Spontaneous expression of neural phenotype and NGF, TrkA, TrkB genes in marrow stromal cells.
Marrow stromal cells (MSCs) have the ability to provide growth factors and differentiate into neural-like cells on treating with EGF, bFGF and other factors. We wanted to explore whether growth factors secreted by MSCs itself could induce self-differentiation into neural-like cells. Here, we show that even in the absence of inducing factors, rMSCs spontaneously differentiate into neural-like cells expressing neural markers, such as nestin, beta-tubulin III, Doublecortin (DCX), microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and neuron-specific enolase (NSE). Furthermore, some cells become neurosphere-like growing in suspension. Compared with control and neural-like rMSCs induced by epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), we found using real-time PCR that self-differentiating rMSCs (SDrMSCs) expressed significantly higher levels of neurotrophic high-affinity receptors (TrkA and TrkB). Coincident with neural marker expression, nerve growth factor (NGF) mRNA was significantly higher than controls despite lower protein levels in the supernatant. Our study suggests that rMSCs have the potential to differentiate into neural cells spontaneously in culture and may contribute towards the natural function of MSCs for neural system in vivo.
Li
Na
N
Beijing Institute for Neuroscience, Capital Medical University, Beijing Center of Neural Regeneration and Repair, Key Laboratory for Neurodegenerative Disease of the Ministry of Education, Beijing 100069, China. huiyang@ccum.edu.cn
Yang
Hui
H
Lu
Lingling
L
Duan
Chunli
C
Zhao
Chunli
C
Zhao
Huanying
H
D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology*; D010641:Phenotype; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020917:Receptor, trkA / Q000235:genetics*; D020813:Receptor, trkB / Q000235:genetics*; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
C000714848:Dcx protein, rat; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D020917:Receptor, trkA; D020813:Receptor, trkB