BioProject

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are cultured cells that can give rise to mature mesenchymal cells under appropriate conditions, and secrete a number of biologically relevant molecules that may play an important role in regenerative medicine. More...

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are cultured cells that can give rise to mature mesenchymal cells under appropriate conditions, and secrete a number of biologically relevant molecules that may play an important role in regenerative medicine. Evidence indicates that pericytes (PCs) correspond to mesenchymal stem cells in vivo and can give rise to MSCs when cultured, but a comparison between the gene expression profiles of cultured PCs (cPCs) and MSCs is lacking. We have devised a novel methodology to isolate PCs from human adipose tissue, and compared cPCs to MSCs obtained through traditional methods. Freshly isolated PCs expressed CD34, CD140b, and CD271 on their surface, but not CD146. Both MSCs and cPCs were able to differentiate along mesenchymal pathways in vitro, displayed an essentially identical surface immunophenotype, and exhibited the ability to suppress CD3+ lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. Microarray expression data of cPCs and MSCs formed a single cluster among other cell types. Further analyses showed that the gene expression profiles of cPCs and MSCs are extremely similar, although MSCs differentially expressed endothelial cell-specific transcripts. These results confirm, using the power of transcriptomic analysis, that PCs give rise to MSCs, and suggest that low levels of endothelial cells may persist in MSC cultures established using traditional protocols. Overall design: Highly purified human adipose-tissue pericytes (AT3G5Cs) were isolated based on the expression of the antigen detected by the 3G5 antibody, lack of expression of CD31, and ability to adhere to tissue-cultured plastic whithin a short time. The in vitro properties of cultured AT3G5Cs were compared to those of adipose tissue mesenchymal stromal cells (ATMSCs) obtained through traditional methods. Gene expression profiles of cultured AT3G5Cs (n = 3 different biological samples) and ATMSCs (n = 3 different biological samples) were compared to each other by statistical analyses. Gene expression profiles of cultured AT3G5Cs and ATMSCs were compared to those of other cell types by clustering analyses. Less...