title: Impact of direct cell co-cultures on human adipose-derived stromal cells and nucleus pulposus cells.
abstract: Biologic and cellular treatment strategies aiming for curing intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) have been proposed recently. Given the convenient availability and expansion potential, adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) might be an ideal cell candidate. However, the interaction between ADSCs and nucleus pulposus (NP) cells still remains ambiguous, especially in direct co-cultures of the two types of cells. Nevertheless, NP markers in ADSCs after co-cultures were unidentified. Here, we addressed the interaction of human ADSCs and NP cells in a direct co-culture system for the first time. As a result, ADSCs could differentiate to the NP cell phenotype with a significant up-regulated expression of multiple genes and proteins in extracellular matrix (ECM) (SOX9, COL2A1, ACAN, and COL6A2), relative NP markers (FOXF1, PAX1, CA12, and HBB) and pertinent growth factors (CDMP-1, TGF-β1, IGF-1, and CTGF). Moreover, the gene expression of COL2A1, ACAN, and COL6A2 of degenerate NP cells was also up-regulated. Collectively, these results suggest that direct co-cultures of ADSCs and NP cells may exert a reciprocal impact, that is, both stimulating ADSCs differentiation to the NP cell phenotype and inducing NP cells to regain functional phenotype. Accordingly, ADSCs might be a potential candidate in the development of cellular treatment strategies for IDD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, 127 Changle Western Road, Xi'an, 710032, P.R. China.
authors.forename: Zhen
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Zhi-Heng
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xu-Hong
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Yu-Fei
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wei-Lin
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Yong-Zhao
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Zhong-Yuan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Dino
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Samartzis
authors.forename: Hai-Qiang
authors.initials: HQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhuo-Jing
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000166:cytology*; D000328:Adult; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007403:Intervertebral Disc / Q000166:cytology*; D055959:Intervertebral Disc Degeneration / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000166:cytology*
keywords: adipose-derived stem cells; direct co-culture; intervertebral disc degeneration; nucleus pulposus