title: Isolation and characterization of antler-derived multipotent stem cells.
abstract: Recent studies have reported that stem cells can be isolated from various tissues such as bone marrow, fatty tissue, umbilical cord blood, Wharton's jelly, and placenta. These types of stem cell studies have also arisen in veterinary medicine. Deer antlers show a seasonal regrowth of tissue, an unusual feature in mammals. Antler tissue therefore might offer a source of stem cells. To explore the possibility of stem cell populations within deer antlers, we isolated and successfully cultured antler-derived multipotent stem cells (MSCs). Antler MSCs were maintained in a growth medium, and the proliferation potential was measured via an assay called the cumulative population doubling level. Immunophenotyping and immunostaining revealed the intrinsic characteristic stem cell markers of antler MSCs. To confirm the ability to differentiate, we conducted osteogenic, adipogenic, and chondrogenic induction under the respective differentiation conditions. We discovered that antler MSCs have the ability to differentiate into multiple lineages. In conclusion, our results show that deer antler tissue may contain MSCs and therefore may be a potential source for veterinary regenerative therapeutics.
authors.affiliation: Adult Stem Cell Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Soo
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Sang-Bum
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Soon-Won
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jae-Jun
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hyung-Sik
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyung-Sun
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D000999:Antlers / Q000166:cytology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D019070:Cell Lineage; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D020219:Chondrogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D003470:Culture Media / Q000494:pharmacology; D003670:Deer; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000494:pharmacology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000494:pharmacology; D007621:Karyotyping; D039902:Multipotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D014157:Transcription Factors; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I