Comparative study of stromal cell lines derived from embryonic, fetal, and postnatal mouse blood-forming tissues.
OBJECTIVE
To better understand the differentiation of stromal cells of the hematopoietic microenvironment, we set out to characterize stromal cells from the different developmental sites of hematopoiesis in the mouse (30 bone marrow, 7 spleen, 3 embryonic and 15 fetal liver, 6 yolk sac, and 6 aorta-gonad-mesonephros lines) for expression of 22 cytoskeletal, membrane, and extracellular matrix proteins.


METHODS
Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry were used. Statistical methods included principal components analysis and analysis of variance.


RESULTS
Stromal cells from 11 dpc mouse embryos express mesenchymal and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) markers. Principal components analysis on the 70 stromal cell lines isolated from different anatomic sites and developmental stages allows classification of stromal lines along a mesenchymal to VSMC differentiation pathway. Stromal cells do not express endothelial and hematopoietic differentiation membrane antigens, but they do express integrin alpha(5), alpha(6), and beta(1) subunits, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, CD44, stem cell antigen-1, Thy-1, CD34, and endoglin. The intensity of expression of certain markers differs between lines according to the anatomic site of origin.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicates that stromal cells, whatever their anatomic site of origin, follow a VSMC differentiation pathway, suggesting a blood-forming tissue-specific differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Differential quantitative expression of distinct sets of markers appears to be correlated with the anatomic sites of origin of the stromal cells.
Charbord
Pierre
P
Inserm U506, Hopital Paul Brousse, Villejuif, France. pcharbord@noos.fr
Oostendorp
Robert
R
Pang
Wenxin
W
Hérault
Olivier
O
Noel
Frederic
F
Tsuji
Takashi
T
Dzierzak
Elaine
E
Péault
Bruno
B
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002460:Cell Line; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005314:Embryonic and Fetal Development; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005865:Gestational Age; D051379:Mice; D011247:Pregnancy; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology*
D015415:Biomarkers