Bone marrow stromal cell assays: in vitro and in vivo.
Populations of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs, also known as bone marrow-derived "mesenchymal stem cells") contain a subset of cells that are able to recapitulate the formation of a bone/marrow organ (skeletal stem cells, SSCs). The biological properties of BMSC cultures are assessed by a variety of assays, both in vitro and in vivo. Application of these assays in an appropriate fashion provides a great deal of information on the role of BMSCs, and the subset of SSCs, in health and in disease.
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Pamela Gehron
PG
Robey
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Sergei A
SA
Kuznetsov
Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Mara
M
Riminucci
Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
Paolo
P
Bianco
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice