Long-term repopulation effects of donor BMDCs on intestinal epithelium.
BACKGROUND
Bone marrow-derived cells (BMDCs) have the ability to differentiate into intestinal epithelial cells after transplantation and participate in the regeneration process of damaged epithelium.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether BMDCs could differentiate into intestinal epithelium long term in chimeric mice after transplantation and without special treatment.


METHODS
Forty irradiated C57BL/6 mice were used. Thirty of them (group A) received transplantation of BMDCs from GFP transgenic mice, and ten (group B) received PBS. The chimeric percentage at the 14th month was examined by flow cytometry. Engraftment of BMDCs was detected by immunohistochemistry in intestinal epithelium. Immunofluorescence observation was used to detect coexpression of PCK, CD45 and Chromogranin A with GFP. BMDCs in the epithelium were observed by an immune electron microscope. The percent of GFP(+) epithelial cells was also determined by flow cytometry.


RESULTS
Mice in group A had a survival rate of 93.3% 1 week after transplantation. BMDCs could engraft into recipients' intestinal epithelium. These cells expressed epithelial cell marker PCK, but could not express CD45. Some of them differentiated into enteroendocrine cells expressing Chromogranin A. GFP(+) villous epithelial cells ranged from 9.41 to 16.07% in different subgroups of group A. BMDCs in epithelium developed the characteristics of enterocytes and goblet cells. GFP(+)/PCK(+) epithelial cells at the 6th month made up a proportion of 16.11% among all the isolated epithelial cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Long term, BMDCs could repopulate recipient's intestinal epithelium even without any special treatment, which suggests a novel insight into the maintenance of the intestinal epithelial constitution.
Institute of Combined Injury, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burns and Combined Injury, College of Preventive Medicine, Third Military Medical University, Shapingba, Chongqing, China.
Dengqun
D
Liu
Fengchao
F
Wang
Zhongmin
Z
Zou
Shiwu
S
Dong
Chunmeng
C
Shi
Junping
J
Wang
Xinze
X
Ran
Yongping
Y
Su
D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000502:physiology; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D002678:Chimera; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects; D007421:Intestine, Small / Q000473:pathology / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental
D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins