Abstract
INTRODUCTION:
Adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have potential to differentiate into various lineages, replacing cells during normal turnover and tissue regeneration to replace damaged or lost adult tissues during osteoporosis and arthritis, or traumatic injuries. We investigated the osteogenic signature in mouse adipose tissue (AD)- and bone marrow (BM)-derived MSCs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
MSCs from adipose tissue and bone marrow were compared for osteogenic endogenous mRNA markers by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Cellular proliferation and immunophenotype analyzed by flow cytometry revealed that mouse AD-MSCs and BM-MSCs shared similar characteristics.
RESULT:
Isolated AD-MSC and BM-MSC showed high proliferation rates and fibroblast morphology. Flow cytometry revealed positive markers for mesenchyme, but negative for primitive hematopoietic and endothelial cells. At day 21, Alizarin red S and Von-kossa staining of differentiated cells showed high calcium deposits compared with undifferentiated cells. After 21 days of osteogenic differentiation, AD-MSCs expressed osteocalcin and parathyroid hormone (PTH) compared with undifferentiated cells. Osteogenic-specific transcript of osteocalcin (OC), bone gamma carboxyglutamate protein, and PTH receptor (PTHr) were detected only in differentiated not undifferentiated cells. Undifferentiated BM-MSCs, expressed all markers at low intensity, which amplified during differentiation.
CONCLUSION:
Our findings suggest that the OC and PTHr can be used as differentiation markers for osteogenesis of mouse AD-MSC.