Human first-trimester fetal MSC express pluripotency markers and grow faster and have longer telomeres than adult MSC.
The biological properties of stem cells are key to the success of cell therapy, for which MSC are promising candidates. Although most therapeutic applications to date have used adult bone marrow MSC, increasing evidence suggests that MSC from neonatal and mid-gestational fetal tissues are more plastic and grow faster. Fetal stem cells have been isolated earlier in development, from first-trimester blood and hemopoietic organs, raising the question of whether they are biologically closer to embryonic stem cells and thus have advantages over adult bone marrow MSC. In this study, we show that human first-trimester fetal blood, liver, and bone marrow MSC but not adult MSC express the pluripotency stem cell markers Oct-4, Nanog, Rex-1, SSEA-3, SSEA-4, Tra-1-60, and Tra-1-81. In addition, fetal MSC, irrespective of source, had longer telomeres (p < .001), had greater telomerase activity (p < .01), and expressed more human telomerase reverse transcriptase (p < .01). Fetal MSC were also more readily expandable and senesced later in culture than their adult counterparts (p < .01). Compared with adult MSC, first-trimester fetal tissues constitute a source of MSC with characteristics that appear advantageous for cell therapy.
Guillot
Pascale V
PV
Experimental Fetal Medicine Group, Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, Hammersmith Campus, Du Cane Road, London W12 0NN, U.K. Pascale.Guillot@imperial.ac.uk
Gotherstrom
Cecilia
C
Chan
Jerry
J
Kurata
Hiroshi
H
Fisk
Nicholas M
NM
D000328:Adult; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics*; D016615:Telomere / Q000502:physiology*
D019098:Telomerase