title: Role of Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling in Epithelial Differentiation of Lung Resident Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
abstract: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that stem cells have the ability to repair the lung tissue injuries following either injection of cultured cells or bone marrow transplantation. As a result, increasing attention has focused on the lung resident mesenchymal stem cells (LR-MSCs) for repairing damaged lung tissues. Meanwhile, some studies have revealed that Wnt/β-catenin signaling plays an important role in the epithelial differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In the current study, our aim was to explore the roles of Wnt/β-catenin signaling on cell proliferation and epithelial differentiation of LR-MSCs. We have successfully isolated the stem cell antigen (Sca)-1(+) CD45(-) CD31(-) cells which were proposed to be LR-MSCs by magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). Furthermore, we demonstrated the expression of epithelial markers on LR-MSCs following indirect co-culture of these cells with alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells, confirming the epithelial phenotype of LR-MSCs following co-culture. In order to clarify the regulatory mechanisms of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in epithelial differentiation of LR-MSCs, we measured the protein levels of several important members involved in Wnt/β-catenin signaling in the presence or absence of some canonical activators and inhibitors of the β-catenin pathways. In conclusion, our study demonstrated that Wnt/β-catenin signaling may be an essential mechanism underlying the regulation of epithelial differentiation of LR-MSCs.
authors.affiliation: Immunology and Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing, 210093, China.|State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China.
authors.forename: Chaowen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Immunology and Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing, 210093, China.|State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China.
authors.forename: Tengfei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Mucosal Immunobiology and Vaccine Research Center, Institute of Biomedicine, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: Zou
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhaorui
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
authors.forename: Weiping
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.affiliation: Immunology and Reproductive Biology Laboratory, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.|Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Nanjing, 210093, China.|State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China.
authors.forename: Xiaodong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Han
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000950:Antigens, Ly / Q000378:metabolism; D001343:Autophagy; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002469:Cell Separation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000378:metabolism; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051379:Mice; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D060449:Wnt Signaling Pathway
chemical_list: D000950:Antigens, Ly; D015415:Biomarkers; D019408:Platelet Endothelial Cell Adhesion Molecule-1; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens
keywords: ALVEOLAR EPITHELIAL TYPE II CELLS (ATII CELLS); DIFFERENTIATION; LUNG RESIDENT MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS (LR-MSCs); WNT/β-CATENIN SIGNALING