title: Embryonic stem cells proliferate and differentiate when seeded into kidney scaffolds.
abstract: The scarcity of transplant allografts for diseased organs has prompted efforts at tissue regeneration using seeded scaffolds, an approach hampered by the enormity of cell types and complex architectures. Our goal was to decellularize intact organs in a manner that retained the matrix signal for differentiating pluripotent cells. We decellularized intact rat kidneys in a manner that preserved the intricate architecture and seeded them with pluripotent murine embryonic stem cells antegrade through the artery or retrograde through the ureter. Primitive precursor cells populated and proliferated within the glomerular, vascular, and tubular structures. Cells lost their embryonic appearance and expressed immunohistochemical markers for differentiation. Cells not in contact with the basement membrane matrix became apoptotic, thereby forming lumens. These observations suggest that the extracellular matrix can direct regeneration of the kidney, and studies using seeded scaffolds may help define differentiation pathways.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology, Hypertension and Transplantation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0224, USA. rossea@medicine.ufl.edu
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamazaki
authors.forename: Naohiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Terada
authors.forename: William L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Clapp
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Adin
authors.forename: Gary W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Ellison
authors.forename: Marda
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jorgensen
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Batich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D007668:Kidney; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds