Human endometrial side population cells exhibit genotypic, phenotypic and functional features of somatic stem cells.
During reproductive life, the human endometrium undergoes around 480 cycles of growth, breakdown and regeneration should pregnancy not be achieved. This outstanding regenerative capacity is the basis for women's cycling and its dysfunction may be involved in the etiology of pathological disorders. Therefore, the human endometrial tissue must rely on a remarkable endometrial somatic stem cells (SSC) population. Here we explore the hypothesis that human endometrial side population (SP) cells correspond to somatic stem cells. We isolated, identified and characterized the SP corresponding to the stromal and epithelial compartments using endometrial SP genes signature, immunophenotyping and characteristic telomerase pattern. We analyzed the clonogenic activity of SP cells under hypoxic conditions and the differentiation capacity in vitro to adipogenic and osteogenic lineages. Finally, we demonstrated the functional capability of endometrial SP to develop human endometrium after subcutaneous injection in NOD-SCID mice. Briefly, SP cells of human endometrium from epithelial and stromal compartments display genotypic, phenotypic and functional features of SSC.
Cervelló
Irene
I
Fundación IVI-Instituto Universitario IVI, Universidad de Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
Gil-Sanchis
Claudia
C
Mas
Aymara
A
Delgado-Rosas
Francisco
F
Martínez-Conejero
José Antonio
JA
Galán
Amparo
A
Martínez-Romero
Alicia
A
Martínez
Sebastian
S
Navarro
Ismael
I
Ferro
Jaime
J
Horcajadas
José Antonio
JA
Esteban
Francisco José
FJ
O'Connor
José Enrique
JE
Pellicer
Antonio
A
Simón
Carlos
C
D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D004717:Endometrium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D051379:Mice; D016688:Mice, Inbred NOD; D016513:Mice, SCID; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous