Identification of small Sca-1(+), Lin(-), CD45(-) multipotential cells in the neonatal murine retina.
OBJECTIVE
Bone marrow contains a subset of stem cells that give rise to nonhematopoietic lineages. These nonhematopoietic stem cells appear heterogeneous and contain cells committed to mesenchymal and endothelial lineages, as well as more primitive multipotential cells resembling progenitors of germ cells and very small embryonic/epiblast-like stem cells (VSELs). Nonhematopoietic stem cells can be mobilized from the bone marrow in response to tissue injury, and cells with similar properties have been found in cord blood and normal adult organs. However, the relationship between bone marrow cells and these adult organ stem cells is still unclear. The differentiation potential of some adult stem cells is organ-restricted, but other populations appear to retain multipotential capacity.


METHODS
A population of small Sca-1(+), lineage-negative (Lin(-)), CD45(-) cells resembling VSELs were isolated from neonatal mouse retina by cell sorting. Differentiation of the cells in culture was achieved by exposure to embryonic stem cell differentiation protocols.


RESULTS
VSEL-like cells comprise 1.5% of the neonatal mouse retina. They remain quiescent during retinal differentiation, and thus they do not contribute to normal retinal development. However, they display eye cell differentiation potential in culture and they are also multipotential and can give rise to cells representative of all three embryonic layers.


CONCLUSIONS
The neonatal retina is an abundant postnatal source of multipotential VSEL-like cells that can differentiate in culture into a variety of lineages.
Liu
Yongqing
Y
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Louisville Health Sciences Center, Louisville, KY, USA.
Gao
Ling
L
Zuba-Surma
Ewa K
EK
Peng
Xiaoyan
X
Kucia
Magdalena
M
Ratajczak
Mariusz Z
MZ
Wang
Wei
W
Enzmann
Volker
V
Enzman
Volker
V
Kaplan
Henry J
HJ
Dean
Douglas C
DC
D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D051379:Mice; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D012160:Retina
D000950:Antigens, Ly; C074650:Ly6a protein, mouse; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; C516770:Ptprc protein, mouse