title: Multi-potent differentiation of human purified muscle-derived cells: potential for tissue regeneration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether CD34+ purified human muscle-derived cells (hMDCs) are capable of multiple lineage differentiation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The hMDCs were isolated from human skeletal muscle and purified using a CD34+ cell selection system (Dynal Biotech, Oslo, Norway). Adherent populations of cells were expanded in culture and cell differentiation was induced using different kinds of growth factors and different differentiation-conditional media. The immunohistochemical properties of CD34+ hMDCs were examined after varying periods in culture. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to investigate the gene expression of the undifferentiated and differentiated hMDCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using special differentiation conditions the CD34+ hMDCs could be differentiated into myogenic cells, adipocytes, osteocytes and chondrocytes. The differentiation was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. RT-PCR and Western blotting showed multiple-lineage gene-level expression in the different cultivation periods of the differentiated cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We confirmed the multi-lineage capacity of a population of stem cells, termed CD34+ hMDCs. Our findings showed that CD34+ hMDCs are capable of multiple mesodermal-lineage differentiation, as shown by the expression of several lineage-specific genes. They can be differentiated toward the myogenic, osteogenic, adipogenic and chondrogenic lineages. These cells might have potential for use in tissue regeneration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan. shlu77777@gmail.com
authors.forename: Shing-Hwa
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: An-Hang
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Chou-Fu
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Han Sun
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chiang
authors.forename: Michael B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Chancellor
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology; D012038:Regeneration; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase