induced hMSCs without genetic modification are useful for autologous cell therapy to treat nervous system injury.

Intravenous administration of mesenchymal stem cells derived from bone marrow after contusive spinal cord injury improves functional outcome

Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from bone marrow has been shown to improve functional outcome in spinal cord injury (SCI). Systemic delivery of MSCs results in therapeutic benefits in a number of experimental central nervous system disorders. In the present study we intravenously administered rat MSCs derived from bone marrow at various time points after induction of a severe contusive SCI in rat to study their therapeutic effects. MSCs were systemically delivered at varied time points (6h to 28 days after SCI). The spinal cords were examined histologically 6 weeks after SCI. Stereological quantification was performed on the spinal cords to determine donor cell (MSCs transduced with the LacZ gene) density in the lesions. Light microscopic examination revealed that cavitation in the contused spinal cords was less in the MSC-treated rats. A limited number of cells derived from MSCs (LacZ(+)) in the injury site expressed neural or glial markers. Functional outcome measurements using the Basso-Beattie-Bresnehan (BBB) score were performed periodically up to 6 weeks post-SCI. Locomotor recovery improvement was greater in the MSC-treated groups than in sham controls with greatest improvement in the earlier post-contusion infusion times. The availability of autologous MSCs in large number and the potential for systemically delivering cells to target lesion areas without neurosurgical intervention suggests the potential utility of intravenous cell delivery as a prospective therapeutic approach in acute and subacute SCI.

Functional neural differentiation of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells using bFGF and forskolin

BACKGROUND

Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from adipose tissue have the capacity to differentiate into mesenchymal as well as endodermal and ectodermal cell lineage in vitro. We characterized the multipotent ability of human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (hADSCs) as MSCs and investigated the neural differentiation potential of these cells.

RESULTS

Human ADSCs from earlobe fat maintained self-renewing capacity and differentiated into adipocytes, osteoblasts, or chondrocytes under specific culture conditions. Following neural induction with bFGF and forskolin, hADSCs were differentiated into various types of neural cells including neurons and glia in vitro. In neural differentiated-hADSCs (NI-hADSCs), the immunoreactivities for neural stem cell marker (nestin), neuronal markers (Tuj1, MAP2, NFL, NFM, NFH, NSE, and NeuN), astrocyte marker (GFAP), and oligodendrocyte marker (CNPase) were significantly increased than in the primary hADSCs. RT-PCR analysis demonstrated that the mRNA levels encoding for ABCG2, nestin, Tuj1, MAP2, NFL, NFM, NSE, GAP43, SNAP25, GFAP, and CNPase were also highly increased in NI-hADSCs. Moreover, NI-hADSCs acquired neuron-like functions characterized by the display of voltage-dependent tetrodotoxin (TTX)-sensitive sodium currents, outward potassium currents, and prominent negative resting membrane potentials under whole-cell patch clamp recordings. Further examination by RT-PCR showed that NI-hADSCs expressed high level of ionic channel genes for sodium (SCN5A), potassium (MaxiK, Kv4.2, and EAG2), and calcium channels (CACNA1C and CACNA1G), which were expressed constitutively in the primary hADSCs. In addition, we demonstrated that Kv4.3 and Eag1, potassium channel genes, and NE-Na, a TTX-sensitive sodium channel gene, were highly induced following neural differentiation.

CONCLUSIONS

These combined results indicate that hADSCs have the same self-renewing capacity and multipotency as stem cells, and can be differentiated into functional neurons using bFGF and forskolin.

Survival and immunogenicity of mesenchymal stem cells from the green fluorescent protein transgenic rat in the adult rat brain

BACKGROUND

A major technical limitation in preclinical cell replacement research is the ability to discriminate between donor and host tissue after transplantation. This problem has been lessened by the availability of transgenic animals that express "reporter" genes, such as green fluorescent protein (GFP).

OBJECTIVE

We determined the usefulness of one such transgenic reporter rat to assess the survival of bone marrow-derived rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) following direct transplantation into the intact adult brain. We also sought to determine if the expression of GFP in the brain affected the survival of the MSCs or the host's neuroimmune response to the cells.

METHODS

Rats received intrastriatal injections of sterile transplantation medium, 100 000 normal MSCs, or 100 000 GFP-MSCs and were killed humanely 1, 4, 7, 28, and 42 days posttransplantation for astrocyte and microglial immunohistochemical staining.

