title: 'Working' cardiomyocytes exhibiting plateau action potentials from human placenta-derived extraembryonic mesodermal cells.
abstract: The clinical application of cell transplantation for severe heart failure is a promising strategy to improve impaired cardiac function. Recently, an array of cell types, including bone marrow cells, endothelial progenitors, mesenchymal stem cells, resident cardiac stem cells, and embryonic stem cells, have become important candidates for cell sources for cardiac repair. In the present study, we focused on the placenta as a cell source. Cells from the chorionic plate in the fetal portion of the human placenta were obtained after delivery by the primary culture method, and the cells generated in this study had the Y sex chromosome, indicating that the cells were derived from the fetus. The cells potentially expressed 'working' cardiomyocyte-specific genes such as cardiac myosin heavy chain 7beta, atrial myosin light chain, cardiac alpha-actin by gene chip analysis, and Csx/Nkx2.5, GATA4 by RT-PCR, cardiac troponin-I and connexin 43 by immunohistochemistry. These cells were able to differentiate into cardiomyocytes. Cardiac troponin-I and connexin 43 displayed a discontinuous pattern of localization at intercellular contact sites after cardiomyogenic differentiation, suggesting that the chorionic mesoderm contained a large number of cells with cardiomyogenic potential. The cells began spontaneously beating 3 days after co-cultivation with murine fetal cardiomyocytes and the frequency of beating cells reached a maximum on day 10. The contraction of the cardiomyocytes was rhythmical and synchronous, suggesting the presence of electrical communication between the cells. Placenta-derived human fetal cells may be useful for patients who cannot supply bone marrow cells but want to receive stem cell-based cardiac therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Reproductive Biology and Pathology, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Shunichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Miyoshi
authors.forename: Masashi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toyoda
authors.forename: Naoko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hida
authors.forename: Yukinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikegami
authors.forename: Hatsune
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Makino
authors.forename: Nobuhiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.forename: Chang-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Kaoru
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Segawa
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uyama
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kami
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyado
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asada
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Hirohisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aeba
authors.forename: Ryohei
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yozu
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Umezawa
mesh_terms: D000185:Actinin / Q000378:metabolism; D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002823:Chorion / Q000166:cytology*; D018031:Connexin 43 / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008648:Mesoderm / Q000166:cytology*; D051379:Mice; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology*; D019210:Troponin I / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D018031:Connexin 43; D019210:Troponin I; D000185:Actinin