title: Enrichment in c-Kit improved differentiation potential of amniotic membrane progenitor/stem cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human term placenta has attracted increasing attention as an alternative source of stem cells for regenerative medicine since it is accessible without ethical objections. The amniotic membrane (AM) contains at least two stem cell types from different embryological origins: ectodermal amniotic epithelial stem cells, and mesodermal mesenchymal stromal cells. Among the second group we studied the characteristics of amniotic mesenchymal cells (AMC) versus the ones enriched for the commonly used surface marker c-Kit (amniotic progenitor/stem cells-ASC), a stem cell factor receptor with crucial functions in a variety of biological systems and presents in early progenitors of different origin, as been already demonstrated in the enriched chorionic stem cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  After isolation, cells from the amniotic membranes (amniotic cells-AC) were selected for c-Kit (ASC) and compared these cells with c-Kit unselected (AMC), evaluating the expression of other stem cell markers (Oct-4, Tra-1-81, SSEA-4), CD271 and Slug.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunofluorescence analysis showed that ASC cells exhibited greater stem cell marker expression and included more CD271 and Slug positive cells. This was consistent with the interpretation that c-Kit enriched AC show greater stemness capacity compared to c-Kit unselected AMC.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AMC and ASC can both differentiate into various cell types including adipogenic, osteogenic, chondrogenic, neurogenic and hepatic lineages, but the enrichment in c-Kit improved stemness and differentiation potential of ASC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy; Surgery Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom; Science & Technology Park for Medicine, TPM, Democenter Foundation Mirandola, Modena, Italy. Electronic address: elisa.resca@unimore.it.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Resca
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zavatti
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Maraldi
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bertoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Beretti
authors.affiliation: EURAC Research, Center for Biomedicine, Bolzano, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Guida
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics and Gynecology Unit, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Pediatrics, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
authors.forename: G B
authors.initials: GB
authors.lastname: La Sala
authors.affiliation: Institute of Reproductive and Developmental Biology, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Guillot
authors.affiliation: Prenatal Cell and Gene Therapy Group, Institute for Women's Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: David
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatric Pathology, Camelia Botnar Laboratories, Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Sebire
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Medical, Dental and Morphological Sciences with Interest in Transplant, Oncology and Regenerative Medicine, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Pol
authors.affiliation: Surgery Unit, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Coppi
mesh_terms: D000650:Amnion / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3 / Q000378:metabolism; D010920:Placenta / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit / Q000378:metabolism*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D050814:Octamer Transcription Factor-3; D019009:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit
keywords: Amniotic membrane; Human amniotic stem cells; Oct-4; Placenta; Pluripotency markers; c-Kit