RESULTS

GFP-MSCs were evident at each examination, although their survival declined over time. Graft volume estimates comparing normal and GFP-MSCs revealed that GFP expression did not adversely affect the survival of the stem cells in the brain. Furthermore, immunostaining for astrocytes and microglia revealed that expression of the reporter protein did not affect the immunogenicity of the stem cells.

CONCLUSIONS

These data indicate the usefulness of GFP for investigating the survival of MSCs following transplantation to the brain. However, the mechanisms responsible for the poor survival of the stem cells must be elucidated if these cells are to serve cell-based therapies for neurodegenerative disorders.

Physicochemical control of adult stem cell differentiation: shedding light on potential molecular mechanisms

Realization of the exciting potential for stem-cell-based biomedical and therapeutic applications, including tissue engineering, requires an understanding of the cell-cell and cell-environment interactions. To this end, recent efforts have been focused on the manipulation of adult stem cell differentiation using inductive soluble factors, designing suitable mechanical environments, and applying noninvasive physical forces. Although each of these different approaches has been successfully applied to regulate stem cell differentiation, it would be of great interest and importance to integrate and optimally combine a few or all of the physicochemical differentiation cues to induce synergistic stem cell differentiation. Furthermore, elucidation of molecular mechanisms that mediate the effects of multiple differentiation cues will enable the researcher to better manipulate stem cell behavior and response.

Roles of db-cAMP, IBMX and RA in aspects of neural differentiation of cord blood derived mesenchymal-like stem cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have multilineage differentiation potential which includes cell lineages of the central nervous system; hence MSCs might be useful in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease. Although mesenchymal stem cells have been shown to differentiate into the neural lineage, there is still little knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of differentiation particularly towards specialized neurons such as dopaminergic neurons. Here, we show that MSCs derived from human umbilical cord blood (MSC^hUCBs) are capable of expressing tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and Nurr1, markers typically associated with DA neurons. We also found differential phosphorylation of TH isoforms indicating the presence of post-translational mechanisms possibly activating and modifying TH in MSC^hUCB. Furthermore, functional dissection of components in the differentiation medium revealed that dibutyryl-cAMP (db-cAMP), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) and retinoic acid (RA) are involved in the regulation of Nurr1 and Neurofilament-L expression as well as in the differential phosphorylation of TH. We also demonstrate a possible inhibitory role of the protein kinase A signaling pathway in the phosphorylation of specific TH isoforms.

Detection of calcium transients in embryonic stem cells and their differentiated progeny

A central issue in stem cell biology is the determination of function and activity of differentiated stem cells, features that define the true phenotype of mature cell types. Commonly, physiological mechanisms are used to determine the functionality of mature cell types, including those of the nervous system. Calcium imaging provides an indirect method of determining the physiological activities of a mature cell. Camgaroos are variants of yellow fluorescent protein that act as intracellular calcium sensors in transfected cells. We expressed one version of the camgaroos, Camgaroo-2, in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells under the control of the CAG promoter system. Under the control of this promoter, Camgaroo-2 fluorescence was ubiquitously expressed in all cell types derived from the ES cells that were tested. In response to pharmacological stimulation, the fluorescence levels in transfected cells correlated with cellular depolarization and hyperpolarization. These changes were observed in both undifferentiated ES cells as well as ES cells that had been neurally induced, including putative neurons that were differentiated from transfected ES cells. The results presented here indicate that Camgaroo-2 may be used like traditional fluorescent proteins to track cells as well as to study the functionality of stem cells and their progeny.

Introducing transcription factors to multipotent mesenchymal stem cells: making transdifferentiation possible

Multipotent mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) represent a promising autologous source for regenerative medicine. Because MSCs can be isolated from adult tissues, they represent an attractive cell source for autologous transplantation. A straightforward therapeutic strategy in the field of stem cell-based regenerative medicine is the transplantation of functional differentiated cells as cell replacement for the lost or defective cells affected by disease. However, this strategy requires the capacity to regulate stem cell differentiation toward the desired cell fate. This therapeutic approach assumes the capability to direct MSC differentiation toward diverse cell fates, including those outside the mesenchymal lineage, a process termed transdifferentiation. The capacity of MSCs to undergo functional transdifferentiation has been questioned over the years. Nonetheless, recent studies support that genetic manipulation can serve to promote transdifferentiation. Specifically, forced expression of certain transcription factors can lead to reprogramming and alter cell fate. Using such a method, fully differentiated lymphocytes have been reprogrammed to become macrophages and, remarkably, somatic cells have been reprogrammed to become embryonic stem-like cells. In this review, we discuss the past and current research aimed at transdifferentiating MSCs, a process with applications that could revolutionize regenerative medicine.