title: Bone formation in rabbit's leg muscle after autologous transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells expressing human bone morphogenic protein-2.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To test whether autologous transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) expressing human bone morphogenic protein-2 (hBMP-2) can produce bone in rabbit leg muscles.
  
  
  METHODS
  MSCs were isolated from BM of the iliac crest of rabbits and then infected with lentiviral vectors (LVs) bearing hBMP-2 and green fluorescent protein under the control of the cytomegalovirus (immediate early promoter). Differentiation of transduced MSCs to osteoblasts in vitro was evaluated with an alkaline phosphatase activity assay and immuohistochemistry against osteoblast specific markers. MSCs expressing hBMP-2 were placed in an absorbable gelatin sponge, which was then transplanted into the gastrocnemius of rabbits from which MSCs were isolated. Bone formation was examined by X-ray and histological analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LVs efficiently mediated hBMP-2 gene expression in rabbit BM-MSCs. Ectopic expression of hBMP in these MSCs induced osteoblastic differentiation in vitro. Bone was formed after the MSCs expressing hBMP-2 were transplanted into rabbit muscles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ectopic expression of hBMP-2 in rabbit MSCs induces them to differentiate into osteoblasts in vitro and to form a bone in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The 8 Hospital, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China.
authors.forename: Licheng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, XiangYa Hospital, Central South University, 87 XiangYa Road, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China.
authors.forename: Guang-Hua
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The 8 Hospital, Changsha, Hunan 410008, China.
authors.forename: Han-Wen
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affilliated Hospital, Sun YAT-SEN University, 58 The Second ZhongShan Road, GuangZhou, GuangDong 510080, China.
authors.forename: Pu-Yi
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Sheng
keywords: Autologous transplantation; Autologus; bone marrow; bone morphogenic protein-2; lentiviral vector; mesenchymal; mesenchymal stem cells; stem cells; transplantation