title: Localization and origin of cardiac CD117-positive cells: identification of a population of epicardially-derived cells in adult human heart.
abstract: During heart morphogenesis, epicardial cells undergo epithelial-mesenchymal transition giving origin to a population of epicardially derived cells that play a crucial role in the development of most cardiac cell lineages. Considering the hypothesis that epithelial-mesenchymal transition of epicardial mesothelium can generate cardiac primitive cells in the adult heart, we have examined in vivo and in vitro the epicardium and subepicardium of normal human adult hearts and of pathological hearts from patients with chronic ischemic heart failure for the presence of CD117-positive cells with epithelial and mesenchymal markers expression. The number of CD117-positive cells increased significantly in the subepicardium of pathological hearts and sloped down towards myocardium, remaining still elevated with respect to normal hearts. While cells with typical epithelial proteins expression formed an intact layer on the surface of the normal hearts, CD117-positive cells were localized mainly in the subepicardium and expressed mesenchymal markers in the pathological hearts. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition, induced in vitro by several growth factors known to accumulate in the ischemic myocardium, gave origin to epicardially-derived cells with CD117 expression. These data support the hypothesis of epicardial origin of cardiac primitive cells in the adult human heart.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomorphological and Functional Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
authors.forename: Franca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Di Meglio
authors.forename: Clotilde
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castaldo
authors.forename: Daria
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nurzynska
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Miraglia
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Romano
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Russolillo
authors.forename: Langella
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Giuseppina
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vosa
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montagnani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D053687:Adult Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D002452:Cell Count; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D019070:Cell Lineage / Q000502:physiology*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D010496:Pericardium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit