title: Amniotic fluid-derived stem cells demonstrated cardiogenic potential in indirect co-culture with human cardiac cells.
abstract: Amniotic fluid-derived stem cells (AFSC) have been shown to be broadly multipotent and non-tumorogenic. Previous studies of direct mixing of AFSC and neonatal rat ventricle myocytes indicated evidence of AFSC cardiogenesis. In this study, we examined human AFSC cardiogenic potential in indirect co-culture with human cardiac cells in conditions that eliminated the possibility of cell fusion. Human AFSC in contact with human cardiac cells showed expression of cardiac troponin T (cTnT) in immunohistochemistry, and no evidence of cell fusion was found through fluorescent in situ hybridization. When indirectly co-cultured with cardiac cells, human AFSC in contact with cardiac cells across a thin porous membrane showed a statistically significant increase in cTnT expression compared to non-contact conditions but lacked upregulation of calcium modulating proteins and did not have functional or morphological characteristics of mature cardiomyocytes. This suggests that contact is a necessary but not sufficient condition for AFSC cardiac differentiation in co-culture with cardiac cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Rice University, 6500 Main Street, MS142, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Jennifer Petsche
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Connell
authors.forename: Lalita
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wadhwa
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ruano
authors.forename: Jeffrey G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Jacot
mesh_terms: D000653:Amniotic Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D002450:Cell Communication; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000166:cytology*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D020107:Troponin T / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D020107:Troponin T